The French have long been considered masters of cuisine but Britons spend longer in the kitchen and prepare a wider variety of international food, a survey shows.
The cross-Channel study by BBC Olive magazine and French title Madame Figaro found that the French eat out more and stick to family recipes while at home.
It found that 72 per cent of Britons cook at home every day, compared to 59 per cent in France.
When in the kitchen, 50 per cent of Britons spend more than 30 minutes cooking, while 27 per cent of the French do so.
However, people in France tend to produce more, with 47 per cent preparing two courses or more compared with 18 per cent of Britons.
The French eat out on average three times a month compared to twice a month in Britain.
Ninety-three per cent of Britons and 87 per cent of French said they cooked Italian food; 76 per cent of Britons and 40 per cent of French cooked Chinese; 76 per cent of Britons and 31 per cent of French cooked Indian; and 62 per cent of Britons and 55 per cent of French cooked Spanish.
The French cooked more Moroccan food than the British, with 49 per cent to 43 per cent ever preparing such dishes.
"Although the French have an enviable food heritage, it's fascinating to see how much British people have embraced home cooking and international cuisine over the past few years," Olive editor Christine Hayes said.
While Italian was the favourite foreign food for both countries, just one per cent of French respondents said British cuisine was their favourite.
And while 46 per cent of Britons said the dining out experience was better in the other country, the percentage of French who said likewise was zero.
Olive readers thought that 1970s favourite crepe suzette was the dish which best symbolised French cuisine, while the French said it was veal, followed by foie gras.
Madame Figaro voters reckoned Christmas pudding best symbolised British cuisine, but British readers said it was a roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding, followed by fish and chips then a full English breakfast.
Madame Figaro editor-in-chief Jean-Sebastien Stehli said people now had access to multiple sources of inspiration: books, magazines, television and the internet.
"It feeds into their thirst for experimenting new ways of cooking, exploring new restaurants," he said.
"What's striking about the survey is that in both countries people are moving toward a cuisine which is more international, more open, curious of other cultures, less nationalistic."
The survey questioned 2061 readers of BBC Magazines and 1345 Madame Figaro readers in January.
