The Sunday Setup
The Bridge, Chertsey
This Surrey spot in a serious contender for best place to stay for a Sunday roast-centric stop-over.
If those wrap-up-warm walks (with riverside views) are your cup of tea, then this is the place for you. Park your car at the pub (they’ve plenty of off-road parking) and dump your bags in your room. Then give your wellies a workout by mooching up the River Thames to the ever-so-pretty Chertsey Meads. Once you’ve sufficiently blown away all the cobwebs, march back to the pub.
Pull up a pew in the conservatory for that inside-outside vibe and warm up with a (rather large) glass of something cockle-warming to start that fire in your belly. Choose from roast chicken, beef, pork (else plump for all three) or a full-flavoured vegan wellington with all the trimmings – and then some.
It’s OK to be extra on a Sunday. And (although there is a feast on plate already) who can resist a couple of keep-em-coming Sunday side dishes? Uber-cheesy cauliflower cheese, bowls of pigs in blankets (just pop them anywhere, please) and as much gravy as you can handle. Ramekins of English mustard, horseradish, mint and cranberry sauce bejewel the table bewitchingly. Drizzle on oodles of gravy, and you’ve got yourself a Sunday feast of dreams.
The Alma, Wandsworth
This South-West London pub with rooms turns the ‘Sunday best’ into the ‘Sunday better.’
Head Chef Jonah’s cooking has become something of an overnight internet sensation, with his Sunday roast (featuring the eye-bogglingly enormous Thor’s Hammer) going viral on Instagram. This melt-in-the-mouth, mammoth cut of meat ticks proud from its jam-packed platter, daring the diner to devour every melt-in-the-mouth morsel.
It’s not just hungry Londoner’s that flock in their droves for their fix of fodder – no. Foodies make the pilgrimage from far-and-wide to tuck into this epic Sunday roast, and it’s clear that this dish is not style over substance. The army and navy (that’s cockney slang for gravy, for those who didn’t know) alone is life-changingly good. And huddled up alongside this fall-apart focal point are super-crisp duck fat roasties, maple glazed carrots, tenderstem broccoli, and larger-than-life Yorkshire puds.
It’s safe to say that the proximity of your room for the night is important, because after you snaffle your roast, it’s straight to bed – most likely without any pudding. Instead, a wee nightcap (how does a bourbon grab you?) and then slip into your sheets to sleep like a baby.
Bedford Arms, Chenies
Nestled in the heart of the Chilterns, astride the border between Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, this lovely pub with rooms is over 500yrs old. So, it’s fair to say, they’ve probably served up more Sunday roasts that we’ve had hot dinners.
It’s got beautifully bare bricks, loads of comfortable seating and country-style charm by the barrel-load. It’s not hard to imagine Tudor folks chugging ale and chowing down on a hunk of turkey leg here – Henry VIII style. But modern times are a little more civilised, and the pub’s Sunday roast features your more familiar faves.
Traditional pub classic starters (you can’t beat a prawn cocktail) and an all-guns-blazing sharing roast – with all the trimmings. A melee of nourishing winter veggies (cooked to perfection) means your plates are packed with piled-high perfection. Familiar, comforting, and traditional pub cooking – just like your Nan used to make (maybe better.)
Get yourself a glass of bubbles to toast your roast. It’s a special way to start a special meal. Say cheers to a meal that shapes your day, nicely warms your cockles, and that punctuates the end of the week. Monday morning (and brekkie in the bar) feels like a million miles away. So, let’s drink to that.
The Park, Teddington
Sundays at the pub are a balm for the soul. And booking yourself a Sunday roast (with a
cheeky sleepover afterwards) gives you something to work towards. It is the proverbial
dangling carrot that is guaranteed to see you skipping through the week.
The Park is a pub with 44 bedrooms that’s blessed with some great local walks (including former royal hang-outs; Hampton Court Palace and deer-ridden Bushy Park) plus it has Teddington Railway Station right on its doorstep. This makes it great for a getaway without having to hit the M25.
After you check-in (no need to unpack) and head down to the bar, you can tell from first
glance that they aren’t whipping up run-of-the-mill roasts. You’ll see the team dutifully circling the pub with armfuls of golden-brown Yorkshire puddings and dishing up the diners a tasty top-up of hug-in-jug gravy too.
Sunday is clearly about abundance. Generous hospitality and good food by the absolute bucket-load. Great big helpings of not-so-humble crumble and British Cheeseboards (featuring Lancashire blue and Baron Bigod, to name but a few) adorn the tables. The
puddings have a dream-about-them-after quality, (and luckily for you) the rooms
do too. Book yourself a room with a roll-top tub and relish your stay the bubble-bath way.
Pheasant Inn, Hungerford
This country pub with rooms everything you could wish for in a traditional pub. Roaring
fire, cosy nooks (ideal for getting lost in a book) and 14 stylish bedrooms too. This
makes it an out-and-out bucket-list topper for spending a serene Sunday.
Sunday is historically the day of rest. A tradition to be taken seriously. And pub Sundays mean there’s no need to toil away in the kitchen for hours peeling spuds, dicing your carrots or basting your meat – no siree. You can sit down with your nearest & dearest (and the family dog) and revel in the hum of happy chitter-chatter.
The ritual of the roast here begins with a Bloody Mary. Nicely spiced, with a good-looking garnish, and plenty of pepper. Sunday roast-ing is not a thing to rush – oh no. So, sip and savour your bevvie in the bar. Taking time to stop and smell the tabasco.
Eat your fill of your fave comfort foods (the cream of the crop) then trot up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire to pop on your jim jams. It’s countryside-quiet here and the rooms are tranquil as can be. There’s no better feeling than sliding into a fresh bed with your body and soul refuelled.