Breakfast was rarely eaten in ancient times but has evolved over generations to become a popular morning meal offered in most restaurants and cafes in the UK, though 20 million Brits still skip it daily, spending on average only 9.8 minutes on breakfast. Marketers are now promoting breakfast's importance as the first meal of the day with many options, though 34% of UK residents skip it compared to lower rates in other European countries, raising the question of why breakfast remains unattractive to so many when it is so readily available.