One in three of us eat more meals by ourselves than we do with other people, a new study revealed today.

But before you digest that somewhat depressing statistic, there is some good news - kind of - a lot of us are perfectly happy to eat alone because the computer and TV provide us with solitary entertainment.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, half of the UK's bachelors eat a meal alone at least once a day. And even one in four mothers with families have dinner mostly by themselves according to a major report on eating trends and social change by the Future Foundation. However, eating alone doesn't seem to matter anymore if you can chat away on social networks - in fact it's now both a quick and entertaining affair.

'Suppertainment' is the phrase being coined for the current major trend that reflects the number of people who eat in front of the computer, TV or games console.

Single men are the majority leading this trend, with 60 percent of them spending meal times plugged into something.

However, 40 percent of mothers and 30 percent of students also eat meals whilst being on the PC or laptop several times a week.

Boyd Hilton, TV and reviews editor of Heat Magazine says: 'Setting yourself up in front of the TV to "Suppertain" comes naturally, especially when you've been on the go all day.

'If I'm on my own I always tend to make a quick and easy meal and settle down to watch something entertaining or I'll get on the laptop and catch up with comedies like the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm on More 4 or Outnumbered on BBC1.

'I think it's such a bonus that healthy, tasty convenience meals now mean you can relax about eating good food without having to worry about preparation time.'

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)