A third of Brits are fibbing about their personal lives – and it’s not just the odd white lie. From inflating their salaries and sporting ability to pretending they’re up-to-date with current affairs, the nation’s love of a tall tale is alive and well, especially at dinner parties.
A new poll of 2,000 adults has revealed that a staggering 38 per cent have exaggerated a funny story to friends or colleagues just to get a bigger laugh. Even childhood memories aren’t safe, with 13 per cent admitting they’ve stretched the truth when chatting to their in-laws.
But it doesn’t stop there. The research found that 14 per cent of Brits are happy to lie about how they prepared the food they’re serving – with a cheeky quarter of hosts passing off air-fried dishes as if they’d been cooked the traditional way.
The study, commissioned by Bosch, saw TV favourites Harry Clark and Mollie Pearce take on the ultimate taste test.
The reality stars invited sceptical members of the public to their studio kitchen to sample two identical-looking dishes: one cooked the old-fashioned way, the other whipped up in an air fryer.
Harry Clark said: “It’s funny to see how many people will lie at the dinner table to make themselves look good. I’ve got a decent nose for spotting when something’s not quite what it seems – and food’s no exception. When we watched people try to guess which dish was cooked in the air fryer, it was hilarious as most of them got it wrong.”
The survey also found a quarter of us worry about being caught out if the story is too embellished, and 28 per cent have already been busted – usually by their mates. Still, nearly one in five (19 per cent) would happily tell a host they enjoyed a meal, even if they didn’t.
When it comes to cooking, the nation is split. Nearly half of Brits still prefer trusty traditional methods and don’t trust air fryers, but 37 per cent are proudly serving up air-fried creations to their dinner guests.
A Bosch spokesperson said: “When it comes to new cooking tech, people are divided – some are devoted fans of the air fryer, while others just don’t trust it yet. That’s why we created Air Fryer or Air Liar – to prove you don’t need to fake it.”
