Forum Topic

Roast dinner

iam sure this has been asked before where is the a good place for a sunday roast Thanks

Peter Mizzi ● 541d32 Comments

I've always thought that roast dinner was one of the easiest big family meals to cook. It is just for more people and with more trimmings at Christmas.I'd rather have less and better and certainly not swamped in oversalted gravy.With the Christmas roast there are so many vegetables that you can have with it together with the sausages and bacon which means you don't need as big a serving of turkey as often recommended and much (or all) of which is good cold - or in sandwiches which are good with some cranberry jelly, stuffing and bread sauce included.If you think you have too much you can take out a portion of cooked meat to freeze for another meal much later giving you time to use up the rest.A slow cooker is brilliant for making stock for soup out of a carcase - and the carcase collapses making it easier to put the bones into your food waste bin. And we haven't had the usual discussion on whether a roast turkey should have legs or not!  I prefer brown meat to breast (and it is supposed to be better for you which is a plus).

Philippa Bond ● 519d

Problem with roast pub dinners is the likes of roast potatoes are not allways fresh from potatoes but kind of aunt bessies and the veg are not fresh and many other things wrong on a plate. Not mentioning any pubs but many mentioned over time on here are just that. A roast dinner for me is meat from a joint cooked on the day and roast potatoes from scratch and fresh veg. I think some people think whats put in front of them is tasty and think its a good sunday roast. You can tell when the meat and gravy has come from a boil in the bag allso

Julian Pavey ● 523d

I take Colman's mustard powder with me when I travel as I use it a lot when I make cheese sauces.  Gentleman's Relish is I think that very small pot of fishy fish and fishy fish like sardines I'm afraid I prefer disguised in tomato sauce with chopped spring onion and cheese on top and squashed on toast and that's all because I know it is good for me!I did have a very good roast at The Black Lion earlier in the year (but definitely couldn't have run for a bus afterwards) and managed to get a children's portion at The Old Ship having seen the size of the adult's portion.  That looked like a half a chicken each! It was good too and included Yorkshire pudding but was still an awful lot to eat.

Philippa Bond ● 523d

You should have taken your own sauces with you, Philippa.Whenever I'm staying in a hotel, at home or abroad, I always take some jars of Gentleman's Relish and Colman's Mustard with me. A bottle of malt vinegar, too, to go on my chips.Though it can be a bit of a bugger explaining to airport security staff that they contain nothing explosive.

Roger Talbot ● 523d

I suspect a big problem may be a ready-made gravy or a powdered mix.  I know I've had problems before with ready-made stuffing as I've in the past tried to cheat by using a couple of big High Street ones and adding extra chestnuts or apple or sweetcorn etc and failed.  Mum's was far better (sigh)!  When you have bacon or sausage or cheese in a recipe then you have already got quite an amount of salt and so need to be more careful when adding any.  When you are trying to reduce your salt intake as many of us have been told to do (and the supermarkets/manufacturers have supposed to have been doing) herbs are often useful. Once you have tasted something then you may want to add salt  and pepper but not before tasting - and the pepper grinder gets much more use in our house than the salt! I didn't realise that pepper could be a problem.The leftover vegetables were so soft and soggy that I just didn't fancy taking them home even to add to soup.  I do wonder how much food waste they are making.

Philippa Bond ● 523d

With silver service and cloth napkins of course!Where's Michael Winner or w4's Andy Hayler when you need them." Could I ask for a butter knife please" !

Jim Lawes ● 524d

Agree about the salt Philippa, also black pepper which can lower blood pressure and make some people feel very ill.  We prefer plain food and add what we want.

Janice Evans ● 524d

Oh and we had to ask for redcurrant jelly/cranberry sauce!

Philippa Bond ● 524d

I had a Christmas turkey roast meal out of London at the weekend which was very disappointing.  No chestnuts, no parsnips, no bread sauce and the pigs in blankets had been created with tasteless and anaemicly strange sausages. Vegetables - cauli was OK but brussels and carrots served separately were overcooked and soggy and I suspect had been frozen.  Roast potatoes were good and turkey OK. Then lots of oversalted gravy and an oversalted stuffing ball.Why oh why when there are salt and pepper pots on the table does anyone oversalt a meal?  You can add salt BUT you can't take it out!Value the good and great roast dinners that you find!

Philippa Bond ● 524d

We like the roasts at the Queen’s Head, and they are always served with parsnips.

Kevin Mitchell ● 524d

The Griffin is really good you usually have to book a table as it is very popular.

Barbara Dudley ● 527d

"I'm rarely allowed back into restaurants after my first visit, Philippa, but I do it every time and anywhere new."I love it - but I'm not sure that they would.  However I do find that it can be difficult to find what to me is the perfect roast and perfect amount.  The roast to me is a similar type of dish situation to the cooked breakfast.  One of the best breakfasts I've had is where you pick five items or seven items or 10 from the cooked breakfast blackboard.  That way you can choose the ones you want - and avoid the ones you don't - and also choose the size of the breakfast.

Philippa Bond ● 532d

Nothing covert, Mark. One has to be upfront. Sometimes I take along a tin of processed marrowfat peas for them to open and heat up for me.

Roger Talbot ● 532d

Agree about the cauliflower, so few places are serving roast parsnips we have requested them at some places but only one said they may be available on Christmas Day but we usually go Boxing Day.

Janice Evans ● 533d

Wow, I was assuming some sort of covert napkin camo operation but I can only admire your pluckiness over the matter.

Mark Frost ● 533d

I'm rarely allowed back into restaurants after my first visit, Philippa, but I do it every time and anywhere new.

Roger Talbot ● 533d

Roger:  Is this a kitchen that knows you?  Or would you try this anywhere?

Philippa Bond ● 533d

I take my own already roasted parsnips with me in a plastic bag, Mark, and get the kitchen to whack them in their microwave for me before serving.

Roger Talbot ● 533d

I can really understand if you only eat an occasional roast when someone else cooks it that it misses the spot if there are no roast parsnips.But I also hate cauliflower cheese with my roast.  I consider that to be a meal by itself especially with grilled tomatoes on the top - so find myself torn as to what to do with it - since I don't think they go together.Would anybody notice if you added your own cooked parsnips?Will you ask for anything left over to be put into a box to take home (like the extra roast potatoes or sausage which are so good cold)?  That is leftover good food that you've paid for.  I now try and take a container with me.Since ome of these meals are enough for two anyway - I think we should give gold stars for those restaurants that make it easy to take what you can't eat home!

Philippa Bond ● 533d

I completely agree it's just not a roast without roast parsnips and neither is it a Christmas roast turkey without chestnut stuffing.In fact our family all like so many different vegetables and accompaniments that the recommended amount of turkey meat per person is far too much!

Philippa Bond ● 534d

Sorry, are you taking fresh parsnips along to be cooked for you or are you taking pre roasted ones in a flask?

Mark Frost ● 534d

It's just not a roast without parsnips.

Janice Evans ● 534d

That's a very good question, Janice.I always take my own roast parsnips along with me when going out for a roast repast, just to be absolutely sure I'll not be disappointed.

Roger Talbot ● 534d

Do any of these have roast parsnips.

Janice Evans ● 536d

The Farrier in Camden does a great sunday roast. Booking mandatory.

Francis Sheehan ● 536d

By the river, there are lots of great places including the previously mentioned Annie's. The Black Lion is terrific and the Ship in Mortlake, having been pretty terrible in the past has really improved.

Felicity Caborn ● 536d

Sadly, illness has prevented me visiting but everyone I know who has visited raves about The Black Dog. Also, just down the road is The Griffin where Gerhard & Claire serve excellent roasts.

N V Brooks ● 538d

The Black Dog in Brentford takes some beating.A wonderful range of real ales and a wide selection of lagers.

Keith Iddon ● 538d

Roast at the Roebuck is pretty good.

Chris Blackwell ● 538d

Annie's does the best Sunday roast in my view and it is good value too. A walk starting there and then across to Kew Bridge up to Chiswick Bridge and back followed by a hearty meal on a day like today (cold but sunny) would be heavenly.

Francis Rowe ● 538d

Cross Keys. Hammersmith.

Juliet Hogg ● 541d

Bell and Crown would be my choice. Sams Riverside if you want to spend a bit more.

Mark Evans ● 541d