This time of year, nothing goes down better than a steaming hot roast dinner. Too often, though, we can leave the pub disappointed with the pale hunk of meat, measly portion of chewy spuds and salty, watery gravy that arrives at our table. Suffice to say, a genuinely good roast dinner is hard to nail.
That’s where Rate Good Roasts comes in. This year, its experts guzzled down nearly 200 plates of the traditional meal to inform its followers which ones are worth the trip. Now, it has released its ranking of the UK pubs that did the beloved Sunday staple best in 2023.
While London does get a bit of a look in, the list shows that the north of the country reigns supreme as the UK’s top roast region. So, without further ado, these are the pubs to head to if you want to swerve Sunday dinner disappointment.
Claiming the coveted number one spot was The Abbey Inn in Byland, North Yorkshire, which scored an impressive 97 percent based on rankings out of ten for factors including value, venue, potatoes, meat, Yorkshire puds, gravy and side options.
Next up was The Loch & The Tyne in Old Windsor and Hawksmoor in Manchester, which secured joint second with a score of 96 percent. Then it was Castle Farm in the village of Midford, near Bath, completing the podium.
Belzan, Liverpool came next with a score of 95 percent with The Elgin in London’s Maida Vale following closely behind with 94 percent along with Gladstone Bistro in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester (which randomly also doubles up a a barbers).
RGR’s ‘chief eating officer’ Tom Casson said. ‘There’s something romantic about a Sunday Roast. It’s an event. Whether it’s an opportunity to see old friends or a family celebration of some kind. You don’t want to be let down.
‘Personally I want the Yorkshire puddings big enough to act as a vessel for the gravy. Potatoes need to be in that sweet Venn diagram spot of fluffy and crispy.’
Here are the rest of the top ten best roast dinners in the country, according to Rate Good Roasts:
- The Abbey Inn, North Yorkshire
- The Loch & The Tyne, Windsor and Hawksmoor, Manchester
- Castle Farm, Somerset
- Belzan, Liverpool
- The Elgin, Maida Vale and Gladstone Bistro, Greater Manchester
- Greens, Greater Manchester
- Bank, Bristol
- Jones&Sons x Madame Pigg, Dalston and The Whitehall, Leeds
- The Gin Trap Inn, Norfolk
- Maray, Manchester
People are rightly passionate about roasts. One of our writers explained why she thinks that London’s offerings are ‘extremely mid’, but don’t worry, there are some actually good ones. You can find them on our expertly curated lists of the best Sunday dinners in London.
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