Survey of the week: Slop

Guess what. A study of UK social networks has revealed the emergence of a new demographic – the Framily, this being a combination of our friends and family.

The Framily Findings Report – an in-depth study into British group behaviour during everyday life – has revealed that the boundaries between friends and family have blurred to such an extent that most Brits have a mixture of both in their core social support networks.

It goes on: "While traditionally, society rules that the family is the foundation of Brits’ everyday life, the study has uncovered that 16% of Brits’ spend just as much time with friends as family, and one in four spend more time with their friends than their blood relatives."

It added: "This is demonstrated by 67% of Brits saying that they consider their best friend to be a family member…while 54% reveal that their best friend is actually a sibling or cousin. And our families and friendships have become so intertwined that almost 60% of people today consider their parents a friend over and above their parent / guardian role.

The study of over 1000 - gosh, 1,000 - adults show that the new British Framily is the primary group of family and friends with whom you regularly share evening meals, with 15% cooking and eating main meals together more than five times a fortnight.

And it turns out that "Evening meals appear to be the centre of the Framily day and it is clear that for the Framily, sharing the day and social interaction is the most important thing on the menu. 96% of those questioned revealed that their Framily meals are about telling stories, talking about their day and having a laugh – not preparing or experiencing time intensive, sophisticated cuisine but instead simple, tasty and hearty meals. "

Now who could have asked for this survey? Let's see if this helps. "While 91% said that the Framily meal is eaten around the dining room table, the food needs to reflect the warmth and all embracing personality of the Framily with pasta and sauce (56%), lasagne (45%) and casserole or a stew (54%) being the top Framily meals.

Now we're getting to it. Now who would put a survey forward which creates a social group which primariy gets together to eat. Step forward. Dolmio. Just fancy that.

Jenni Trent Hughes, spokesperson on behalf of Dolmio, says that Framilies embrace all the best bits of a traditional family unit and by acknowledging and welcoming friends to join this unit enhances our lives and feelings of acceptance.

Bobbins. What she means is people live further away from families, work longer hours so don't have time to prepare meals from scratch so end up putting mince on the frying pan and putting on the slop they call Dolmio. What would Mamma say?

She goes on to say that Framilies bond best over dinner. Presumably even better over one which uses the Italian culinary world's answer to Ikea in a glass container.

Cue the expert, some chappie called Trent Hughes: “This new social trend embraces our family and friends – and brings them together in one big, happy Framily.”

But he adds that the framily will never replace the family.

Which brings us neatly to the following question: Why the bloody hell bother in the first place?