Attributes Of The Sunday Roast

While there aren't any limitations when preparing your Sunday Roast, it is interesting that there are certain aspects that have remained unchanged for quite a long time. These have then become more like a tradition and have grown over the years to become an acceptable norm. While it is not a crime to exclude any of the following, it is very uncommon and may lead one to not feel right about the meal, especially if aware of the tradition.

Meat

Meat is an important aspect of the Sunday roast and unlike other ingredients, if excluded, the roast fails to become a roast. Be that as it may, there are a few accepted vegan alternatives that make it a Sunday roast without the meat. The meats that are usually used in the preparation of the roast include beef, pork, chicken and mutton. Occasionally, one could use duck, turkey, gammon and goose for the meat. In rare instances, though not entirely non-existent or even uncommon for that matter, game birds may be used.

Vegetables

These are also a large part of the Sunday roast and are hardly ever excluded. There may be alterations depending on the one preparing the meal and his/her preferences and the availability of the vegetables as well. Some of these are regional, in such a way that one region will have an abundance and recurrence of a type of vegetable, as compared to another. It is not uncommon to alternate, mix or even exclude some of the vegetables as this rarely affects the overall taste of the roast. They may be prepared differently including steaming, boiling or roasting (usually in vegetable oil or meat dippings). The most common vegetables include;

• Potatoes - Roasted or mashed. They can also be cooked with the meat so that they absorb the juice or separately.

• Parsnip

• Green beans

• Peas

• Carrots among others.

A vegetable gravy can be prepared out of them and can be supplemented by use of corn flour or gravy thickening.

Accompaniments

These are the most volatile of the bunch. Their use or lack thereof is entirely reliant on whoever prepares the meal. They are not necessarily a must have but they are usually included. The accompaniments are usually attributed to the type of meat used and each meat has its own cluster of accompaniments.

1. Beef - Suet or yorkshire pudding, horseradish (can be in a sauce or not) or English mustard

2. Pork - English mustard, apple sauce or stuffing.

3. Chicken - Sausages, stuffing, cranberry sauce or redcurrant juice.

4. Mutton - Jelly, mint sauce or blackcurrant juice.

Do you agree with me? We would love to hear your thoughts – simply email john@roastdinner.club and I will share your ideas in a future blog.

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