No half-baked effort: New study reveals how far Brits will go for their passions, with over a tenth spending six to ten hours a week on weird and wonderful pursuits

Being a nation powered by dedication and driven by a love of doing things properly, we don’t just enjoy a challenge – we embrace the graft that comes with it.  

Taking a closer look at some of the UK’s most effortful passions, the study uncovered specific pastimes Brits are quietly dedicating remarkable time and energy to. One in 10 UK adults (10%) admit to building model railways, 9% grow competition-size vegetables, and one in twelve (8%) regularly take part in historical reenactments.  

Other popular pursuits include soap making (12%), miniature figure painting (11%), and metal detecting (11%) – with baking, including sausage rolls from scratch (48%) rising to the top of the list. 

But it’s not just the passions themselves that stand out - it’s the depth of commitment behind them. 

Across all activities, over a fifth (22%) of Brits have travelled around the UK to attend events, while a quarter are part of an online forum or Facebook group dedicated to their passion. Just over one in 10 (11%) have even created a spreadsheet to track their progress. 

For many, the dedication goes even further: more than a third (37%) have spent entire weekends focusing on their passions, 34% admit to regularly staying up into the early hours, and 16% have taken time off work. Meanwhile, just under a third (31%) spend 4-6 hours each week honing their craft. 

It’s this unwavering dedication - the same passion for doing things properly - that Ginsters understands all too well. 

With nearly 60 years of baking expertise, the Cornish brand has spent decades refining its iconic Large Sausage Roll – a true national icon in the UK. From careful inspections of all 80 layers of perfectly flaky pastry, to using golden tone swatches and expert taste testing, Ginsters is committed to maintaining the exact standards that have made this beloved classic a staple across the country. 

That dedication has earned Ginsters a leading position in a consumer taste test, outperforming Wall’s - the number one brand in Supermarket Rolls, on appearance, flavour, texture, and aroma.* 

Now, Ginsters is inviting the public inside its famous Cornish bakery with a brand-new content series, offering a fun, behind-the-scenes look at the serious effort behind pastry perfection.  

And as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Britain’s love of effort and precision, Ginsters has teamed up with Emma Clarke – the voice behind the London Underground’s iconic “Mind the Gap” announcement – to deliver a new rallying cry in the bakery’s HQ: “Fill the Gap” – making sure no sausage roll leaves with so much as a sliver of empty pastry. 

“After years of warning commuters about gaps, it’s a joy to celebrate one that’s finally being filled”, Emma said. “These rolls don’t mess about – they’re packed tighter than the Central Line at rush hour”.  

Stephanie Allen, Marketing Manager at Ginsters, said: “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well – and when it comes to sausage rolls, we don’t cut corners.’’ 

“That’s why we’ve opened the doors to Ginsters HQ to show the precision, craft, and yes, even the pastry shade-matching that goes into every Ginsters Sausage Roll.’’ 

“From counting each of the 80 perfectly flaky layers to taste-testing every batch, we make sure each bite is as golden, crisp and delicious as the last.”  

Because for Ginsters – just like for Brits around the country – it’s the effort that makes all the difference.