By The Independent (Lifestyle) | Created at 2024-11-20 10:41:18 | Updated at 2024-11-21 10:18:17
23 hours ago
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases
Get our food and drink newsletter for free
Get our food and drink newsletter for free
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy
The Good Food Guide has spoken, and Sunday lunch lovers, this one’s for you. The revered dining bible has dropped its list of the 50 Best Sunday Roasts for 2024, celebrating the nation’s enduring obsession with lashings of gravy, roast potatoes that crunch like a gravel drive and Yorkshire puddings that could double as boat sails.
This isn’t just a hat-tip to a few fancy spots. The list is a democratic affair, cooked up through public nominations and taste tests from the Guide’s anonymous inspectors, who know their way around a plate of beef and spuds. What they’ve delivered is a mix of big-hitters, local favourites and off-the-beaten-path gems, all nailing the roast in their own way.
In London, the spotlight lands on the likes of The Harwood Arms, a Michelin-starred Fulham pub where the roasts are as polished as the silverware. It’s one for the purists: seasonal vegetables, top-quality meats and gravy rich enough to ruin your New Year’s health kick before it starts.
Meanwhile, over in Soho, The Devonshire brings a bit of theatre to proceedings, carving its beef tableside and pairing it with a red wine gravy that’s practically a meal on its own. If you’re the sort who prefers your roasts with all the trimmings and a side of showmanship, this one’s hard to beat.
For something a bit more down-to-earth but no less spectacular, Hackney’s Lagom at Hackney Church Brew Co serves up what might be the city’s best-value Sunday lunch. Their “hangover bowl”, a glorious heap of roasted meats, potatoes, veg and Yorkshire pudding, is a steal at £12. Pair it with a craft beer from the brewery and call it a weekend well spent.
But the list isn’t all about London. Outside the capital, The Abbey Inn in North Yorkshire scoops the title of overall winner, and it’s easy to see why. With rare-breed meats from the owner’s family farm and clever touches like ox cheek toad-in-the-hole, it’s a roast that turns heads and fills bellies.
In Kent, The Sportsman at Seasalter keeps things local and rustic, offering roasts so good you’ll forget about the drive back to London. And for those heading north, Cumbria’s The Black Bull wins praise for its field-to-fork ethos, with Herdwick lamb and Hereford beef taking centre stage.
From pubs with Michelin stars to bottle-shop bistros and everything in between, the list shows the roast isn’t going anywhere. And thank God for that.
For the full list of winners and more details, visit The Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roasts 2024.
The Good Food Guide’s 50 Best Sunday Roasts 2024
Here’s the full list of the 50 best Sunday roasts across the UK.
London
Blacklock Canary Wharf
Famous for its “all-in” sharing feast with three cuts of dry-aged meat, duck-fat potatoes, and endless gravy.
The Canton Arms, Stockwell
Renowned for its slow-cooked salt marsh lamb shoulder and Dexter beef with rich accompaniments.
The Devonshire, Soho
Offers tableside carving, impeccable beef and a red wine gravy to die for.
The Holland, Kensington
A neighbourhood gem serving beef rump, confit chicken and a veggie roast with excellent trimmings.
Lagom at Hackney Church Brew Co
Affordable and indulgent with its £12 “hangover bowl” of meat, potatoes and brisket gravy.
The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate
Specialises in dry-aged Aberdeen Angus beef, Devon white chicken and a standout veggie roast.
South West England
Bank, Bristol
Smoked short rib and Middle White pork belly served with inventive sides like charred cauliflower.
The Cornish Arms, Tavistock
Hearty portions of sirloin or Saddleback pork with maple-smoked belly and red wine jus.
The Dartmoor Inn, Lydford
Offers dry-aged beef sirloin, excellent cauliflower cheese and a top-notch nut roast.
The Great Bustard, Salisbury
Features lamb and beef cooked overnight, paired with spiced kale and red wine sauce.
St Kew Inn, Bodmin
Cornish-sourced roasts like apple-smoked beef and rare-breed pork belly with garlic potatoes.
The Millbrook Inn, South Pool
Organic farm meats like slow-cooked hogget and pork crackling, with “to-die-for” cauliflower cheese.
The Somerford Arms, Wiltshire
A family-run pub serving exceptional Aberdeen/Hereford beef and big bowls of vegetables.
South East England
The Cat Inn, West Hoathly
Traditional roasts of sirloin, pork belly or chicken, with flawless crackling and Yorkshire pudding.
The Merry Harriers, Hambledon
Farm-to-fork cooking with Oxford Sandy pork collar and wagyu beef sirloin.
The Plough, Rye
Leans local with Winchelsea lamb, aged Castle Farm beef and Sussex cheese cauliflower.
The Running Horses, Mickleham
A centuries-old pub serving herb-crusted pork belly, corn-fed chicken and epic Yorkshire puddings.
The White Hart, Fyfield
Slow-cooked Kelmscott pork belly and dry-aged beef in a stunning 15th-century setting.
Central England
The Howard Arms, Ilmington
A Cotswold charmer offering dry-aged sirloin and Paddock Farm pork loin.
The New Inn, Hereford
Serves perfectly aged beef or lamb with Yorkshire puddings and divine red-wine gravy.
The Old Wharf Inn, Stourbridge
A family-friendly spot serving topside beef and Cotswold chicken with excellent wine pairings.
The Olive Branch, Clipsham
Known for its 28-day beef sirloin and roast pork loin, served with seasonal vegetables.
The Pack Horse, Hayfield
Offers beef sirloin, braised lamb shoulder and venison loin with thoughtful seasonal sides.
Seats at Robinsons, Wolverhampton
A butcher-turned-bistro serving roast topside and lamb shoulder with generous portions.
White Horse, Lincoln
Locally sourced beef and pork with creamy cauliflower cheese and red wine gravy.
East of England
The Brewers, Rattlesden
Contemporary roasts like lamb shoulder with cauliflower cheese and perfectly cooked beef sirloin.
The Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market
Dramatic Elk Room cooking, with beef and pork served alongside goose-fat potatoes.
Socius, Burnham Market
A family-style feast with aged beef, roast chicken and sides with a creative twist.
The Sun Inn, Felmersham
Local Middle White pork and beef fillet, served with homemade stuffing and vegetables.
The Unruly Pig, Bromeswell
Elegant roasts like pork loin with crackling or 50-day aged rib of beef with bone-marrow gravy.
North West England
The Black Bull, Sedbergh
Locally sourced Hereford beef and Herdwick lamb, with treacle carrots and kale.
Fold, Marple Bridge
Fire-roasted beef bavettes and porchetta with creative sides like wagyu-fat potato slices.
Heft, Grange-over-Sands
Herdwick hogget or 24oz dry-aged beef rib served with clever, esoteric sides.
Shrub, Chester
A vegan roast featuring oyster mushroom Wellington, vegan Yorkshire pudding and rich gravy.
Solo, Aughton
A refined tasting menu roast with Himalayan salt-aged beef and brisket-stuffed Yorkshire pudding.
North East England
The Abbey Inn, Byland
Overall winner, featuring Berkshire pork and ox cheek toad-in-the-hole with salt-aged beef.
The Brick Yard, Brighouse
Family-style feasts of striploin beef or pork belly with creative “posh sides”.
The Owl, Hawnby
Traditional roasts with duck-fat potatoes and beer-laced gravy, served in a moorland setting.
Ox Club, Leeds
Fire-grilled roasts like fennel and apple porchetta with bone-marrow gravy.
The Social Distortion, Hull
A twist on tradition with Bangkok-inspired roasts featuring soy-glazed pork or tamarind-glazed celeriac.
Scotland
Coorie Inn, Muthill
Perthshire pork, Scottish beef rump and whole roast chicken served with seasonal greens.
Hawksmoor Edinburgh
Dry-aged native beef, crispy roasties and bottomless bone-marrow gravy.
thehawksmoor.com/locations/edinburgh
The Loveable Rogue, Glasgow
Speyside beef with garlicky potatoes, honeyed roots and brisket mac’n’cheese.
Porter & Rye, Glasgow
Dry-aged beef with braised ox cheek, beef-dripping Yorkies and rich bone-marrow gravy.
Wales
Asador 44, Cardiff
Spanish-style Sunday lunch with slow-cooked Welsh lamb or flame-grilled family paella.
The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon
Roast beef or pork belly with bara brith and Welsh cheeses to finish.
Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen, Cowbridge
Showcasing home-reared beef and pork with homegrown vegetables.
Heaneys, Cardiff
Refined roasts of dry-aged beef or BBQ lamb with duck-fat potatoes and top-tier sides.
Three Horseshoes Inn, Groesffordd
Tops of Welsh beef or lamb with all the classic trimmings served in bowls.
