Home baking remains a substantial household activity in the UK, although recent figures show a changing mix of sweet and savoury occasions. In January 2025, 58% of UK consumers said they had baked at home during the previous six months. The available evidence also shows a strong role for flour and dairy, while convenience, time, confidence, and enjoyment shape whether people bake or buy.
Contents
- Current participation and frequency
- Recent direction of home baking
- Sweet and savoury patterns
- Ingredients and occasions
- Motivations and barriers
- International and historical benchmarks
Current participation and frequency
The clearest recent participation measure is the six-month figure: 58% of UK consumers reported baking at home in the six months before January 2025. Among UK consumers who had baked, 20% planned to bake more often during the following six months. Interest was higher among younger adults, reaching 36% among UK adults aged 18–24 who said they intended to bake more often. These figures describe reported participation and intention, not a forecast of actual future occasions. Cereals market outlook, January 2025 (AHDB).
Frequency measures provide a more specific view of regular activity. In the 52 weeks ending 7 September 2025, UK home baking averaged 1.6 weekly occasions per household, compared with 1.7 in the previous year. The source measures occasions per household, so it should not be read as the number of individual people baking each week. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, 52 weeks ending 7 September 2025, compared with the previous year (AHDB).
A separate January 2025 survey found that 11% of surveyed UK people baked at home at least once a week and 20% baked at least once a month. These self-reported frequency bands are useful alongside the six-month participation measure, but the measures have different denominators and should not be combined into a single total. Baking trends in 2024: To bake or to buy, that is the question, January 2025 (AHDB).
| Measure | Result | Geography and period |
|---|---|---|
| Baked at home in previous six months | 58% | UK consumers, January 2025 |
| Planned to bake more often | 20% | UK consumers who had baked, January 2025 |
| Baked at least once a week | 11% | Surveyed UK people, January 2025 |
| Baked at least once a month | 20% | Surveyed UK people, January 2025 |
| Weekly household occasions | 1.6 | UK, 52 weeks ending 7 September 2025 |
Recent direction of home baking
The recent direction is not uniform. UK baking levels in 2024 were 10% below the previous year, according to AHDB’s January 2025 cereals outlook. In 2025, UK home-baking trends declined another 7% year on year. Those are separate year-on-year comparisons and do not establish a cumulative percentage change. Cereals market outlook, 2024 compared with 2023 and January 2025 reporting (AHDB); Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, 2025 compared with 2024 (AHDB).
Within the broader market, scratch cooking associated with the UK baking market rose 1% year on year in 2025. Savoury-baking occasions also increased 1%, adding 5.1 million occasions. At the same time, sweet-baking occasions fell 25%, representing 71.5 million fewer occasions. The contrast suggests that a lower overall participation trend can coexist with growth in particular types of home preparation. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, 2025 compared with 2024 (AHDB).
Sweet and savoury patterns
The 2023 figures show a different balance. Overall UK baking occasions increased 1% from 2022, equivalent to 13 million occasions. Sweet home-baking occasions increased by 29 million, while savoury home-baking occasions decreased by 14 million. These are occasion changes for the UK between 2022 and 2023, rather than changes in the share of households participating. Baking in 2023: Cakes are the rising star, 2023 compared with 2022 (AHDB).
Chocolate cake was a particularly strong sweet category in that period. Chocolate-cake consumption occasions rose by 11 million in 2023, and chocolate-cake occasions increased 63%. By contrast, savoury-pie occasions fell by 20 million and declined 5%. The two savoury-pie figures describe the same direction using an occasion count and a percentage change; they should not be treated as separate events. Baking in 2023: Cakes are the rising star, 2023 compared with 2022 (AHDB).
Taken together, the figures point to movement between categories rather than a single stable baking pattern. Sweet baking led the 2023 increase, especially chocolate cake, while savoury baking later showed a modest recovery in 2025 even as sweet occasions contracted. The supplied measurements do not identify the causes of each annual shift, so the figures support comparison but not a causal explanation.
Ingredients and occasions
Flour remains a visible marker of baking activity. Pre-packaged flour appeared in 1,351 million UK consumption occasions in the 52 weeks ending 26 November 2023. Those occasions were up 3% year on year and 12% above 2019 levels. UK flour spending reached £124 million in the 52 weeks ending 24 December 2023. These are different measures: occasions count appearances in consumption events, while spending measures the value reported for flour. Baking in 2023: Cakes are the rising star, 52 weeks ending 26 November and 24 December 2023 (AHDB).
Flour’s role changed across more recent measures. Flour featured in 46% of UK baking occasions in the 52 weeks ending 1 September 2024, compared with 49.1% in 2020. UK flour consumption occasions decreased 11% from 2023 to 2024, while flour volume sales increased 0.6% over the same comparison. A fall in occasions and a rise in volume sales are not contradictory because they measure different dimensions of purchasing and use. Baking trends in 2024: To bake or to buy, that is the question, 2020 and 52 weeks ending 1 September 2024 (AHDB); Cereals market outlook, 2024 compared with 2023 (AHDB).
Dairy was present in more than 60% of UK baking occasions in the 52 weeks ending 7 September 2025. In the 52 weeks ending 1 September 2024, more than 50% of UK baking occasions featured dairy. Dairy appeared in UK baking at a frequency of 1.7 occasions per week in 2024, compared with 1.8 in 2023. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, 52 weeks ending 7 September 2025 (AHDB); Baking trends in 2024: To bake or to buy, that is the question, 2023–2024 (AHDB).
Motivations and barriers
AHDB’s February 2026 findings separate people who had baked in the previous six months from those who had not. Among UK adults who had baked, 56% said they enjoyed making homemade food, 47% said homemade baking tasted better, and 44% said it used healthier or less processed ingredients. Baking was relaxing for 37%, while 35% baked for special occasions. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, February 2026 (AHDB).
Cost and shared activity were less frequently selected but still measurable motivations. Among UK adults who had baked, 23% said baking was cheaper than buying premade bakes, 20% enjoyed baking with children or grandchildren, and 16% enjoyed baking with friends or a partner. These percentages describe responses within the group who had baked, not the whole UK adult population. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, February 2026 (AHDB).
Among UK adults who had not baked in six months, 36% said ready-made baked goods were easier to buy and 29% said they were quicker to buy. Another 29% said they did not enjoy baking, 28% did not have time, and 24% lacked confidence. Price and equipment were also barriers: 19% said ready-made goods were cheaper and 13% lacked facilities or equipment. The results show overlapping reasons, so the percentages are not intended to sum to 100%. Baking trends: Savoury baking and scratch cooking boost dairy consumption, February 2026 (AHDB).
International and historical benchmarks
Irish data from 2022 provide an international comparison, but not a current UK equivalent. In Ireland, 67% of consumers said they were baking at home the same amount or more. The net change in Irish home baking was +19 percentage points. Within the reported segments, Irish “Just Surviving” consumers recorded a +19-point net change and “Sensible Spenders” recorded +18 points. Inflationary Impact, 2022 (Bord Bia).
The same Irish source reported a −16-point net change in fresh-bakery purchasing and a −25-point net change in pre-packaged bakery purchasing among the reported consumer segments. These figures describe net changes in purchasing behavior, not percentage shares of consumers. They also belong to 2022 and should not be used as a direct forecast for later UK participation. Inflationary Impact, 2022 (Bord Bia).
Historical US data show how much the definition and time window matter. During April–June 1955, 53.1% of US housekeeping households baked quick breads during the survey week, 77.6% during the survey month, and 88.5% during the preceding year. The increasing percentages reflect longer observation windows, not three independent estimates of one weekly participation rate. Home baking by households in the United States - by region, Household Food Consumption Survey 1955 Report No. 13, April–June 1955 (USDA).
For the same US survey week in April–June 1955, 31.4% of housekeeping households baked biscuits, 24.2% baked griddlecakes or waffles, 23.7% baked cornbread, and 2.8% baked muffins. These category-specific figures are historical benchmarks for US households and are not directly comparable with the recent UK six-month participation statistic. Home baking by households in the United States - by region, Household Food Consumption Survey 1955 Report No. 13, April–June 1955 (USDA).