Tea, sofa and warmth are favourite home comforts for Britons, study claims

Takes people no more than four days to miss their little luxuries

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

For people in Britain, there's no beating a cup of tea on the sofa in the warmth of the house – cosy home comforts, which according to a new survey, top the list as the nation's favourites.

Photos of loved ones, reliable broadband and your own toilet appeared in the top 50 list in a poll carried out of 2,000 adults.

The smell of clean clothes reminds people of home, as do a pair of slippers and scented candles, while one in five people are attached to a favourite mug.

From home-cooked meals and a rivetting read to the savour particular to individual abodes - a spectrum of creature comforts made the list, as did a well-stocked fridge, tablets, laptops and access to your own bed.

The study also found more than three quarters of Britons miss some of their home comforts when away for either business or leisure.

And on average, it takes up to four days to begin missing favourite items left behind.

Sixty-three per cent of respondents even bring things from home, such as teabags, dressing gowns and slippers to create that ‘home away from home’ feeling.

One in five also travel with their own pillow because they cannot bear to part from it, even for one night.

The report also asked what hotels could do to make staying away homelier, with free Wi-Fi the most popular.

A quarter of those polled, via OnePoll.com, complained the biggest annoyance when staying away from home is forgetting something they need.

A fifth begrudge having to eat out all the time as more than a third say eating out is extremely expensive.

Elisabeth Ditlbacher, brand director of Europe Holiday Inn & Staybridge Suites, which commissioned the study, said: “Our research shows that while we are a nation of travellers, we also love our home comforts.

“There’s nothing better than the feeling you get when you’re at home.”

Top 50 home comforts

1. Bed

2. A proper night's sleep

3. Home-cooked meals

4. Comfy sofa

5. Family

6. Your favourite film or TV programme

7. A cup of tea

8. Getting into your comfy clothes

9. Your own toilet

10. Laptop/tablet/computer

11. Slippers

12. A good book

13. Reliable broadband

14. Pets

15. Having the heating set to the perfect temperature

16. A well-stocked fridge

17. Garden

18. Your mattress

19. Coffee

20. Listening to music/the radio

21. A dressing gown

22. Photos of loved ones

23. The smell of clean clothes

24. A glass of wine

25. Bacon sandwiches

26. Quilt

27. Netflix/Sky TV subscriptions

28. Blanket

29. Hot chocolate

30. Your favourite mug

31. Biscuits

32. Pillows

33. Scented candles

34. Candles

35. Log/wood burning fire

36. Hot water bottle

37. The way your house smells

38. Fancy bubble bath

39. Ice cream

40. Games console

41. Warm laundry after taking it out of the dryer

42. Marmite

43. Ketchup

44. Throw cushions

45. Mac and cheese

46. Brown sauce

47. A foot stool

48. Artworks

49. Onesies

50. A breadmaker

SWNS