The Birmingham-born Balti is the favourite curry amongst males in the Midlands with the spicy Madras as a close runner up.  Milder curries Korma and Tikka Masala topped the survey as popular amongst females. The One Poll survey, commissioned by Patak’s, identified Indian cuisine eating habits amongst diners in the Midlands. Out of the 500 respondents asked, 18% eat Indian curry meals out of home once a month. The results showed that Midlanders are embracing the current informal dining trend with 35% of consumers saying they look for shared platters. They are also interested in healthy eating, with 49% of consumers saying they would like to have a greater choice of lower calorie options.

Consumers were also asked about their digital search habits. 50% of consumers who use search engines to find an Indian restaurant use Google. Social search is proving to be an increasingly popular option, particularly amongst 18-34 year olds. Interestingly, the breakdown shows that this method of search is more popular amongst the 25-34 year olds with double the number using social searches compared to the younger 18-24 year olds.