Women step aside as men hope to be kings of the grill this summer

New Cancer Research UK figures released during the BBQ season show that nearly four in five women (83 per cent) would rather someone else take the responsibility for cooking on the BBQ. The data also shows:

• 46 per cent of men happy to take on the role of BBQ chef this summer, compared to 17 per cent of women
• 18 per cent of men choose Holly Willoughby as their favourite celebrity guest at a BBQ

Of the men happy to be the BBQ chef:

• 35 per cent  like to be in control of the what goes on the grill
• 15 per cent consider themselves the best ‘gourmet griller’*

One in 10 men (11 per cent) are happy to take charge of BBQ cooking in order to impress their friends and family and 21 per cent have tried to impress a potential partner with their barbecuing skills, compared to just 11 per cent of women. For eight per cent of men and five per cent of women it must have worked as they met their partner while cooking at a BBQ.

The results** of the survey of 2,000 men and women have been announced to tie in with Cancer Research UK’s BBQ campaign, which runs throughout July, with the Big BBQ Weekend taking place on the 19 and 20 July.

Of the people that like to take on the role of BBQ chef, nearly one in six (16 per cent) said they think showing off their BBQ skills makes them more attractive – this rises to 26 per cent for 18 to 34 year olds. People from the West Midlands and Londoners are among the most likely to think that showing off their BBQ skills make them more attractive (22 and 23 per cent), compared to just five per cent in East Anglia.

And when it comes to the most sought after celebrity guests to a BBQ, the majority of men would choose Holly Willoughby (18 per cent), with women opting for Stephen Fry (19 per cent).

Out of all Brits who like to take responsibility for cooking at BBQs, 44 per cent do it because they like to cook for other people (44 per cent), 35 per cent to be in control of the cooking and 32 per cent because they think they are great cooks.

Hosting or attending a BBQ is one of Britain’s favourite things to do on a sunny weekend in the UK with over 27 million Brits having already enjoyed a BBQ this summer, and more than 11 million set to attend or host a BBQ over the summer months***.

BBQ for Cancer Research UK is running throughout July, with the Big BBQ Weekend taking place on the 19 and 20 July. To sign up to become a BBQ hero and get a free BBQ pack, visit www.cruk.org/BBQ

ENDS

For more information, please contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 8315 or, out-of-hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059