The Great British Sunday Roast Tradition

The Sunday Roast, also known by a few other names such as the Sunday Dinner, the Sunday Lunch and the Sunday Joint, is a traditional meal attributed to Britain and Ireland.

The meal was served on Sundays for dinner or for lunch. It comprises of roast meat, roast/mashed potatoes and an assortment of accompaniments that vary according to preference and availability. These include; Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, stuffing and a gravy. The vegetables used are also many and vary according to preference including; carrots, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, peas among others. They may all be prepared in different styles, there are no restrictions to the preparation method.

It was common for the British christians to have a large meal after the Sunday church service. Often, unlike in some other instances, days and occasions such as Friday - where only fish was allowed, all types of meat were allowed on Sunday. The meal was attributed to the fact that in some Christian dominations of the time, such as the catholics, it was common to fast before heading to church for the service. Later, they would then break the fast with a large meal that was often eaten communally.

The tradition of the Sunday Roast can be traced back to olden times and there are two different accounts that try to explain its origin:

First account

The first account is set in the medieval times when there were serfs working for squires. It is said that the peasants would work for a squire through the whole week, for six days and after that, on the seventh day, all the peasants would be gathered and taken to practice various battle techniques - much to the amusement of the squire. The squire would then reward the serfs with roasted oxen. Thus evolved the tradition of the Sunday roast.

Second account

This one is set in the times of the industrial revolution. This account states that during the industrial revolution, with the introduction of the oven, it quickly became common practice in England to leave beef to roast in the oven as people went to church on Sunday. After the service, the meat would have been ready and they would have had it for lunch or for dinner.

In the depths of my mind I seem to recall that, at some point in time, ordinary folk took their roast joint to the local butcher to cook for them. Whether that is true, or that it was just the Christmas Day turkey or goose, is something I will look into.

In the meantime, whichever account holds true, the fact remains that there definitely arose a great many meals and recipes from this old tradition. Often with time, more and more ingredients get added making it even better than it was before.

This is a tradition that may not be going away any time soon – and remember, I always say that “roasts are not just for Sundays!” though recent research found that whilst four out of five families still enjoy a roast every week, many tend to put it off until the late afternoon or early evening so they can get more done on Sundays.

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