Pub Sunday roasts are something of a rarity for me. I used to eat them all the time but was usually left with a sense of disappointment, stuffed to the gills but not really satisfied, so in recent years I've rather given up. One or more of the crucial elements always underwhelms (overcooked meat, undercooked roasties, overcooked veg, stale Yorkshires, you get the picture).
So two roast dinners in the pub in barely more than a month is highly unusual round these parts, could The Castle's roast platter for two (£11.95 each) do any better than The York?
The first things to note are the Yorkshire puddings! Look at them. They unnerved me a little, putting me in mind of The Blob. Fortunately I think the heat had killed them off before they had chance to escape the oven and wreak havoc, but I made completely sure by smothering the bastards in gravy and eating them.
I quite enjoyed eating them too, though they were just a trifle past their best, in the way that pre-cooked and reheated Yorkshires always are.
On to the meat, the pleasant but not overly exciting triumvirate of beef, pork and turkey. Why no lamb? Why? Because you can roast half a tonne of boring turkey breast at minimal cost and with even less effort I suppose. Lamb is always a trickier prospect for volume catering. When will they invent a cow-sized sheep? Come on science, must try harder.
The turkey was predictably dull, the beef better, and the pork a pleasant surprise. Cut in thick slices from (I think) a rolled loin it was moist, packed with flavour and the best of the three by far.
The vegetables didn't disappoint being neither underdone (roast potatoes) nor over (everything else) and they also hid a little bonus cluster of pigs in blankets, which pleasingly were not made with lowest common denominator sausages. The whole lot held together well with a competent gravy, supplied separately in a jug of generous proportions.
We shared a pudding, which was a good job as it was gargantuan, a rhubarb and apple crumble (£5.50) easily suited for two. The crumble was a little bit dusty, more butter please, but the filling was good. Not overly sweetened, letting the tartness of the fruit shine through and mingle well with the creamy custard.
I enjoyed this. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but the good things outweighed the bad. The bill came to around £35 including soft drinks and service.
7/10
343 Barnsley Road
Wakefield
WF2 6AS
http://www.thecastlewakefield.co.uk
So two roast dinners in the pub in barely more than a month is highly unusual round these parts, could The Castle's roast platter for two (£11.95 each) do any better than The York?
The first things to note are the Yorkshire puddings! Look at them. They unnerved me a little, putting me in mind of The Blob. Fortunately I think the heat had killed them off before they had chance to escape the oven and wreak havoc, but I made completely sure by smothering the bastards in gravy and eating them.
I quite enjoyed eating them too, though they were just a trifle past their best, in the way that pre-cooked and reheated Yorkshires always are.
On to the meat, the pleasant but not overly exciting triumvirate of beef, pork and turkey. Why no lamb? Why? Because you can roast half a tonne of boring turkey breast at minimal cost and with even less effort I suppose. Lamb is always a trickier prospect for volume catering. When will they invent a cow-sized sheep? Come on science, must try harder.
The turkey was predictably dull, the beef better, and the pork a pleasant surprise. Cut in thick slices from (I think) a rolled loin it was moist, packed with flavour and the best of the three by far.
The vegetables didn't disappoint being neither underdone (roast potatoes) nor over (everything else) and they also hid a little bonus cluster of pigs in blankets, which pleasingly were not made with lowest common denominator sausages. The whole lot held together well with a competent gravy, supplied separately in a jug of generous proportions.
We shared a pudding, which was a good job as it was gargantuan, a rhubarb and apple crumble (£5.50) easily suited for two. The crumble was a little bit dusty, more butter please, but the filling was good. Not overly sweetened, letting the tartness of the fruit shine through and mingle well with the creamy custard.
I enjoyed this. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but the good things outweighed the bad. The bill came to around £35 including soft drinks and service.
7/10
343 Barnsley Road
Wakefield
WF2 6AS
http://www.thecastlewakefield.co.uk
2 comments:
Christ, that's some roast!
It was a fair old size! What's pictured was for 2 though, not each.
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