A roast is a system, not a plate of beige
This is a judging guide, not a 40-ingredient chef recipe. For rooms, see pub lunch and the restaurant guide. Tins and trays: bakeware. Pantry: pantry essentials.
The five tests
| Part | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Resting juices, seasoned, not dry | Grey slabs, pinged, or swimming in cheap gravy to hide it |
| Potatoes | Shatter then fluff | Soggy cubes that taste of fridge |
| Yorkshires | Rise, crisp, edible as a vessel | Rubber pucks from a freezer bag (sometimes acceptable; rarely excellent) |
| Gravy | Pan, bones, or a proper stock | Salt-water brown |
| Veg | Seasonal, cooked, not mush | The same mixed steam-tray all year |
Lamb, beef, chicken, pork — pick one and do it well. A “carvery with seven meats” is usually a humidity experiment.
Home vs pub
Home: you control the potatoes. Oil, high heat, do not crowd the tray. Yorkshires want a hot roasting tin. Rest the meat; a probe thermometer beats guessing. Seasonal veg beats a bag of “roast mix” from 2019.
Pub: look at other tables. If every plate is the same beige, leave. A good roast pub is busy at 1pm for a reason.
Yorkshire politics
Serve them with beef. Serve them with anything if they are good. Do not serve a pudding the size of a hat unless you can eat it.
What to drink
Bitter, a decent house red, or water. The roast does not need a cocktail list to be serious.
Related: Full English · Puddings · Regional guide