HelloFresh has unveiled a new campaign showcasing the ‘hidden stresses’ around deciding ‘what’s for dinner’.

‘The Dinner Decree’ marketing drive is fronted by Married at First Sight’s Paul C. Brunson.

As part of the campaign, HelloFresh has unveiled a new competition asking users to take the ‘what’s for dinner?’ question off the table for good.

Consumers have been asked to post an Instagram story about what they are going to be changing when it comes to meal times. All posts need to be tagged with #HelloFreshUK and #TheDinnerDecree and ten winners will be selected. The promotion runs until 23:59 on 31 October.

Paul C. Brunson, matchmaker and relationship expert, said: “Whether you’re cooking for a partner, family or friends, making dinner may seem like a fairly standard task in day-to-day life, but in my work I’ve seen how it can become one of the daily frictions that quietly wears relationships down.

“Cooking together, with a plan and without the stress, is one of the simplest things a household can do for itself. Acknowledging when that load falls unfairly on one person, and agreeing to share the dinnertime responsibility, brings connection through shared, meaningful moments, transforming the kitchen from a source of tension to a shared, enjoyable space.”

According to HelloFresh, the mental burden for preparing dinner usually falls to women, with 70 per cent of women stating that they are mainly responsible for planning meals in their households.

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Mimi Morley, senior recipe development manager at HelloFresh UK & Ireland, added: “Our research shows just how much unseen work goes into answering the question of ‘what’s for dinner’ every day.

“With couples, families and housemates each facing their own unique stresses, ‘The Dinner Decree’ spotlights the often unspoken mental labour that comes around with dinner every single evening.

“HelloFresh offers a simple solution to that problem, helping households step away from the dinnertime tensions by sending fresh, pre-portioned recipes straight to the door, bringing together households to connect and rediscover joy around cooking and mealtimes.”

The research also showed that 45 per cent of UK adults report being faced with the phrase “I don’t mind, you decide” when deciding what to eat and19 per cent reported that their decision on what to eat often wasn’t accepted.

It highlights that washing up and the cost of food are the top sources of tension, followed by the responsibility of choosing what to eat. For parents the top stressor is trying to find something their children will eat.

According to the study, 40 per cent of UK adults find preparing dinner makes mealtimes stressful, this rises to 52 per cent for parents.

Brunson also shared five tips aimed at helping households resolve tensions around mealtimes.

These tips include naming invisible work, making plans to tackle mealtime tasks together, rotating the decision making, cooking together at least once a week and choosing a plan that works for you.