Serve food on plates, not flip flops, spades or tennis rackets, Brits say in poll

An overwhelming majority of people prefer to have their meals served up on plates rather than outlandish alternatives like spades or tennis racquets, according to a poll.

A decisive majority of 99 per cent of respondents said they liked to eat off a round dish, the survey by Yougov found.

Meanwhile, 69 per cent approved the practice of serving food from a slate, and 64 per cent considered it acceptable to eat from a wooden board.

The poll of 2,030 people found that diners looked dimly on foods served in more unusual objects, such as plant pots (52 per cent approval) and jars (just 18 per cent).

Those in the ABC1 social grades (middle class) were 12 percentage points more likely to approve of slates than those in the C2DE social grades (working class), and 8 points more likely to find wooden boards inoffensive.

The surprise result of the poll was the storming popularity of square plates, to which 96 per cent said they were amenable.

Writer William Sitwell, who has appeared on BBC show Masterchef, has previously come out against the square plate, saying he cannot sanction their use no matter how much people like them.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "Square and rectangular plates are an abomination. Food should be served on round plates and not a right angle in sight.

"A square plate is at odds with nature. Mother Nature produces ingredients that are many shapes - including round, but never square."

Yougov said the study showed people may in the future be more inclined to eat from non-plate vessels, since younger people were more likely to feel positively about them.

However, the popularity of the Twitter account @WeWantPlates - which has 136,000 followers and features customers' pictures of food served in receptacles from pans to shoes and even tennis rackets - suggests the topic remains controversial at this time.