Traditional Sunday Roast

[Oola]

Rich and I, pretty much without fail always have a Roast dinner on a Sunday in the evening. I was wondering if anyone else still keeps this tradition going?

When I was a child it was always Sunday Roast Lunch (apart from in the summer when it was more a smogasbord of breads, cheeses, salads etc), a lot of the time with my maternal grandparents joining us. The smell of a roast dinner cooking in the daytime brings back so many nice memories and feelings!

Do you have your own version of a Sunday Roast? Because I'm veggie, I have carrots, peas, cabbage, broccoli, roast potatoes and a vegetarian pie with vegetarian gravy. Rich will have all the above veg and roast potatoes, sometimes a vegetarian pie but on occasion he'll treat himself to a roast joint that he then uses us over the week. He also likes to make himself 'proper' gravy from the meat juices. We never have yorkshire puddings for some reason!

Even thinking about it now has my tastebuds going!

[Redstart]

I always try to keep the idea of Sunday dinner going, even out here - comes from my childhood. Sunday is also the only day I make a pudding, the other days we have fruit. Today's is a quince and apple crumble.

[jazzactivist]

Today we did have a Sunday roast dinner (chicken and all veg) for the first time in ages, rice pudding with toffee apple topping for dessert. It was lovely, but only once in a while. Usually we eat our main meals in the evening at 7-8pm. My partner's mum cooks a Sunday roast ready for 12noon every Sunday of the year without fail, and when we go to stay with her it cuts right across anything else that we may plan to do on a Sunday - she just won't hear of it! Andy is extremely good at cooking Yorkshires, and likes to either do it the Yorkshire way of having a big one with gravy as a starter, or we have them with stew, as neither of us like dumplings. What about othr people?

[sheddie]

Can anyone tell me how to make decent gravy for a roast, even after all these years my gravy is not all that.

[CountryLady]

We love a good roast dinner and look forward to one on a Sunday. Yorkshire puddings are one of the things I can do well (even though I say so myself!)

I was wondering what kind of vegetarian pie you have Oola - do you make it yourself? With O/H not eating meat I'm always looking for new suggestions.

I'm slowly working my way through the Linda McCartney cook books that I've rediscovered!

[Oola]

I usually have a quorn mince or linda mccartney vegetarian pie, but since they've changed the LM one I'm not that enamoured with them anymore. I'm tempted to try and make my own, just a quorn mince and onion pie with a gravy inside. I did think last night about maybe trying some sort of mini sweet potato pie as I've got some sweet potatoes and half a swede to use up!

[CountryLady]

I didn't know they've changed the LM pies. I used to like those and how easy to shove in the oven?

What about doing a pasty with your swede and sweet potatoes? A bit of onion and even some quorn mince if you wanted, like a cornish pasty.

Oooh I've convinced myself, I think that's what we'll have tonight!

[Katelb]

Hi sheddie,for some reason,I am considered to be the gravy queen in this house,I always make too much but we all love it and I am quite happy with a plate of potatoes and gravy! The best way--I find--- is to use the meat juices and if possible make the gravy in the roasting tin (if there is an excess of fat pour it off until just the juices remain) then depending upon the meat,for beef use water that one of the vegetables has been cooked in and if there wasn't a lot of juice add just a little of the Bisto or Oxo granules that are in a jar and which claim to have meat juices in the ingredients! bring it to the boil and collect all the sediment from the meat as you stir it.For chicken,lamb or pork,the same applies.If you don't want to use the gravy granules,then add just a little flour to the meat juices before adding your vegetable water,and for extra flavouring,a little gravy salt which you can still get I think. Happy gravying!! Kate

[Healing Hands]

Always have a Sunday Roast, my girls tell me that I do the best ever Sunday lunch. I do though in the summer not cook a roast lunch as I like to be out doors more so if the weather is good I wil cook a BBQ.

This Sunday was the first time I did a Sunday Roast. I cooked a slow roastred chicken with roasted garlic, roasted potatoes, Apple and parsley stuffing, local veggies, followed by an apple tart. Oh what big bellies.

[sheddie]

Thanks for gravy tip, I shall endeavour to try again. We can't be good at everything can we and these roasts are making me hungry. When's the next sitting?

[Katelb]

Soon as you like sheddie,I'm always up for a roast and it's so easy to do isn't it.
Good luck with the gravy,but if you do use the relevant granules,get the ones in a jar and not the tub,there is a difference,anyway enjoy! Kate

[SummerSkye]

I love Sunday roast and although my style of cooking is different from my Mum's of the 1950's it is still a nice tradition to carry on. We usually have a leg of lamb studded with garlic and with lots of fresh rosemary sprigs tucked in and slow baked until the vegetables are added. Potato, carrot, parsnip, pumpkin and onions are lightly coated in olive oil and cooked until crisp. Gravy is made with the pan juices, flour added until caramelised then stock and finally a good slurp of wine. Fresh peas are a must also.

[Redstart]

We don't always have a roast but I do make a special meal and always make a pudding, unlike the rest of the week. Roast dinners aren't very Swiss so the reason why not a roast ever week is the lack of decent joints in the butcher's. I have been known to go Swiss and cook Zurich Geschnetzeltes with Rösti (that's small pieces of veal in a cream and wine sauce, with mushrooms served with a potato Rösti) or it might be a long-cooked stew or casserole. Occasionally we go out for a Swiss Sunday dinner in a restaurant (this is often a set three course meal).

And when we come back to the UK (in just over three weeks time!) I will definitely want a proper roast dinner on Sunday!

[gothfairy]

We have always had a traditional Sunday roast dinner.. it is the only day of the week when we have pudding as well. I always set the table with something from the garden, be it just greenery, little wildflowers or something like that, plus candles. Sometimes the table might be the one in the summerhouse if it's not too hot and sunny, or the conservatory, but nothing beats the dining room in winter with the coal fire lit for a change, as we do over the festive season.

[Katelb]

Not quite a Sunday roast,but when I return from Brigadoon,we are having Melon balls and Parma Ham to start, then Beef Wellington,and for desert a lemon soufflein indevidual dishes (I cheated and bought it from Marks) and fresh raspberry trifle which has a very small amount of raspberry liqueur sprinkled on.If anyone wants to round off the w/end in Brigadoon,you are all welcome to come and join us for lunch tomorrow!

[Katelb]

The above is a birthday lunch for my husband ,I forgot to say!

[Crocus]

Hi, even I here in S.A. can make Yorkshire Pudding! Got the recipe on BBC Food (Nigella) and it works perfectly! Hubby and boys jump for joy when the old Yorkshire Puds appear at the table! Today we also had Sunday Roast, with beef, rice, runner beans (I cook it together with potato and onion, salt pepper and just before dishing up, I add a bit of butter!), Sweet potatoes with orange and honey sauce. (Forgot to buy potatoes!). And Chocolate Pud.

[jazzactivist]

I usually use Bisto gravy granules and add a clove of garlic, some dried oregano and a pinch of cloves, black pepper, a small slosh of Worcester sauce and a big slosh of wine, plus the meat juices. However, last Roast I discovered that we didn't have gravy granules, so tried the 'scorched flour' method for the first time and it turned out lovely. Just scorch a tablespoon of plain flour in a dry saucepan until it is golden brown, then add a knob of butter and mash together to make a dark roux, then add water and stock of your choice slowly, stirring quickly to make sure that there aren't any lumps. Add a slosh of wine and garlic / herbs of your choice and the meat juices form the roast. Boil swiftly for a couple of minutes stirring all the while so that the alcohol boils off. You should then have a rich, dark, clear gravy. I don' think that we will buy gravy granules again.

[susiedart]

Yes we do have a Sunday roast with meat & two vg. & gravy as made above! It is so useful of curry afterwards or cold in salad & with chicken or game, delicious soup. I read that to get crackling crisp on pork, you pour boiling water over the skin (before cooking) so I am going to try that!