Here on the farm we rarely have what I would call 'a proper Sunday lunch', mainly because there are only the two of us and such a tiny joint of meat would be tasteless. One thing is for sure, to enjoy beef, lamb or pork you really need a good, substantial joint to cut at.
During my childhood we always had such a meal on Sundays - the three 'meats' would be taken in turn and they would last almost all the week. The housewife would be busy with chores all week so it would be helpful to have menus mapped up. It would be roast lamb and mint sauce on Sunday, cold lamb with fried potatoes left from Sunday on Monday (washday, so no time to cook), shepherd's pie on Tuesday and maybe even on Wednesday - or perhaps rissoles made with the left over scraps of lamb - and then round to Friday when we always had fish. So simple and no need to think about it.
Today is the farmer's walking day, so friend W and I went out for a 'proper' Sunday lunch. We never thought to reserve a table, but we managed to squeeze in at a local restaurant where lamb, beef and pork were all on the menu. We both chose roast local lamb.
It was well-cooked, nicely presented and delicious. Roast lamb, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, cauliflower in white sauce, broccoli, green beans, carrots and cabbage. We followed this with a cup of coffee and came home thoroughly satisfied with our meal.
Taking Tess for a walk on my return persuaded me that I was walking off the excess of calories, and now I can sit at the computer for an hour before the farmer returns.
Sunday 8 June 2014
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21 comments:
I hope you had some mint sauce.
Of COURSE you walked off the calories! Husband bought a new bathroom scale this morning that I Do Not Like. Damn thing makes me 5 pounds heavier than the old one that died after 17 tears. I am slightly embarrassed to admit I got off of it, looked at it, and said, "Pig." Now it probably doesn't like me and will be the bane of my existence. Oh well...
Funny you should say this, I'm just off to cook a massive rib of beef - £48 worth, reduced to £18. The crazy thing is that it is much better after it has been sitting around waiting for a reduction.
When I was young we always used to have a 'proper' Sunday lunch (which was called dinner) after chapel: big Yorkshire puddings as a starter cooked in beef dripping, followed by beef on the bone with gravy and (boiled-to-death) vegetables. (Unfortunately my father was so strict, formal and rigid, and I was so ridiculously sensitive, I could hardly eat it.) Mondays we had cold beef, and Tuesdays beef stew. Just occasionally my mother would vary things, and buy either lamb or chicken.
Oh yes I remember those wonderful Sunday lunches on the farm and the sheperds pie on Tuesdays since Monday was lamb and tomatoe sandwhiches. Happy memories. Not so happy remembering the slaughtering of a chicken on Sunday morning.
Sounds like a wonderful day! Today hubby will make ham and eggs this morning. And then i will put Hamburger Soup in the crock pot (slow cooker) . It may not sound appetizing but it is pretty darn good with a loaf of Italian bread.
Hubby is painting his garage... he better hurry up and get out there as it is to be 107 degrees today and will soon be mighty HOT out there. I have some chores myself to do then perhaps some time spent with my arts and crafts....Hugs! deb
I wish you had taken a photo of your lunch. It sounds fabulous.
Interesting to read how meat was stretched in the days of your childhood. I had never heard of rissoles, now I think must try them!
I try not to think about excess calories.
A nice Sunday lunch out with a friend sounds lovely.
cheers, parsnip
Sounds lovely, I remember having a lamb joint on Sunday when I was young, then cold lamb and potatoes on Monday.
Twiggy
It's the same for us, though I do sometimes buy a small chicken for roasting - but there is nothing like a proper traditional roast with all the trimmings.
You can't beat a proper roast. I cheat. I buy a decent-sized chunk of meat and carve up whatever's leftover, portion it out and freeze it in meal-sized sections. We've just had roast lamb that I actually made for Easter!
It's almost the last. All that's left now is a few trimmings that I'll turn into a shepherd's pie or a curry or something in a week or so.
Time to buy some beef, I think!
Great when someone else does the cooking too!
I had a scotch egg
The end of para 1 should probably include 'and a healthy bank balance'.
I'm interested to read that you were served Yorkshire Pudding with the Lamb. We southerners always associate it exclusively with Beef.
Sunday roasts were de rigeur when I was small. I try continue the tradition; lovely.
Your roast sounds lovely especially since you had cauliflower with it but to me a roast is not complete without roast pumpkin. Pumpkin seems to be an Aussie thing but once you've tried it roasted as part of your roast lamb you won't want to leave it off your Sunday roast menu ever again.
We have sunday lunch every sunday, but we have it at tea time, as the family have all arrived by then. I still make rissoles occasionally, just for D. and i as nobody else likes them. I have beef envy over Tom Stephenson's buy. What a bargain!
Gill
Ah Sunday lunch!
I remember it well - as well as the recyclings of the same...
shepherd's pie or cottage pie etc etc
We had 'brunch' here yesterday
pancakes with strawberries and blueberries and butter and maple syrup and lots of bacon
delicious - but not really Sunday lunch.
With the prices of meat these days I cook whatever will feed us for several days...yesterday it was a turkey. After the third day we are usually done wit it!
With the prices of meat these days I cook whatever will feed us for several days...yesterday it was a turkey. After the third day we are usually done wit it!
mmmm that sounds delicious!
When I was growing up it was either a roast chicken or a roast beef for Sunday. My father didn't like lamb, so it never featured on the menu. Leftovers were always hot chicken sandwiches or hot roast beef sandwiches smothered in leftover gravy.
With regard to Cro's comment about Yorkshire Puddings - up here in Yorkshire it would not be Sunday lunch without Yorkshire Pudding regardless of what meat was on offer. Actually - old Yorkshire folk used to serve the pudding first with thick gravy - its intention in the first place was to fill you up before you got to the meat course.
Thanks for calling in.
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