12 months ago
Turkey often gets a bit of a bad rep for being characteristically dry and flavourless. But not here. This one? You’ll gobble ’til you wobble.
Rose and Crown have really pulled it out of the bag this winter. They’ve got a spit roasted turkey special on the menu and it is, quite possibly, the very best turkey we’ve ever had. The dish was created with a Tudor style banquet in mind and the really good news about this one is that it’s not a roast reserved just for Sunday. In fact, it’s on the menu every day of the week! It’s a meal that’s designed to impress and be shared so if you’re looking to spoil someone deserving then we couldn’t recommend this one more- it’s a real experience that you won’t be forgetting in a hurry. Let us tell you about it…
There’s a lot going on when you’re presented with your platter. The turkey centrepiece itself is brined for over 72 hours before being spit roasted and brushed with a brandy and cranberry glaze. We didn’t know it was possible for turkey to have this amount of flavour (or moistness). Maybe that says something about our cooking, but we think it says more about the food perfectionists in the kitchen at the Rose and Crown. We could have happily just eaten that for the rest of the evening, but there was more to come.
Nestled alongside the meat were some truly terrific sides. We’re talking honey roasted carrots and parsnips, Yorkshire puddings, sage stuffing and- the highlights of the sides for us- rosemary tossed roast potatoes. Unsurprisingly, everything was cooked to crispy, roasty deliciousness making it a festive treat not to be missed. We couldn’t help ourselves but get a couple of sides to really make this a proper spread. We got the pigs in blankets which were sauced up with a sticky and sweet brandy and cranberry glaze. These were properly scrumptious and are guaranteed to be gobbled up by the whole table. You might have to double down on them. The cauliflower cheese is only available on Sundays, but if you’re there on the weekend then you’ve got to get this one. It’s an essential to any festive meal and was serious. Crispy top and a satisfyingly gooey, cheesy cauliflower underneath, all of which was made even more decadent with truffle and beef dripping breadcrumbs. A delight.
Aside from the food, the Rose and Crown is just a Christmas haven that could get even the Grinch-iest of you in the merry mindset. We had our first mulled wine of the season to go with it and it was a soul-warming, fruity, hug-in-a-mug that thawed our winter chilled bones. They’ve also upgraded the bar area so what was already a very traditional pub design is now even more classically charming. That, plus their iconic winter decorations, makes this Old Town pub a gorgeous option for warming the cockles this Christmas.
