You know the stereotype that Brits have bad food? I’m going to take a bold stance and say that it’s totally wrong. The Brits have yummy food and I’ve had plenty of it since moving here. I’ll concede that a lot of dishes are hearty and meat based, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, (yes cup of tea reference on purpose), but fish and chips, mash, Victoria sandwich, coronation chicken, and steak and ale pie are all delicious. But my favorite thing ever might be Sunday roast.
On Saturday, Ryan and I went to a Halloween party and we may have stayed out really late and had too much fun. So the next day we woke up groggy and I was grumpy. Ryan suggested we go to the pub for a Sunday roast and I immediately perked up. It is the perfect meal for a rainy lazy Sunday.
We went to the Horatia, which is our local pub. The kitchen is run by Borough Foods Kitchen, which means all the ingredients are sourced from traders at Borough Market. Which, by the by, is an awesome market with all kinds of great food and I should totally write a TT post about that. Anyway, Borough Market has the best ingredients and as a result the Horatia’s food is always really good.
The Horatia is a quirky place. It’s decorated with lots of taxidermy animals, which at first feels weird but eventually seems a little charming. It has mismatched furniture, grandfather clocks, and chalkboards listing all their craft beers. It’s kind of giant as pubs go, and I think they have swing dancing lessons one day a week.
Ryan and I first went for Sunday roast after a number of British people told us it was a must-do for our time here. The meal is like comfort food, it’s filling, and familiar, and indulgent all at the same time. The basics of the dish is a roast meat, with fixings, and gravy. In addition to the food itself, I like the atmosphere of the pub. On Sundays, the pub feels extra happy. There are families, groups of friends, couples, kids, and even dogs. It’s so nice, and different from how I’ve experienced bars in the US.
But let’s get to the important stuff and talk about the food. At the Horatia, the meat options are beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. One of us always gets the beef. It’s so tender and flavorful. The following is meant as a compliment, although I know it may not sound like it, but you know when you go to a buffet and there is a carving station? That is always my favorite bit, but the person who does the carving always gives out a tiny portion. I always have to ask for more, and it still isn’t as much as I want. At the Horatia, the portion is the giant slice of roast beef I always wished for in the buffet line.
The last time Ryan got “the works” which was a slice of pork, beef, chicken, and lamb. That was a nice option because then no one had to make a sacrifice on choices. Along with the meat, it comes with the fixings. This one specifically has crunchy parsnips on top, parsnip mash and roasted carrots. It also has mushy peas, which have mint in them.I try them every time, but I never really like them. There’s Yorkshire pudding, which is that roll looking thing. It’s called pudding, but isn’t sweet or dessert like. On the side potatoes roasted in goose fat and braised cabbage. I’m often anti-greens but I really liked this cabbage. And on top of that, lots and lots of gravy. Quite the feast right?
Oh yeah, and of course, don’t forget to have it with a pint.
Looks yummy! I want to try the lamb!