Chinese is the nation's choice

Chicken tikka masala may have been given the title of Britain's national dish - but its appeal may be on the wane when it comes to eating out.

Instead, it seems we are all going Chinese, with dishes such as sweet and sour pork proving more tempting than an Indian.

There are 5,410 oriental restaurants across Britain, compared with 5,300 curry houses, according to new figures from the Restaurant Association.

Last year, we ate 109.7million Chinese meals and 70.3million curries. The figures challenge the assertion last year by former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook that chicken tikka masala had become our national dish. European food proved far less popular, with 71.2million meals consumed in Italian restaurants and 41.5million in French, British or cosmopolitan eateries.

The report is the first to look solely at the restaurant business and does not include takeaways.

It found Britons ate 1.7billion meals in restaurants last year - about 30 for each person - and there are now a record 35,262 places to eat out. We spend nearly £8billion a year going for a meal.

Ian McKerracher, association chief executive, said: 'This report shows just how much the eating-out culture has changed.

'A large percentage of the population go out not once a month but two or three times a week.'