Brits are turning their homes into pubs because they cannot stand going out as the dark nights draw in, a survey found.
Almost seven in 10 – some 68% – said they preferred to stop in, with more than a third (34%) blaming shorter days and colder nights. More than half have created a home bar (56%), with three in 10 serving draught pints or cocktails, and a quarter have put up a dartboard.
Over a fifth have installed a pool table, while more than one in 10 have DJ decks to play party classics or boast a big screen to watch live sport. Some 52% have shelled out for a range of bar snacks, such as crisps, nuts and pork scratchings, 17% serve their ales and ciders from regulation pint glasses, and the same number belt out tunes from a karaoke machine.
(Image: Tony Kershaw / SWNS)
Nearly as many – 9% – have a jukebox and more than one in 20 ring a bell at the end of the evening to ‘call time’.
Other popular additions include a wine fridge (28%), cocktail shakers (21%), mood lighting (25%), a drinks trolley (11%), table football (10%), a surround sound system (23%), a popcorn machine (11%), or record player (6%). Some 53% of those polled said staying in was just as fun as going out, with 42% revealing they had transformed their pad to entertain pals.
More than seven in 10 of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed said they could pour a pint just as well as a publican.
(Image: twofb.com / SWNS)
Inbetweeners star James Buckley and wife Clair, who have partnered with home draught beer dispense firm PerfectDraft, which held the study, said they were “happiest when home”.
James said: “For the ultimate night in, we need a few key things – a cold pint of Stella Artois from our PerfectDraft machine, a delicious curry and a good horror film.
“The best bit is we can have all of this in the comfort of our own home.”
PerfectDraft director Chris Kitching added: “We’re seeing an increase in Brits elevating their at-home drinking, not wanting to compromise on the most important element – draught beer.”
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