A study of 2,000 people, commissioned by online market research company OnePoll, saw apple pie voted the nation’s favourite ahead of other British classics.

Apple pipped other popular choices, beating shepherd’s pie by 0.30% and steak and ale by 0.45%, which finished in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

The research also found that British pie-lovers were fond of a sweet tooth, after cherry, blackberry and banoffee were ranked in the top 20.

OnePoll panel director Kevin Smith said: “Whether sweet or savoury, pie passion is clearly high and a hard-fought contest sees apple pie narrowly take the top spot. The extensive list shows the versatility of the pie and what a big feature it is when it comes to the British diet.”

Each month, Brits tuck into an average of 2.2 pies, with 6% admitting to eating up to six, while the average person will eat over 1,500 pies in their adult lifetime, results showed.

Here are the percentages of the 2,000 people that completed the research:

BRITAIN’S BEST-LOVED PIES

1. Apple 39.55%

2. Shepherd’s pie 39.25%

3. Steak and ale 39.15%

4. Cottage pie 35.95%

5. Steak & kidney 34.20%

6. Lemon meringue 31.80%

7. Chicken and mushroom 30.85%

8. Pork pie 29.35%

9. Mince pie 27.25%

10. Meat and potato 26.60%

11. Chicken 25.50%

12. Cheese and onion 25.35%

13. Apple and blackberry 23.80%

14. Minced beef 22.60%

15. Chicken and gravy 22.05%

16. Chicken and bacon 21.45%

17. Chicken and leek 20.45%

18. Cherry 20.35%

19. Beef and beer 20.10%

20. Banoffee 20.05%