Chef Sunday best
Though Sunday roasts are just starting to cross the pond, in the UK we have it down to an art. Fiona Sims sees what chefs are serving
“O
f all the things that Americans shed for independence from Britain, why did we leave the Sunday roast
behind?” questioned Eater NY, after a glow- ing review of Hawksmoor’s Manhattan restau- rant, which opened in October 2021. When the steakhouse restaurant group
headed stateside, the British Sunday roast was a key pillar of its offering, with the group informing Americans: “This British institu- tion has brought friends and families together for centuries and we’re delighted to welcome
New Yorkers to this tradition.” Back in the UK Hawksmoor is not resting
on its laurels with its revamped Sunday lunch, including a selection of new side dishes accom- panying a range of sharing cuts. Introduced this month, the roast has been overhauled after 12 years of the same offer – dry-aged beef rump, beef dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pud- ding, roast carrots, buttered greens, roast gar- lic and bone marrow gravy (now £27), a meal twice voted Best Sunday Lunch in the UK by Observer Food Monthly.
Hawksmoor Sunday roast and sides
So why mess with it? “Everyone is doing amazing roasts now, right? So, if you don’t up your game, you won’t stay relevant,” says Hawksmoor executive chef Matt Brown. He’s not wrong – the British Sunday roast
has had a renaissance and pubs and restau- rants up and down the country are ramping up efforts to elevate Britain’s most iconic dish.
The perfect roast Viral Instagram account Rate Good Roasts has been reviewing Sunday offerings around the country for six years, producing an annual top 10 that is much quoted in the national press. It judges 10 different components of what makes a good roast, starting with meat and ending with sides. “What makes the perfect roast? There should always be a stand-out dish on the specials board, such as porchetta, and imaginative sides,” declares ‘chief eating officer’ Tom Casson. From Manchester’s Ducie Street, which
boasts a whole menu dedicated to cauliflower cheese (Rate Good Roasts’ current favour- ite), to London’s Temper restaurants’ smoked and pulled lamb shoulder with mint sauce and smoked baby chicken with chimichurri,
30 | The Caterer | 28 April 2023
www.thecaterer.com
PHOTO: SAM A HARRIS
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