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‘Sunday lunch’ is a traditional British meal eaten on a Sunday.
It is also known as ‘Sunday roast’, ‘Sunday dinner’, and ‘Roast dinner’.
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- A traditional looking Sunday lunch.
Although it is commonly called ‘Sunday lunch’, it can be eaten on any day of the week.
There are a few variations of a Sunday lunch, but a traditional version consists of roast beef, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, roast or boiled vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli, and gravy.
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- Roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, peas, broccoli, roast parsnips, and gravy.
Different kinds of meat can be roasted and used in a Sunday lunch. Beef is probably the most traditional, but chicken, pork, lamb, and turkey are also quite common.
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- Roast beef
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- Roast chicken
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- Roast pork
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- Roast lamb
Stuffing is a mixture of many ingredients that is put inside the meat before it is roasted. A common stuffing might include dried bread crumbs, onion, celery, and herbs and spices such as sage, salt and pepper. Stuffing adds flavour to the meat, and is also delicious to eat itself.
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- Stuffing
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- Stuffing the chicken before cooking.
Although ‘pudding’ can mean ‘dessert’ in British English, Yorkshire pudding is not sweet. Eggs, flour, and milk are mixed to make a batter and then baked in the oven until brown and crispy. Mini Yorkshire puddings can be made easily by using muffin tins.
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- Mini Yorkshire puddings.
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- Sunday lunch served in a big Yorkshire pudding.
Gravy is an important part of a Sunday lunch. It’s a sauce that is made from the juices of the meat and vegetables during cooking. It is usually served in a large jug on the table so everyone can help themselves.
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- Beef and onion gravy.
Different meats also have different traditional accompaniments. In addition to gravy, beef would usually be served with a horseradish sauce (very similar to wasabi); pork with apple sauce; lamb with mint sauce; and chicken and turkey with cranberry sauce.
The tradition of eating a large Sunday lunch is probably connected with the tradition of going to church. Many families would put the meat in the oven before going to church on Sunday morning. When they got home a couple of hours later, the meat would be ready to eat.
Because Sunday lunch is a large meal, there are usually many left-overs. These left-overs are usually used to make sandwiches, or salads the next day.
If you are ever in the UK on a Sunday, most pubs and restaurants will have Sunday lunch on their menus. Please try it!
