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Is the Sunday roast tradition dying?

(91 Posts)
Imperfect27 Sun 22-Oct-17 07:36:18

When I was feeding a 'household' we nearly always had a Sunday roast - even in the summer.

Now DH and I live more quietly and often it is just us on a Sunday so we don't bother with a roast then. We enjoy all sorts of different 'foods of the world' Sunday by Sunday. The roast is certainly not the be all and end all of meal choices anymore.

With so many different types of food to tempt us - and Sunday perhaps being a day when people have a little more time to cook and therefore experiment, I do wonder if the concept of Sunday roast as a 'tradition' is fading.

What do you think?

Christinefrance Sun 22-Oct-17 12:30:22

We have a roast occasionally, my favourite is lamb but its very expensive here in France. I really enjoy the leftover veg and gravy served in a large yorkie on the next day.

Bellanonna Sun 22-Oct-17 12:24:48

We only ever have a roast if we eat out. Otherwise Sunday lunch is just like any other day.

Aepgirl Sun 22-Oct-17 12:21:53

Sunday is always roast day. I love cooking but really believe that a full roast dinner is just about the easiest - and tastiest meal to cook. What's unhealthy about Yorkshire Pudding!!!

Bambam Sun 22-Oct-17 12:19:49

Dd invites me for Roast probably every other week. Will be fun today because as well as my Dgs (8) who is very funny being there, my twin gd's have come back from Newcastle Uni for the weekend. Yay!!!!
If I'm doing Sunday Lunch for family I take them all out to a Restaurant, we have some excellent ones to choose from, then all back to mine.
Can't be bothered cooking for twelve of us and I can relax and enjoy their company more this way.

Imperfect27 Sun 22-Oct-17 12:12:41

maryhoffman and Smithy - my DD1 is also a vegetarian, but she has all the bits, Yorkshire puds, 3-4 x veg and roast potatoes and parsnips. She likes quorn fillets so usually has one of them roasted with veg gravey. You are missing a treat! grin

Sheilasue Sun 22-Oct-17 11:57:21

We love our roast my gd looks forward to it and says I make the best roast dinners. This Sunday it's Lamb with all the trimmings.
I sometimes do roast potatoes in the week if we are having, chicken thighs or chops.

Cosafina Sun 22-Oct-17 11:40:39

I live alone and faithfully have a roast every Sunday cos I love a good roast! I have lamb, pork or chicken, but unfortunately can’t have beef because even the tiniest joint a) cooks too quickly in the middle (I like it a little rare) and b) then lasts for weeks!

chrissyh Sun 22-Oct-17 11:36:38

When the DC left home we still had a roast for years and suddenly wondered why we went to all the bother for just two of us. We now only have a roast when the family come over and it has to be lamb. Pa does the cooking and his roast dinners are legendary.

Greengage Sun 22-Oct-17 11:35:27

Love a Sunday roast though now on my own, only do one occasionally. Last cooked one in August when my son and girlfriend were staying - they love my roasts. Don't normally like roasts in pubs or restaurants but enjoyed Welsh lamb in Wales last weekend while away with my daughter and family.

chrissie13 Sun 22-Oct-17 11:34:30

No, not for a long long time, although we do have midweek roasts sometimes.

fiorinda Sun 22-Oct-17 11:27:27

Sometimes we have a roast dinner on a Sunday, sometimes we don't, I feel it gets too commonplace if you have it every week. Sometimes we have it on another day of the week, depending on whether I'm working or not. We're having lamb today though. We don't have roast dinners at all in December though, until Christmas, that's always been my rule, so that we can look forward to the best one of the year (and we now have our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day, to make Christmas day easier for everyone - daughter and partner and kids stay home, son is at his dad's, my husband and I usually have lobster or similar, then everyone comes to us on Boxing day!)

David1968 Sun 22-Oct-17 11:27:16

Just two of us here & we rarely have a roast unless we've guests. DH is the cook and produces delicious meals, many of which are "one pot" dishes. Today's an exception; he's doing a pot roast, because we bought a nice bit of beef at a "reduced" price.

dogsmother Sun 22-Oct-17 11:16:03

Lamb today, almost every Sunday something or other in the hope of bribing the offspring in to join us ?

CardiffJaguar Sun 22-Oct-17 11:15:49

You cannot better a home cooked roast of beef, yorkshire pud, pots and veg, but why keep it for Sundays? We tend to have it on any day my wife feels is right for it. So while the Sunday tradition may have changed the roast is still here to stay.

MinniesMum Sun 22-Oct-17 11:04:25

Alima
There are just the two of us here too and there is a leg of lamb in the oven right now. The smell of garlic and rosemary is wafting up the stairs and I am so HUNGRY.
I want plenty of leftovers as we have a lot to do in the garden this week so cold meat and salad, sandwiches and maybe a shepherd's pie if there is enough left.
I only do this when I know we are going to have a busy week aead.

Smithy Sun 22-Oct-17 11:03:41

I'm a vegetarian living on my own.
What's a Sunday roast?

grannysue05 Sun 22-Oct-17 10:53:45

Always do a roast Sunday meal (eaten at 5.0 ish).
Both sons and their families turn up (why wouldn't they!) some time mid afternoon.
I do all the prep in the morning and enjoy the tradition.
DIL helps with last minute gravy and seeing to the pudding (a must).
Actually, today, we are off to DS and DIL as THEY are cooking the Sunday roast today. Yummy!

Chewbacca Sun 22-Oct-17 10:51:13

I only do a roast when DS and family are coming to join me. The last time they came, I'd decided to do a casserole instead of a roast dinner. DGD actually burst in to tears she was so disappointed! grin Roast dinners from now on then!

maryhoffman37 Sun 22-Oct-17 10:50:37

As a vegetarian, I find this thread a mystery.

eazybee Sun 22-Oct-17 10:40:28

Not in my house; we have a roast most Sundays throughout the winter.

ninathenana Sun 22-Oct-17 10:09:04

Up until about 5 yrs ago I cooked a roast every Sunday, except for the occasional salad on a hot day in summer.
Now we have it about once a month as it's H's favourite. I have cut down from 2 veg to one as we don't have the appitite now and I no longer cook yorkshires due to our now healthy eating.
We don't eat dessert except on special occasions.

Oldwoman70 Sun 22-Oct-17 09:42:12

I now live alone but still do a Sunday roast. However, these days I don't buy a joint. Today I am having chicken breast (which I will slice open, insert cheese and wrap in bacon), roast potatoes, beans, broccoli and babycorn. I don't usually eat until around 6.00 in the evening, so have a traditional English breakfast which lasts me the whole day. I love Sunday!!!!

annsixty Sun 22-Oct-17 09:33:38

19 weeks out of 20 in this home.
Tonight is week 20 as I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer. I can't shop regularly now so buy fresh when I can and freeze it.
I currently have lamb, chicken and pork joints plus chops ,steak and mince tucked away.
I have taken M&S meatballs out which I will cook with a cream sauce a la Hairy Biker's recipe, with mash and veg.

merlotgran Sun 22-Oct-17 09:15:23

Sunday without a roast? Unthinkable!!

DH prepares all the veg and I see to the meat. The roasties are par boiled in the morning and left steaming under a tea towel until it's time for them to go in the oven. We don't eat until 2pm so there's plenty of time to other Sunday things like having a lazy morning.

It's the only day of the week we have pudding so if we're on our own it's something simple like a small portion of ice cream or something I've dug out of the freezer.

I don't bother with Yorkies in the summer and we often just have pork chops or chicken portions but with heaps of home grown veg it still feels like a traditional roast.

All left overs are used on Monday for a glorious 'modge up' grin

Welshwife Sun 22-Oct-17 09:12:04

kitty like you I love roast lamb but don't like it cold. I always try to buy a joint big enough for everyone to have enough but small enough to have none left for cold!!
I once went for a buffet meal at a celebration do at a friends. I forgot she loved cold lamb and thought it was beef - luckily had only taken a small piece!