We love our Blacksticks Blue and over the year’s it’s been described as 'the Blue Cheese for people who don’t like blue cheese!?’ When people give it a chance, they genuinely love it. However, the amount of times over the years we’ve heard ‘oh I don’t like blue cheese’ when sampling is too many to bear thinking about! So, we thought it was about time we got to the bottom of this ‘fear’ of blue cheese once and for all.

We surveyed 2000 adults in the UK*. A whopping 60% admitted they have gone to extreme lengths to avoid trying something new to eat – including sneaking it into the bin (55%), feeding it to the dog (38%) or hiding the evidence in a napkin (35%).

According to the new research, 35% of adults claimed their taste buds matured between the ages of 15 and 18. But despite this, anchovies (43%), black pudding (38%) and blue cheese (35%) remain in the top five foods adults didn’t like as a child …. and still won’t eat now they’re all grown up! Shying away from Brussels sprouts or oily mackerel fillets, embarrassingly, 30% confessed they have often said they don’t like a food despite not trying it since they were children.

If that’s not wimpy enough, a further third of people surveyed by Blacksticks Blue admitted they have lied to say they don’t like a food despite having never tried it.

Foods like blue cheese, anchovies or olives can add a little bit oomph to your everyday meals – and ultimately they don’t taste like they did when we were kids. A simple sprinkle, melt or topping of Blacksticks Blue can really bring your meal to life without having to be a top chef or expert cook!

Nearly half of those surveyed said the ‘smell’ of something like blue cheese would prevent them from trying it, further hesitations included the way it looks (39%) and having mould on it (44%). But it wasn’t just irrational dislikes and faddy eating that fuelled people’s food choices – more than one in 10 said they worried they would be judged for having never tried certain foods before, and just under a quarter (24%) claimed they are worried about ending up in an embarrassing situation by trying and not liking a food.

However, some Brits do want to try new things, more than two fifths (41%) said that travelling and trying a country’s speciality would encourage them to try a new food and despite being scared, people are likely to try speciality cheeses such as blue cheese, goats cheese and brie (35%), avocado (15%) and at this time of year, Christmas pudding (13%) and sprouts (12%).

There is hope! Why not try Blacksticks Blue?

Don’t forget fortune favours the brave!

*Source: Online. Research Without Barriers 11.11.20 - 16.11.20.