MARMITE & ICE CREAM, PICKLES & PEANUT BUTTER,
FRIED EGGS & MINT SAUCE -
THE STRANGEST PREGNANCY CRAVINGS REVEALED!

• A third of mums’ cravings not for food according to new poll
• Modern mums crave twice as much as mums decades ago
• Cravings differ for boys and girls says new survey
• Ice and coal top the crazy cravings list for mums-to-be


Coal, ice, toothpaste and sponges top the list of bizarre cravings for British mums in 2008 - that’s the verdict of a compelling new study which reveals that modern mums are now twice as likely to experience pregnancy cravings than mothers in years gone by.

gurgle.com, the UK’s first mother and baby social networking site, surveyed 2,231 mothers of different ages from across the country to reveal a series of fascinating insights into the changing habits, behavioural patterns and desires of mums to be.

The results reveal a shift in behaviour over the course of a generation with three quarters of today’s pregnant mums experiencing cravings, compared with just three in ten mums who were pregnant 46 – 50 years ago (30 per cent). Of the mums who experienced cravings beyond their control while pregnant, a substantial 31 per cent of these revealed leaning towards the truly bizarre and sometimes outright dangerous.

Amongst this sub-group of mums, the top ten crazy cravings were revealed in order as:

Ice – 22%
Coal – 17%
Toothpaste – 9%
Sponges – 8%
Mud – 7%
Chalk – 6%
Laundry Soap – 5%
Matches – 3%
Starch – 3%
Rubber – 1%

Among the other top responses were mums’ surreal desires for bubble bath, bricks, newspapers, firelighters (the smell of), tarmac and raw sausages.

These were coupled with more traditional cravings including, in order of popularity, chocolate, ice cream, sweets & spicy food / chilli (equal), pickled onions, tropical fruit, curry & doughnuts (equal), Marmite, peanut butter, potatoes and nuts.

Mums also reported some peculiar combinations of foods craved whilst expecting – pickles and peanut butter polling top (33 per cent), followed by Marmite mixed with ice cream (18 per cent), with other mothers yearning for more unique crazy combos, with tuna and banana, fried eggs with mint sauce and sponge cake with tomato sauce whetting appetites! Ice cream and crisps, Yorkies dipped in yoghurt and pickles and ice cream also showed up on the top of wacky cravings lists.

Mums reported that cravings mostly struck in the afternoon (40 per cent) or in the evening (38 per cent), with only 8 per cent sneaking off for midnight snacks across the nine month period. More than half of modern men are in the good books**, having helped their partners to prepare snacks, compared with the majority (59 per cent) of new dads 26-30 years ago who failed to offer any assistance.

The ladies in waiting reported overwhelmingly that their cravings began in the second trimester of their pregnancies (47 per cent); but less than half (44 per cent) said their appetite remained haywire throughout their entire gestation. Week one of pregnancy out of 40 was reported as the top instance of when mothers briefly felt their first flush of cravings.

More than half of the mums surveyed with multiple children reported cravings weren’t consistent across their different pregnancies (73 per cent), while more than a third of mums with children of each sex saying their cravings were different whilst carrying a boy and a girl. The most-craved food of mums pregnant with boys was spicy food / chilli, while those carrying little girls craved chocolate most, in keeping with their offspring’s sweet image! Large numbers of mums thought their cravings during pregnancy were later reflected in their children’s eating habits, with particular preferences detected for sweet foods (44 per cent) and savoury foods (40 per cent). One in ten of the respondents felt that their children’s food allergies were linked with cravings during their pregnancy.

With so many celebrity mums in the public eye of late, it’s clear that they aren’t exempt from cravings either - Myleene Klass was mad for mangoes whilst pregnant with daughter Ava; while Jools Oliver surely left hubby Jamie bewildered with her predilection for mint sauce, raw spaghetti and Marmite on bananas! Pizza dominated the menu for Charlotte Church, while for current mum-to-be Minnie Driver it’s all about olives.

gurgle.com’s Fiona Ford, Dietician and Pregnancy Nutrition Expert said: “The list of cravings continues to get more bizarre year on year, however some items such as coal and ice have always been popular. The generational differences can best be attributed to the fact that modern mums are more assertive in asking for what they want than their older counterparts who perhaps felt ashamed of their more unusual craving, plus the fact that there’s a much greater availability of food at all hours of the day now!’

To link in with the release of today’s research, gurgle.com has devised a special range of recipes to satisfy even the strangest of cravings! For the first time, Mums can log onto the site to learn how to whip up a Marmite & Ice Cream sundae, with pickle garnish; a Tuna & Banana split or Cup Cakes with Ketchup icing to keep them satisfied! Full recipes below in notes to below.

Cravings recipes! As found on www.gurgle.com

Marmite and ice-cream sundae with pickles
Ingredients:
2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream
Four tbsp of whipped cream
2 pickles
1 tbsp marmite

Method:
1) Put one scoop of plain vanilla ice-cream in a bowl or sundae glass.
2) Put a generous layer of whipped cream on top.
3) Slice some pickles finely and place them on top of the layer of cream.
4) Add a dollop of marmite and enjoy!

Tuna and banana split
Ingredients:
One large banana
2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream
A handful of strawberries
2 tbsp of chocolate sauce
Four tbsp of whipped cream
1/2 tin of tuna

Method:
1) Halve the banana
2) Put the ice-cream on top of the banana.
3) Add the strawberries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
4) Sprinkle the tuna on top of the banana split. Enjoy!

Cupcakes with Ketchup icing
This recipe will make about 12 Easter cupcakes and takes about half an our to prepare and 18-20 minutes to cook.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
125g/4oz Caster sugar
125g/40z Soft Margarine
125g/40z Self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essence

You will also need:
Cupcake paper cake cases

Method:
- Heat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4
- Beat the sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add in each egg separately and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Sieve in the flour and add the tsp of vanilla essence and whisk again until the mixture is smooth.
- Divide equally between your cake cases and place in the oven.
- Cook for 18-20 minutes, until the cakes have risen and are golden. If you touch them they should spring back easily.
- Allow them to cool before decorating.

Recipe for ketchup icing
Ingredients:
5oz butter
8oz icing sugar
2 tsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp ketchup

Method:
1) Beat the butter and sugar together, either using a hand-held or electrical whisk.
2) When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla, water and 1tbsp ketchup.

Recipe for brown bread icecream
This recipe will serve 4-6 people or one very hungry mum-to-be!

Ingredients:
100g wholemeal bread, crusts removed
450 ml double cream
100g icing sugar, sifted
2.5ml vanilla essence
50g granulated sugar
50ml water

Method:
1) Place the sliced bread in the oven at 140 degrees or Gas Mark 1 for one hour.
2) Blend in a liquidiser until crumbs are fine.
3) Whisk the cream and stir in the icing sugar and vanilla essence.
4) Put the mixture into an ice tray and freeze for one hour.
5) Meanwhile, put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 2 mins, but don't stir. Remove from the heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and let it get cold.
6) When the ice-cream is beginning to freeze, take it from the freezer and put it into a bowl. Beat the ice-cream until it's smooth and creamy, stir in the breadcrumbs and put it back in the container. Cover the container, seal it and put it back in the freezer.
7) Before you want to eat the ice-cream, let it thaw at room temperature for ten mins. Serve it with chocolate sauce or, if you want, something a bit more unusual..!