One family in ten never sits down to have dinner together

ONE in ten families in Britain never sits down around the table for an evening meal, a new study has revealed.

Hectic social schedules and hefty workloads are preventing millions of families from enjoying each others' company at the dinner table at any point during the week.

And, of those families who find the time to share meal together, one in five families spend less than ten minutes at the table, according to a report commissioned as part of a campaign by Bisto, aimed at bringing back the family meal.

According to the study, almost 10 per cent people surveyed admitted they don't eat a meal with their partner and children on a weeknight, with another one in ten saying it only happens once a week.

The survey of 3,000 adults also revealed that two thirds of child-ren yearn for a return to the traditional family dinner time.

Four out of ten have even asked their mother or father to have more evening meals as a family.

Fiona Johnston, marketing controller for the campaign, Bisto Aah Night, said: "For many families, the evening meal is the one part of the day where they can all get together and catch up. But it seems we're letting pressures from our work and school lives get in the way.

"After everyone is home from their day at school and work, sitting around the dinner table means you get some time to have some real quality time as a family.

"Unfortunately, it seems this isn't happening in many households with people eating at different times, or in different rooms of the house instead."

She added: "Stereotypically, it's the children who get the blame for being the most reluctant to sit up at the table. But these results show that there are many who are actually trying to encourage mum and dad to eat together more often.

"Maybe parents should pay attention to the youngsters and make the most of the time together in the evenings."

The study also revealed that long working hours were blamed by most, with 40 per cent admitting that shifts and late nights in the office meant missing out on a family dinner.

Another 36 per cent said the family all eats at different times, while 16 per cent even said they wanted to watch something on television instead of sitting down together.

Child psychologist Richard Woolfson said: "The survey sadly confirms that the traditional family meal is in decline.Encouragingly, however, the survey also reveals that the vast majority of children and parents would like to reverse this trend.

"The psychological benefits for every single member of the family would vastly outweigh any practical inconvenience as it's not just about eating, it's about spending quality time together and strengthening relationships within the family."

He added: "Re-establishing the family meal as an integral part of family life wouldn't be difficult. All that's required is a change in attitude, a commitment by parents and children to make the family meal a priority, an agreement to switch off all electronic devices and some organisation of timetables."