What’s the formula for a perfect Friday night in this winter?

Baby it's cold outside, so we all want to stay at home for some 'Netflixing' with Tom Hardy... apparently

Winter is well and truly upon us so it's time for a cosy night in. But what's your ideal evening? A survey recently compiled by Anglian Home Improvements has revealed that heating on, curtains drawn, a Chinese takeaway and not one but two episodes of a Netflix* series are the fundamental elements of the perfect Friday night in for most of us. Do you agree?

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table with laptop and headphones

(Image credit: Ikea House Party)

Researchers carried out a nationwide poll to reveal the ingredients for the ultimate Friday evening. They discovered 83 per cent of us will be locking the doors and staying in at the end of the week rather than venturing out to be sociable. Also, eight in ten of the adults polled said they are glad the winter is here as it is an excuse to stay in – with curtains drawn (62 per cent), a tidy house (60 per cent) and dishes washed up and put away (52 per cent) all tasks which MUST be completed before total relaxation can commence.

So with Netflix box sets on the TV, what makes the perfect Friday night menu? Well, according to the poll, £32 would be spent on an easy takeaway (Chinese preferably), drinks, (beer for the guys and a large glass of red for the ladies), not forgetting delicious TV snacks like popcorn and crisps for movie time.

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A spokesperson for Anglian Home Improvements, which commissioned the study, says: 'As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, you just can’t beat a night in.  This research shows that treating yourself to your favourite food and drink, and chilling out in front of the TV is a great way to unwind after a long week at work.'

house exterior with brick walls and sash windows

(Image credit: Ikea House Party)

The perfect Friday night, according to Britons:

1. Getting home from work by 5pm
2. Curtains drawn
3. A tidy house
4. Dinner dishes washed up and put away
5. PJs of comfy clothes put on by 6:30pm
6. A Chinese take away
7. Ice cold beer (men) Large glass of red wine (women)
8. Two episodes of your favourite Netflix drama
9. Your other half with you
10. £32 spend on food and drinks
11. Scented candles lit
12. 30 mins on Facebook
13. 13 mins scrolling through Instagram
14. 10 minute chat with mum
15. Central heating on
16. Locking all the doors and windows

Most importantly, the survey also revealed that in an ideal world, British women would love to spend an evening on the sofa with the actor Tom Hardy. Men, on the other hand, said their ideal celeb to cosy-up to would be Countdown’s Rachel Riley. The Idealhome.co.uk has a split opinion on that finding!

living room with sofa and wooden flooring

(Image credit: Ikea House Party)

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*Urban dictionary 'netflixing' translation: To watch Netflix for an extended period of time, blocking oneself out of social life.

Contributor

Rachel Homer has been in the interiors publishing industry for over 15 years. Starting as a Style Assistant on Inspirations Magazine, she has since worked for some of the UK’s leading interiors magazines and websites. After starting a family, she moved from being a content editor at Idealhome.co.uk to be a digital freelancer and hasn’t looked back.