JESSE Norman’s followers’ favourite dish is veal escalope, and people who like Herefordshire tend to be bird-watching women who listen to BB King, according to an ingenious new online tool.

International market research giant YouGov has created a new website that lets you view a specific profile – from typical job to favourite food – of different groups.

And it has revealed some interesting home truths about Herefordshire.

YouGov Profiles works by unearthing the idiosyncrasies of a group, it doesn’t necessarily highlight the most popular answer but the most common answer that differentiates them from the rest of the world.

By using it’s vast database of statistics, the tool tells us that fans of Hereford United, for example, tend to be male, aged 40-59 and from the Midlands.

However, YouGov Profiles also tells us that United fans’ favourite celebrity is former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips, that they are most likely to own a fish as a pet, and fortunately for the current squad, they describe themselves as both ‘forgiving’ and ‘charitable’.

The data shows that people with an interest in Herefordshire have a sweet tooth – with Black Forest gateau and Sago pudding edging out boiled mutton as their favourite dishes.

While Mr Norman’s fans prefer veal, drive Mercedes’ and listen to BBC Radio 4, they also have a rebellious side – they ‘don’t like being told what to do’ and their favourite sport is motorcycle racing.

Despite both coming from Herefordshire, fans of Mott The Hoople and Ellie Goulding are more frequently found at opposite ends of the UK, hailing from East Anglia and Northern Scotland respectively.

Hereford Times readers, on the other hand stay closer to home, and are proud to do so, with ‘Herefordshire’ coming out top in their list of ‘niche interests’.

And, perpetuating the county’s laidback perception, the second-placed interest is ‘Sitting around and doing as little as possible’.

While the sample size is small in some cases, the website went viral this week with people looking to find out what makes their town tick.

Using one of the UK’s largest connected data set, YouGov Profiles is being billed a useful tool for marketing companies to find out about their audiences.

You can have a go at searching any brand, person or thing by visiting https://yougov.co.uk/profiler#/