It wouldn't be summer without fish and chips, reveals poll

Eating fish and chips on the beach has ranked fifth in a poll of the things that make for a quintessentially British summer.

The research by restaurant chain Prezzo found that 35% of Brits love a chippy tea while feeling the sand between their toes. Topping the list is the smell of BBQs, followed by the smell of freshly cut grass and tucking into a Mr Whippy 99 ice-cream with a flake. Completing the top five is complaining that it’s too hot!

Impromptu picnics in the park, chequered picnic blankets and the sound of the ice cream van also made the definitive list, as did garden parties, eating salad for every meal and the smell of sun cream.

Overall, 53% of the 2,000 Brits surveyed said they like to make the most of the weather and eat outside during the summer as much as possible.

Hannah Thompson, from Prezzo, who conducted the research said: “As a nation, there are definitely certain traits that make a quintessentially British summer, from the smell of freshly cut grass to getting together with friends and family to enjoying a delicious meal."

THE THINGS WHICH MAKE A QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH SUMMER:

1. The smell of BBQs

2. The smell of freshly cut grass

3. A Mr Whippy 99 ice-cream with a flake

4. Complaining about how hot it is

5. Eating fish and chips on the beach

6. Strawberries and cream

7. Unpredictable weather

8. Picnics in the park

9. Wimbledon

10. Discussing the weather with everyone you meet

11. An afternoon in a beer garden

12. Get-togethers with friends and family

13. Getting a little sunburnt

14. Burning sausages on the BBQ

15. Garden parties

16. Eating salad for every meal

17. The smell of suncream

18. Filling up the paddling pool when it gets too hot

19. Hearing the ice cream van music coming down the road

20. Chequered picnic blankets

21. Pimms

22. Seagulls trying to steal your chips

23. Wearing flip flops

24. Chilled glasses of rose

25. Being chased by a wasp