FOOD + DRINK
THE BEST SUNDAY ROASTS IN SUSSEX
The traditional Sunday roast is the staple of weekends in many British households . It is memories of childhood , waking up after a long sleep to the smell of roasting meat ; it is wandering down to the kitchen to find mum and dad peeling vegetables and parboiling potatoes ; it is sitting down together and making sure that all the trimmings are included on an overflowing plate . A proper roast dinner is one of the nation ’ s very favourite foods , never so more than when days are defined by a crisp chill in the air , nights start drawing in , and the colder months give way to a landscape bathed in red and gold glory .
The tradition of eating roast meat and vegetables on a Sunday – in particular roast beef , which the British have always been famous for enjoying ( the Yeoman of the Guard are nicknamed ‘ Beefeaters ’ because of it ) - actually doesn ’ t date back as far as you might expect . A man named William Kitchener wrote a book called The Cook ’ s Oracle ( Apicius Redivivus ) in 1871 , that described the practice of cooking meat ( beef sirloin , to be exact ) for at least four hours over a spit . There was only one day of the week during which anyone had four hours to spare to roast a beef joint , and that was Sunday , and the idea was that a huge lump of meat ( around three kilograms plus ) would feed the family on Sunday , and then be used in stews , pies and as cold cuts for the rest of the week .
Those who couldn ’ t afford a large fire , or those who didn ’ t have a fireplace big enough to roast their meat , had to find alternatives . It was soon discovered that en route to church , empty baker ’ s shops were passed , and since bread was not baked on Sundays , those ovens were put to use by the poor who dropped off their meat on the way to church and collected it , perfectly cooked , on the way back .
Now that you ’ re salivating over the thought of melt-in-the-mouth beef , juicy pork ( with crackling ), chicken and gravy , or any of the other delicious options available to us today , here are some of the best places to go in Sussex for a proper Sunday roast .
THE FOUNTAIN INN , ASHURST www . fountainashurst . pub 01403 710219
The Fountain Inn is a traditional and charming country pub - exactly the sort to relax in over a newspaper , a pint or glass of wine , and a really good meal ; just what Sundays were made for . You can relish an exceptional Sunday roast here in front of the atmospheric inglenook fireplace and you won ’ t go hungry ; the roasts served are piled high with succulent meat , fresh veg and some impressive Yorkshire puddings . A great choice of starters and desserts makes this more than a meal – it ’ s an event !
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