In the UK, for many people a Sunday roast is a weekend must. A classic Sunday roast is usually served with potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. We reveal the traditional recipe...
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00This is just how Britain's traditional Sunday roast is supposed to look.
00:06What makes it so dear to British hearts?
00:11It's about wholesomeness, I think.
00:13Having fun with your friends, your family.
00:15I can never finish a roast.
00:18It's not just about the roast.
00:20The side dishes are what make this a feast.
00:23So, what is the best part of it?
00:27For me it's the auction pudding, because my dad used to make it at home.
00:30So it's a good reminder of what I had as a kid.
00:32The potato.
00:33The gravy.
00:35I hate running out of gravy.
00:39Many pubs and restaurants around Britain serve a Sunday roast.
00:43In fact, it's the only item on the menu of the Clapton Country Club in London.
00:48Up to 300 portions are dished up here every Sunday.
00:53In London, in particular, you get a lot of people that move from outside of London.
00:59Whether it's from abroad, whether it's from other areas in Britain.
01:02And so they may not be going back to their mothers or grandmothers for Sunday dinner.
01:09So they will go out.
01:11So there is a big culture of that happening.
01:14This beloved roast is one of beef.
01:17Here's how to make a tasty one.
01:20First, the meat has to be marinated in rosemary, thyme and garlic.
01:26Now I'm going to roll the beef to keep the shape of the beef,
01:29so that it doesn't shrink and it doesn't go explode on one side.
01:33The meat is seared for 10 minutes on each side
01:36and then roasted at 125 degrees Celsius for another 45 minutes.
01:42Perhaps the most British part of the Sunday roast is actually the Yorkshire pudding.
01:47Everybody has a different recipe and method.
01:50The same amount of milk, same amount of whole eggs and same amount of plain flour.
01:57And just mix it in.
02:01But how does the Yorkshire pudding get its shape?
02:04The trick is lots of hot grease in the baking dish.
02:07That puffs up the batter.
02:09That goes for 20 minutes for 170 degrees.
02:13Yorkshire pudding is rather heavy.
02:15That used to be a way of avoiding too much expensive meat on the table.
02:19What does it taste like?
02:20A little bit stodgy, a bit doughy.
02:23And if you get it just right, the perfect level of crisp.
02:26Basically tastes like a fried bread.
02:29Doesn't taste like anything specifically.
02:33Almost like a crispy savoury pancake, but bigger and fluffier.
02:38Along with cabbage and various other root vegetables,
02:41the marinated and oven-baked potatoes are critical to the Sunday roast experience.
02:50You can never go wrong with crispy potatoes.
02:52Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside.
02:54You can't beat potatoes. Roast potatoes, you know.
02:59When and where did the history of the Sunday roast begin?
03:03Roast beef became popular in England under Henry VII during the 15th century.
03:08The king provided the yeoman guards at the Tower of London with weekly rations of beef,
03:13which gave rise to the nickname Beef Eaters.
03:16That it became a dish eaten on Sundays has to do with the church.
03:23You'd go to the church on Sunday morning and then you'd come back
03:26and it was almost like a family get-together,
03:30certainly to begin with, socializing after going to church.
03:37For those who love the Sunday roast but don't eat meat,
03:40vegetarian and even vegan options are available.
03:43The nut roast, for instance, or the vegan strudel beef wellington style.
03:48Inside we've got a mix of truffle, wild mushroom, leek, carrots, onion,
03:55cooked with thyme and rosemary and garlic.
03:58And we've got vegan cheese and vegan bread crumb to bind it.
04:02And we wrap it and we roll it with the pancake and a puff pastry.
04:07Meat or no, one question remains.
04:10Can a Sunday roast be served up on any other day of the week?
04:15I don't really think you can have a Sunday roast any other day.
04:18Part of the reason is you have the time on a Sunday.
04:22Absolutely not. That is no.
04:24A Sunday roast has got to be on a Sunday.
04:27Otherwise it's not a Sunday roast.
04:30Fortunately, a single portion is so rich and filling
04:33that it's easy to make do with less on the other weekdays.
04:37And next Sunday is always just around the corner.