Monday has a way of making Sunday feel very far away. But the best remedy for the weekend blues is a plan, and there is no plan quite as satisfying as a roast. With cosy season settling in, here are five worth putting in the diary now, from a Michelin-starred neighbourhood restaurant in West Lancashire to a Caribbean-inflected version in Herne Hill.
At The Barn at Moor Hall, Mark Birchall's one Michelin-starred neighbourhood restaurant in West Lancashire, the estate's ingredient-led approach extends to Sunday lunch. The roasts include a 60-day-aged Belted Galloway sirloin with watercress, horseradish purée, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, and a Herduick lamb rump with Roscoff onions, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Seasonal starters and desserts round things out. The menu is £59 for two courses or £68 for three.
In Earls Court, Pippin's at Templeton Garden sits tucked inside a townhouse, with a private garden that must be one of the better spots in west London when the weather behaves. Between noon and 8pm on Sundays, the seasonal British menu gives way to a generous lunch. Choose from Hereford dry-aged beef, rare breed porchetta, corn-fed chicken crown, or a caramelised onion and butternut squash pithivier. All arrive with crisp roast potatoes, golden Yorkshires, seasonal carrots, tender hispi cabbage and rich gravy, with the option of adding cauliflower cheese. Mains start at £21.
Then there is 2210 by NattyCanCook, where chef Nathaniel Mortley brings a Caribbean-inspired twist to the classic at his Herne Hill restaurant. The roasts are built around 45-day dry-aged sirloin of beef, slow-roasted jerk chicken, and wiri wiri spiced lamb rump. Alongside: giant Yorkshire puddings, crisp roast potatoes, rum-glazed plantain, seasonal greens and a bone marrow gravy. Mains start at £26. It is the kind of cooking that makes you wonder why more people have not thought of it.
Heading north, The Lobby at The Hoxton, Edinburgh has launched Board Sundays, which pairs a roast with a board game. Sharing cocktails, family-style roasts of beef rib, roast chicken and pork, with crisp roasties, seasonal vegetables and plenty of gravy. It runs from noon until 6pm every Sunday and costs £24 per person. A sensible way to round off a weekend in the Scottish capital.
Finally, Celentano's serves its roast every Sunday from noon until 8pm, or until it sells out. At £28 per person, it is an Italian-leaning take: classic beef with potato strati, a rich beef ragù, and seasonally changing greens such as borlotti beans and cime di rapa. If the sell-out warning tells you anything, it is that booking ahead is wise.
Five roasts, five very different kitchens, one shared conviction: that Sunday lunch is worth doing properly. The only decision left is where to start. And since it is Monday, there is a whole week to make up your mind. Happy planning.