A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content, and what better way to spend the day that should be dedicated to self-care than chowing down on a big roast dinner? It’s the only British meal I ever crave when I’m travelling, and I just don’t think you can beat a good Sunday lunch.
Whether you go for roast beef, chicken, lamb or a veggie option; as long as it’s laden with veg, tatties and plenty of gravy, it’s the ultimate comfort food, isn’t it? My family don’t live in the North East so I don’t have a homemade sunday dinner often, but I do love going to a pub or restaurant for some Sunday scran.
Last weekend, I went somewhere a bit special for Sunday dinner in the North East. Read on for my review of Sunday lunch at Wynyard Hall…
A review of Sunday Lunch at Wynyard Hall Hotel
When we were invited back to Wynyard Hall Hotel to review their Wellington Restaurant’s new Sunday lunch menu, we spent the whole week leading up to our booking looking forward to a slap-up meal.
We were hugely impressed with the evening meal we ate during our spa break last time (read the review of our stay at Wynyard Hall Hotel for details), so we knew the Sunday lunch at Wynyard Hall would be good.
Get the look
Of course, we checked the menu online beforehand (if you don’t do this, you clearly don’t enjoy life enough).
It’s worth mentioning that the hotel’s website only has a sample menu, so you might be surprised when you’re handed a different menu when you sit down. I quite like this though, because it makes me feel that the chef is always working away on new dishes behind the scenes, using what’s fresh and available that day.
Upon arrival at the grand hotel building, we were led into the Wellington Restaurant by the receptionist and seated straight away, even though we’d arrived 20 minutes early (our rumbling bellies had made us a bit too hasty).
We were served by a lovely waitress who was just as friendly and professional as the guy who served us last time. (It looked like he’d been promoted since our last visit, which we noted was well deserved. Or maybe he just got a fancier uniform, I dunno).
I love the grandeur of Wynyard Hall, and the restaurant’s impossibly high ceilings and classic furnishings make it a slightly more special setting for Sunday lunch than your average pub or restaurant.
I decided to indulge in a glass of pinot noir with my meal and I’m already regretting not making a note of the name of the wine, because it was delicious. I couldn’t stop sniffing my glass, inhaling the aroma! We were also given a slate piled with freshly baked breads to munch on before our meals arrived.
There was the smallest of waits between ordering and our starters arriving. I had gone for the fishcake with lobster aoili and pea shoots, which had a crispy outside and was full of flavour.
Tom had the pork bon bon which was served with a tangy apple puree. As tasty as the fishcake was, we both agreed that he’d chosen the better starter.
We always try to order different mains so we can compare and contrast, so I went for the roast beef and Tom opted for the roast chicken.
Both meats were presented in huge, gloriously fluffy yorkshire puddings atop a generous serving of roasted vegetables and swimming in ‘proper gravy’ – or ‘jus’, as the menu states.
My roast beef was just perfect – pinky-red, melt in the mouth and beautifully complemented by the horseradish sauce that the waitress promptly spirited to our table when I asked.
Tom’s roasted baby chicken was wonderfully crisp and brown, with tender meat that disappeared quickly.
I always think that the vegetables on a roast are just as important as the meat itself, and Wynyard Hall didn’t disappoint. We had cubes of roasted squash, carrots and some seriously good parsnips, with a little bit of kale adding some greenery.
I have to admit that we were a bit disappointed by the roasties because they weren’t quite right – not as fluffy as we would have liked – but everything else was so on-point that we genuinely didn’t care. And that’s saying something, because everyone knows how important roasties are! I think we just got a bad batch.
Our plates were soon empty and we reclined into our seats as we digested our meals. Ah, that lovely sleepy feeling after a roast dinner! It’s a feeling only Brits can truly understand, isn’t it?
The dessert menu was too tempting to resist. I ordered the bread and butter pudding with no expectations – after all, it’s a pretty traditional, basic pudding, isn’t it? The first spoonful had my eyes rolling in delight though.
The achingly soft pudding soaked in vanilla creme made for the best Sunday comfort food I could have hoped for, and I kicked myself for underestimating the classic British pud.
Tom had gone for the chilled orange parfait, topped with spiced crumb and blueberries. As I type this, I asked him if he could suggest any words to describe it and he replied, “It was… just as good as it sounds.” This is why I do the writing…
Seriously though, I had a spoonful for research purposes and it really was the perfect, light and zesty ending to a belly-busting meal. I sipped a frothy cappuccino while we relaxed in the sun-lit restaurant, and we left Wynyard Hall feeling very content.
If you’re looking for someplace special for Sunday lunch in the North East, as an alternative to the local pub or your nanna’s, I wholeheartedly recommend Wynyard Hall. Now I have to attempt to replicate their beef at home!
Sunday Lunch at Wynyard Hall’s Wellington Restaurant is served Sundays from 12pm-9pm. The price is 2 courses for £25 or 3 courses for £30