The great British roast was an institution long before the penny-farthing took to the streets or bathing machines trundled down to the shore. Since then, we’ve put a man on the moon, grown babies in laboratories and taught robots to run the world. Empires have crumbled and monarchs have come and gone, yet our appetite for a proper roast remains gloriously undiminished.
Unsurprising, perhaps – after all, the humble roast is our great nation on a plate: one of the few meals still capable of bringing the country to the table. So, having eaten our way around London and beyond, we bring you the roasts worth making an occasion of, from those served in chandelier-crowned dining rooms and Michelin-starred restaurants to perfectly-picked eateries where time stands still.
Photo by Rumman Amin (courtesy of Unsplash)
For those keen to make a day of it, we’ve unearthed cracking country pubs and local haunts where a bracing ramble is merely the prelude to a feast, with skilled chefs, royal butchers and award-winning wine lists giving the city a run for its money.
So whether you’re donning your Sunday best or lacing up your walking boots, go forth and feast…
The showstopper: The Lanesborough Grill, Knightsbridge
With 42,000 sheets of gold leaf lavished on its grand renovation, The Lanesborough was never going to do things by halves. Its five-star Grill is a showstopper, easily dwarfing a Wimbledon doubles court – and every bit as deserving of your fascinator.
Unfurling beneath a spectacular domed glass roof, the dashing dining room is drenched in sunlight at lunch, and illuminated by stars and chandeliers at dinner.
Starters range from a fluffy aged Cheddar soufflé to zesty sea bream carpaccio with pine nuts, lemon and buttermilk – the perfect opening act.
Then comes the silver gueridon trolley, bearing a perfectly executed sirloin of Hereford roast beef, for a little tableside theatre. The Dover sole, cooked on the bone and filleted tableside, is a worthy opponent: buttery, delicate and, frankly, a match point in its own right. Add champagne, a pianist and optional wine pairings, and this is Sunday lunch that doesn’t just clear the net – it smashes it out of the court. Consider Sunday lunch thoroughly served.
Insider tip: Request one of the plush sofa seats, where you can settle in side by side and admire the gilded grandeur. Book: www.oetkerhotels.com
The old-school classic: Wiltons, St. James’s
A flurry of exuberant “good mornings” greets diners arriving for lunch at this St James’s stalwart. “It’s always morning until you’ve eaten,” the bonhomous maître d’ informs the amused stream of arrivals – a charming reminder that, in one of London’s oldest restaurants, time stands still.
With roots stretching back to the days when London’s streets clattered with horse-drawn carriages and respectable ladies wore enough petticoats to furnish a small bedroom, who are we to question their timekeeping?
Today, the storied setting has the distinct whiff of a private members’ club: wood panelling, sumptuous emerald-green banquettes and discreet, Pullman-esque booths. These hush-hush nooks are made for clandestine lunches and A-list encounters – though we still clocked a Golden Globe-winning actor tucked away in one during our visit.
Seafood may have earned Wiltons its stripes, but during the week it also lays claim to one of the capital’s finest carving trolleys. Not on Sundays? I hear you cry. As I said, time is a movable feast here, and each day brings its own roast ritual. On Mondays, Dorset lamb takes centre stage, theatrically carved tableside from a magnificent silver trolley and simply served with roughed-up roast potatoes and seriously punchy mint sauce. Proof, if any were needed, that perfection rarely needs embellishment.
Insider tip: Kick off with their famous oysters. Book: www.wiltons.co.uk
The hearty one: The Chalk Freehouse, Chelsea
Tucked down a side street just off the King’s Road, The Chalk Freehouse is Tom Kerridge’s latest Chelsea gastronomic venture – and he’s brought some serious firepower to the kitchen. Enter Tom De Keyser, who spent more than a decade cooking alongside Kerridge at The Hand & Flowers, the UK’s only pub to hold two Michelin stars. Quite the culinary muscle to have on your side.
Under his watch, British classics arrive with a generous Kerridge twist at this smart, yet dog-friendly neighbourhood haunt. Tear open your Yorkshire pudding and watch a Vesuvian eruption of slow-cooked meat spill across the plate. Napkins at the ready.
Normally, faced with one of Kerridge’s famously lavish roasts, I’d reluctantly sacrifice the starter. But when The Hand & Flowers’ celebrated chicken and duck liver parfait is churned fresh to order and served with pillowy brioche, resistance is futile. Then comes the main event: the 30-day dry-aged ribeye is a no-brainer, though the Blythburgh pork loin gives it a serious run for its money, crowned with a slab of gloriously groan-worthy crackling.
Insider tip: Visit in November and you can supersize your roast with a side of unlimited roast potatoes for £9. To book: www.thechalkfreehouse.co.uk
The hot table: Michael Caines at The Stafford, St. James’s
Our annual roast guide doesn’t usually dish out second helpings, but when one of our favourite lunch spots bags a Michelin star in under five months, we make an exception. Michael Caines MBE has brought serious culinary clout to one of London’s most storied five-star hotels, adding a glittering new chapter to its fascinating history, laced with colourful characters.
Take Nancy Wake, for example – better known as the “White Mouse”. The formidable French Resistance agent who topped the Gestapo’s most-wanted list was besotted with the hotel, extending her overnight stay for two years. It was also a hit with the American and Canadian servicemen who turned it into their London HQ. Guests lucky enough to tour the 400-year-old wine cellars-cum-air raid shelter, may spot a bricked-up doorway en route – rumoured to conceal a secret tunnel to St James’s Palace – supposedly the late Queen’s very own VIP route in for supper.
Today, the food is once again fit for a Queen. Starters offer a rare chance to sample some of Lympstone Manor’s signature dishes, while the main event balances being reassuringly traditional, yet gloriously elevated: roast beef with all the trimmings, perfectly complemented by one of the capital’s finest wine lists.
Insider tip: Hit it off with the staff and they may treat you to a cellar tour. The perfect petit four. Book: www.thestaffordlondon.com
The Brazilian wildcard: Dom Carnivoro, Bermondsey
For an excellent-value roast with a Brazilian twist, head to Bermondsey’s Dom Carnivoro, where meat lovers can tuck into bottomless cuts from founders Flávia De Oliveira and Keila Reruska. The pair opened this South-East London, open-coal-cooking home-from-home in 2021, bringing their butchery roots straight to the table.
From tomahawk and ribeye to the Brazilian speciality, picanha (grilled rump steak), the cuts arrive succulent, with a deep, smoky char that evokes the churrasco gatherings of Brazil. Expect generous sharing steaks, tempting skewers and an all-you-can-eat spread of beef ribs, pork belly and classic sides: feijão tropeiro, a hearty mix of beans, cassava flour, sausage, eggs, spring greens and plantain, alongside wonderfully squishy pão de queijo (cheese bread). Top notch cocktails and Brazilian music sets the mood, while bespoke works by Colombian artist Rafael Rosas Marín, commissioned by the founders, adorn the walls.
Insider Tip: Order a caipirinha – they are among the freshest this side of Bahia. To book: www.domcarnivoro.com
The award-winner: Hawksmoor, St. Pancras
With soaring marble arches and gilding galore, Hawksmoor St Pancras is one of the capital’s most storied Sunday-lunch settings – but the atmosphere is anything but stuffy. Housed in Sir George Gilbert Scott’s Grade I-listed former booking hall, this Gothic spectacle is grand without being precious: a place to admire the architecture without worrying about airs and graces.
Twice named the best Sunday lunch in the UK, its roast centres on UK-reared beef, dry-aged in-house for at least 35 days. First charred over charcoal it’s finished gently in the oven before being thickly sliced and served with all the requisite trimmings: crisp beef dripping roasties, Yorkshire pudding, buttered greens and a generous dousing of rich bone marrow and onion gravy.
Once lunch is polished off, the neo-Gothic Martini Bar, with its neck-crickingly high ceilings, is just a shuffle away.
Insider tip: Go early, it often runs out by 5pm. Book: www.thehawksmoor.com
The local hero: Starling, Surrey
Hiding away in leafy Esher, Starling modestly calls itself a ‘neighbourhood bistro’. Don’t be fooled. Behind the open kitchen is Great British Menu winner Nick Beardshaw, a Michelin star casually hanging from his apron strings.
Despite the acclaim, it’s a relaxed affair, with great British ingredients at its heart. The truffle cheese crumpets from the snack menu are de rigueur, and make the perfect winter warmer; crispy, chewy and gooey all at once. Tuna avocado on hash brown and a pear and ricotta tart keep the starters light.
There’s no batch plating when it comes to Starling’s Sunday lunch: dry-aged beef arrives in perfectly cut dominoes, roasties resemble sand sculptures, truffle cauliflower cheese is unlike anything you’ve tasted, and it’s all dressed in sumptuous inky black gravy. Small people are well looked after, too: children’s dishes are half size and half price, and the starter-menu chicken nugget, brined and honey-glazed, would mean your progeny never goes back to fast food.
The wine list is exemplary, with lesser-known gems available by the glass, and the cocktails are worth exploring. Of course, there’s no match for a Bloody Mary on a Sunday, and theirs is like gazpacho in a glass. Honestly, ‘bistro’ undersells it, this is one to add to your repertoire.
Insider tip: Save room for Balloon Girl, the signature dessert that clinched Beardshaw his 2023 Great British Menu win. Inspired by Banksy’s shredded artwork, it combines white chocolate cheesecake, raspberry coulis and dark chocolate tart, topped with shredded white chocolate shards, raspberry powder and popping candy rice paper, all served in a picture frame. Book: www.starlingbistro.co.uk
The one to watch: The Cock, Hertfordshire
To call this historic pub a shapeshifter rather undersells it: over the last five centuries, this Grade II-listed property has been everything from a coaching inn to a bloodthirsty cockfighting pit and, now, something considerably more civilised: a two-AA-rosetted, Michelin-applauded gastropub. The avian bloodsport may be long gone, but the spirit – and passion for poultry – remains.
Breaking into the Michelin Guide in under a year is no mean feat, particularly for a pocket-sized pub tucked away in rural Hertfordshire. Thoughtfully sourced ingredients are at the heart of its success, alongside a kitchen that walks the culinary tightrope between respecting tradition and embracing creativity. The result? A proper destination pub: good enough to rival London’s best, yet only a short train ride from King’s Cross.
Starters are a cut above: my cured seabream with pickled jalapeño, crème fraîche and dill was half starter, half artwork – zingy, fresh and the perfect warm-up act. For the main event, there’s Blythburgh pork belly and 50-day-aged Herefordshire beef, alongside baked cod and a considered vegetarian option of hispi cabbage with glazed oyster mushrooms. I can’t see The Cock shapeshifting any time soon, thankfully.
Insider tip: Order the milk bread. I don’t care if you’re religiously carb-dodging or attempting to save space for pud. If it’s on the menu, get it. Homemade brioche slathered in Marmite butter delivers an indecent wallop of umami. Book: www.thecockhitchin.co.uk
The day out: The Tilbury, Hertfordshire
The Tilbury has plenty to tempt you out of London: a seriously accomplished Sunday roast, an award-winning wine list and a rather lovely slice of Hertfordshire countryside. It’s also remarkably easy to reach. The fastest train from King’s Cross to Welwyn North takes just 17 minutes, followed by a pleasant country ramble to the picture-book village of Datchworth, home to this family-run two-AA-Rosette pub.
The roast is worth the journey alone. Its 50-day-aged heritage beef comes courtesy of Aubrey Allen, butcher to the Royal Household. Butchered and brined in-house, it’s joined by corn-fed chicken and Blythburgh pork. For the ravenous – or simply indecisive – there’s an indecently generous three-meat roast, too. From 22 November, turkey joins the line-up, just in time for a little festive indulgence.
The trimmings are no afterthought: roast potatoes perfected over four days, gravy simmered for three, giant Yorkshire puddings and oozy three-cheese cauliflower cheese. Even the solitary star-anise carrot gets the VIP treatment.
And there’s good reason to linger over another glass. The Tilbury is Hertfordshire’s only pub to hold an AA Notable Wine List award, retained for ten consecutive years. So take the train, enjoy the ramble and settle in. A first-rate Sunday roast in the sticks, with no designated driver required.
Insider tip: Once you’ve ticked off The Tilbury, book a table at their 17th century coaching inn hidden away in nearby Welwyn. Book: www.thetilbury.co.uk.
The family feast: The Victoria, Surrey
Tucked into Oxshott, that peculiarly Surrey enclave of Premier League footballers, hedge funders and silly-sized houses, The Victoria manages the neat trick of feeling both modest and monied. This grand Edwardian red-brick pub has serious culinary credentials, with three AA rosettes thanks to head chef Daniel Lee, whose cooking is refined without ever feeling fussy. Inside, magenta and racing green, exposed brick and polished mahogany make for a setting that feels curated yet convivial.
Sunday lunch is treated with due reverence. Order for two and the roast arrives as a family-style platter: steak-thick slices of marbled sirloin, cooked pink, with roasted carrots, crispy roasties and a Yorkshire pudding of near-comical proportions. Cauliflower cheese and greens complete the picture. There’s also the option to escalate matters to a côte de boeuf or whole Cob Farm chicken, but the Lake District Farms dry-aged Hereford sirloin is hard to resist.
Insider tip: Save room for their scotch egg with homemade brown sauce as a snack to start. To book: www.thevictoriaoxshott.com
