UK NEWS

WHAT ARE BRITAIN'S FAVOURITE SMELLS AND WORST WHIFFS?

TOP SMELLS: Bacon frying came in at number eight

Wednesday August 27,2008

By Jo Willey

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FOR SOME, it’s the gentle scent of a freshly plucked rose at dawn. For others, it’s the lingering memory of an exotic perfume worn by a loved one.

But for most Britons, the best smell is good old fish and chips – wafting towards us.

The distinctive aroma beat freshly baked bread or the comforting scent of clean sheets to be voted the country’s favourite smell in a survey.

The poll exposed us as a greedy lot. Bacon frying, a roast dinner and freshly made coffee also made it into the top 10.

The scent of newly cut grass, fresh air after rain and a baby were also popular in the the survey of 3,000 people by Finish dishwasher –products. Lemon zest was voted the cleanest and freshest smell.

Douglas Roxburgh, of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said: “It doesn’t surprise me at all.

“When you walk past a chippy it’s the selling point for the shop. You get the smell of the frying fish and the vinegar and if that doesn’t make your mouth water and perk you up then I don’t know what will.”

FRAGRANT: The aroma off fresh coffee

A spokesman for Finish agreed: “It’s not surprising that our national dish came out on top.

“But when we are looking for a new fragrance, we want a clean, fresh smell. The survey showed that lemon was the scent most want when they open the dishwasher.”

Researchers found that 53 per cent of people felt happy when they caught a hint of their favourite smell, while 46 per cent said it relaxed them.

Professor Tim Jacob, a scent expert at Cardiff University, said: “The sense of smell connects deep subconscious regions of the brain and triggers different emotions.

It’s not surprising that our national dish came out on top.

“The aroma of food triggers a mouth-watering sensation in preparation for digestion. Conversely, bad smells can protect us, by warning us to stay away from something that might harm us.”

FRAGRANT FAVOURITES AND WORST WHIFFS...

MOST LOVED

1. Fish and chips
2. Bread baking
3. Clean sheets
4. Freshly mown grass
5. Fresh air after rainfall
6. Fresh coffee

7. Babies
8. Bacon frying
9. Lemon zest
10. Roast dinner

MOST HATED

1. Public toilets
2. Dog mess
3. Body odour
4. Bad breath
5. Nappies
6. Fish
7. Cigarettes
8. Sour milk
9. Astrays
10. Bin bags

THE BEST AND WORST OF BRITISH ODOURS

27.08.08, 11:21am

The best for me is bogmyrtle over heather in the Scottish summer.
The worst is an unwashed member of the lower orders on the London Tube .
But even the latter has hidden benefits: There is no way the Russians will ever invade us if they have to put up with that.

• Posted by: Hector • Report Comment