Kilts made it into the top 20 – in last place, with 14 per cent of people polled saying they considered the Scottish dresswear as distinctly British.

Whisky, the Scottish national drink, came 19th in the poll.

They join more obvious icons of the country such as the Union flag and bulldog, added the research by insurance company Churchill.

From culture to cuisine, the top 20 symbols of the nation include everything from unarmed police officers to ice-cream vans.

Churchill spokesman Matt Owen said: “There is an enormous variety in what many of us see as a symbol of Britain.

“While royalty and history and famous landmarks are icons, so too are all those aspects of our daily lives that makes us unique.

“That includes what we eat, where we drink, what we watch and other facets of our rich and wonderful Britishness that we often take for granted.”

Top of the list was fish and chips, with seven in ten people (71 per cent) believing the dish has come to symbolise the nation.

Two in three (67 per cent) named the Union flag, and in third place was the cup of tea with 61 per cent.

Food and drink features prominently with the British pub, Yorkshire puddings, a full English (or Scottish) breakfast and whisky in the top 20.

However, there were also votes for elements of British culture that are unique to these shores from the Fab Four to the long-running Carry On series of films that ran for 35 years, James Bond, Only Fools And Horses, and Fawlty Towers.

More unusual items in the list include judges in wigs and seaside piers.

Unarmed police came tenth in the poll, which saw more than 1,000 adults from the UK and overseas questioned.