From the scent of fresh pastries to the mouth-watering sensation of fried bacon travelling through the air, the smell of food can make a house feel like a home. But what are the UK’s favourite food scents and why do we love them so much?

Wren Kitchens has conducted a survey* to reveal the nation’s favourite food smells. The study broke down the research by city to reveal which parts of the UK prefer the smell of bacon in comparison to freshly roasted chicken.

The study revealed that sizzling bacon is the favourite food scent of Manchester, with 32% of the people surveyed favouring this over the likes of fresh bread and others.

Favourite food scents by city:

City
Favourite food scent
Belfast
Roasted chicken (34%)
Birmingham
Fresh bread (30%)
Brighton
Fresh bread (44%)
Bristol
Fresh bread (38%)
Cardiff
Bacon (43%)
Edinburgh
Fish and chips (39%)
Glasgow
Bacon (41%)
Leeds
Fresh bread (47%)
Liverpool
Coffee (49%)
London
Fresh bread (34%)
Manchester
Bacon (32%)
Newcastle
Fresh bread (36%)
Norwich
Coffee (42%)
Nottingham
Fresh bread (36%)
Plymouth
Fresh bread (36%)
Sheffield
Coffee (43%)
Southampton
Fresh bread (46%)

The reason behind Brits love for these scents

But why is it that Brits truly love these smells? According to research**, scientists believe that smell and memory have a close connection because of the anatomy of the brain. Therefore, Wren Kitchen’s research suggests that it’s likely that many Brits have positive associations with the smell of fresh baked bread, roasted chicken and fish and chips.

It’s also been revealed*** that the chemical makeup of these foods, such as bacon, likely contains lots of aromatic compounds that make them smell irresistible.