Created in partnership with Asda Money – get the full Breakfast Buffet Guide here.

B = buffet experience score (out of 10)
T = time at the buffet
P = number of plates of food (from 1, 2 or 3)
R = meal ranking
C = cost of items
S = how filling the items are (satiety index)
W = waiting time between plates

Using the research from Asda Money, Dr Tom Crawford’s formula provides a method to calculate how to achieve your best buffet experience (B), based on time spent at the buffet (T), the number of plates of food (P), the optimal menu identified by combining how filling items are (S), the cost of items (C), and meal ranking (R), and finally the waiting time between plates (W). It considers the most popular breakfast items, alongside the most expensive, and the most satisfying (satiety index) as reported by Brits.

Based on the research and formula, to achieve the best buffet experience and a maximum score of 10, holiday goers must arrive at 8:17 am, and consume two plates of food: the first a hot plate containing two pieces of bacon, two sausages, a helping of beans, eggs and one piece of toast, and a second plate of two pieces of smoked salmon, two servings of fruit, one pastry, one yoghurt, and a bowl of cereal, with a wait time of 16 minutes to aid digestion between plates.

Dr Tom Crawford said:
“There are 6 key elements to the buffet experience which cover the obvious elements such as the type and amount of food, but also the time of arrival and the amount of time spent digesting your meal. Each of the variables is represented in the formula, with the optimal solution based on the habits of the average British holidaymaker.

The time of arrival is represented by T, with the score ranging from 0-3 depending on whether you arrive at the last minute (10:32 onwards) to find all of the good stuff long gone (T=0), or 45 minutes (the average time spent at a breakfast buffet) either side of the optimal arrival time of 8:17 as determined by the survey results (T=3).

Despite Brits enjoying an average of 2.9 plates of food, they admit to feeling full after 2.4, which is why this number is represented in the formula. The optimal number of plates is two (P=2) which will add a solid 2.5 to the overall score due to the inverse relationship. This means eating too much will give a negative score (P=3), whilst eating too little means you’re not making the most of the food on offer (P=1).

The next three variables, R, C, and S, all relate to the items chosen to fill your plates. Each item form a typical breakfast menu is scored out of 10 on its popularity with Brits (R), the cost of a typical serving (C), and how filling the item is according to the scientifically verified ‘satiety index’ (S). The maximum obtainable score over two plates of food is 224 which would add around 3 to the overall buffet score.

Finally, the wait time between plates of food is included as the last variable W, which is scored as the number of minutes you set aside to aid digestion. Longer is better here, but of course you have to factor in how that will affect the time you spend at the buffet, and therefore how early you arrive. Who knew eating breakfast could be so complicated…

As always this was a lot of fun for me to put together as a maths – and breakfast buffet – fan, and is an excellent way to show how maths can be used to enhance your everyday life.”

Formula Explanation

P = number of plates of food
On average, Brits consume 2.9 plates of food, but feel full after 2.4, suggesting a propensity for over-eating! This is further backed up by the survey results with 1 in 4 postponing activities because they are too full, 1 in 5 taking a post breakfast nap, and 1 in 9 having to cancel plans altogether.

The formula subtracts the ideal number of plates required to feel full according to the survey (2.4), from the actual number of plates eaten, and then takes the reciprocal as being as close as possible to 2.4 gives the ‘best’ result. Eating less gives a positive score which adds to the total, whilst eating too much actually subtracts from the total buffet experience score.

P = 1 gives +5/7
P = 2 gives +5/2
P = 3 gives -5/3

T = time at the buffet
The survey results suggest a preferred arrival time of 8:17am and around 45 minutes spent at the breakfast buffet, which means leaving at 9:02am. The value T is therefore scored as follows:

T = 0 for arrivals after 10:32
T = 1 for arrivals from 6:00 to 6:47 or from 9:47 to 10:32
T = 2 for arrivals from 6:47 to 7:32 or from 9:02 to 9:47
T = 3 for arrivals for arrivals from 7:32 to 9:02

R = meal ranking
C = cost of items
S = how filling the items are (satiety index)

These are all scored based on the items you select at the buffet. The most popular items in the survey fall into two categories: hot food such as bacon, sausages, and eggs; and sweeter options such as fruit, cereal and pastries, which will form the basis of our 2 plates of food.

In the list below, the items are scored according to their ranking from British holidaymakers, their cost in UK supermarkets (data taken from Sky News), and their ‘satiety index’ – how full you feel after eating the item. The goal is to select the items that give the highest score across all categories as this will give a breakfast that is filled with your favourite foods, which is also good value, and will leave you feeling fuller for longer.

Item	Ranking R	Cost C (per serving)	Satiety Index S
Hot food – bacon	10 [max 3]	7 (0.76)	9 (176%)
Hot food – sausages	10 [max 3]	7 (0.76)	9 (176%)
Hot food – baked beans	10 [max 3]	4 (0.52)	8 (168%)
Eggs/omelette	9 [max 3]	5 (0.56)	7 (150%)
Fruit	8 [max 2]	6 (0.59)	8 (170%)
Toast	7 [max 2]	2 (0.27)	3 (100%)
Pastries	6 [max 2]	9 (1.54)	1 (47%)
Yoghurt	5 [max 1]	8 (0.83)	2 (88%)
Cereal	4 [max 1]	1 (0.21)	4 (116%)
Cold meats/cheese	3 [max 1]	10 (1.61)	6 (146%)
Salad	2 [max 1]	3 (0.42)	5 (133%)
Fish	1 [max 1]	9 (1.54)	10 (225%)

To prevent selecting all of the same food – which will of course dampen the buffet experience due to the lack of variety – we can introduce a maximum for each item based on the survey results. These are shown in the table above.

Selecting the most popular items according to the British public, including the amount of each they typically eat at a breakfast buffet (limited to 2 plates), the perfect British buffet is as follows:

Plate 1
Items: Hot food x3 (Bacon + Sausage + Beans) + Eggs + Toast
Ranking: 10 + 10 + 10 + 9 + 7 = 46
Cost: 7 + 7 + 4 + 5 + 2 = 25
Satiety: 9 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 3 = 36
Total: R + C + S = 46 + 25 + 36 = 107

Plate 2
Items: Fish + Fruit + Pastry + Yoghurt + Cereal
Ranking: 1 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 4 = 24
Cost: 9 + 6 + 9 + 8 + 1 = 33
Satiety: 10 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 25
Total: R + C + S = 24 + 33 + 25 = 82

Overall: R + C + S = 107 + 82 = 189

W = waiting time between plates
The survey results suggest an ideal waiting time of 16 minutes once you have finished your plate before going up for more. The formula rewards you for waiting as long as possible as this will aid with digestion.

B = buffet experience score
The maximum score of 10 is obtained as follows:
T = 3 (arrival time of 8:17am)
P = 2 (2 plates of food to avoid overeating)
R + C + S = 224 (optimal menu maximising all scores)
W = 16 (16 minutes waiting time between plates)

Extra Information

Pricing data from Sky News here.

Bread: £1.35 per loaf
Eggs: £3.32 per 12
Tomatoes: £3.33 per kg
Mushrooms: £3.46 per kg
Bacon: £9.44 per kg
Sausages: £6.73 per kg
Beans : £1.04 per can
Pastry: £1.54 per item
Yoghurt: £0.83 per pot
Cereal: £2.47 per box
Kiwi: £0.54 per fruit
Grapefruit: £0.59 per fruit
Grapes: £4.18 per kg
Banana: £1.09 per kg
Oranges: £2.70 per kg
Plums: £3.36 per kg
Blueberries: £12.15 per kg
Raspberries: £13.82 per kg
Melon:. £2.05 each
Canned fruit: £1.18 per can
Apples: £0.37 each
Pineapple: £1.21 each
Cheese: £11.15 per kg
Meat: £2.54 per 100g
Salmon: £19.21 per kg

The ‘satiety index’ is based on a 1995 study from the University of Sydney which asked participants to rate foods on their ability to make them feel full. Full information on the study can be found here.