ROAST SERIES: The Rose and Crown

We’ve been around the block when it comes to local roasts but this one has remained on our list until recently. It’s no secret that The Rose and Crown deliver some of the best food in the neighbourhood- we’ve been several times before to try out their elevated weekday food menu and have always been incredibly impressed so we were excited to see how their roast matched up.

Ambience: Because The Rose and Crown do such fantastic food it’s always a bustling spot, especially on a Sunday. Even the front terrace (which thankfully is both heated and covered) was full despite it being a chilly Sunday in January. The rich burgundy floral entrance welcomes you into the traditional, wooden British pub on the ground floor. If you head upstairs, as we did, you’ll find a light, airy dining room which is a little more classic-restaurant and a great option if you want a slightly more formal feel to a usual pub.

The Food: We went for our classic order: the beef, the veggie and a side of cauliflower cheese. It’s hard to make a roast look beautiful, but if anyone is going to be able to do it, it’s The Rose and Crown. The presentation was spectacular. The roast beef was sliced and prettily draped over the trimmings and the lentil and butternut squash nut roast was a satisfying hunk of food that was incredibly tempting. The cauliflower cheese came covered in crispy breadcrumbs which added that extra bit of texture and was a creamy, warming side.

Though you wouldn’t necessarily have to get an extra side here; the roasts come with all the trimmings – roast potatoes, red cabbage, greens, carrots, parsnips and a whopping Yorkshire pudding. As we said, we’ve been ’round the block, and we know that a lot of the time you wouldn’t get the full works for an inclusive prices, so that felt like a treat. Our plates were piled high and each element was clearly high quality.

Standouts: The gravy was made in house over 2-3 days which resulted in a thick and flavourful sauce. We had to order a second serving because we couldn’t help but keep dunking our potatoes in again and again. And, ok, this one isn’t technically part of the roast but you can’t visit The Rose and Crown without ordering a sticky toffee pudding. It managed to be surprisingly light and fluffy for a usual stick-to-your-ribs kind of desert, but smothered in the sticky miso-caramel sauce and honeycomb ice cream really made this heaven on a plate. The sweetest ending to a perfect Sunday meal.

Price: Beef: £26, Vegetarian: £22

Of course The Rose and Crown did us well, we had no doubts. Go to this one hungry because not only will you get a generous portion for the mains, but you’re going to want to have some space for that sticky toffee pudding. It’s worth the food coma after, trust us.

THE ROAST SERIES: We are on a journey to discover some of the very best Sunday roasts in Clapham. Each will have remarks 4 categories: Ambience, The Food, Price and Standouts to make it clear what it is we loved about each one. We will aim to order similarly in every place we try to give you the clearest indication of how it compares to the rest of the neighbourhood.  Stay tuned to find your favourite.