Fish and chips is Britain's favourite smell

Britons' judged the mouth-watering aroma of the dish to be even better than the scent of freshly baked bread and clean sheets. The survey also saw freshly cut grass, frying bacon, lemon zest and the smell of a roast dinner, in the top ten favourite smells.

Fish and chips was the overall favourite scent, but when it came to the smell that is cleanest and freshest, the majority of people rated lemon as top.

Researchers also found more than 53 per cent of people feel happy when they catch a smell of fried fish, while 46 per cent said it relaxes them.

"The sense of smell connects the deep subconscious regions of the brain and triggers different emotions and behaviours," Professor Tim Jacob, a scent expert at Cardiff University, told the Telegraph newspaper.

"For example, the aroma of food triggers a mouth-watering sensation in preparation for digestion.

"Conversely, bad smells can protect us, by warning us to stay away from something that might harm us.

The study was conducted by Finish Lemon Sparkle dishwasher products. (ANI)