THERE are few things more British than having a sumptuous roast dinner in a delightful country pub as the rain and wind hammer down outside.
Maybe queuing, or drinking cups of tea, or moaning about the weather. Apart from these, a Sunday roast is as British as it gets.
And the roast dished up by the team at The Evenlode in Eynsham was a perfect example of this particular institution.
Located on the A40, the restaurant-cum-hotel is undergoing a phased renovation but is ensuring its bread and butter of fine food remains.
Under relatively new management, you’re given a warm and inviting welcome when you step into the bar area.
The bar has a wide variety of drinks on offer, including a specialist gin menu, and we sipped on a juicy Malbec as we perused the menu and heard of the charming manager Dave’s grand plans for the place.
We ordered the lamb and chicken roasts, with a side of cauliflower cheese. If roasts aren’t your thing there’s also a great selection of other meals including fish and chips, The Evenlode Burger, a homemade pie, a vegan plant burger plus many more.
Both plates had ample amounts of food, with the chicken particularly visually impressive, and each meal was adorned with a giant Yorkshire pudding.
The roasts at The Evenlode, although dripping in tradition and gravy, do come with a modern twist with the meats served on a bed of courgette, onions and leeks. Having been brought up on broccoli, cauliflower, peas and carrots accompanying the Sunday meal, I was quite sceptical but it proved to be somewhat of a masterstroke.
The added crunch provided by the courgette complemented the overall taste and texture of the meal, with the gravy and onions blending perfectly.
The chicken was also beautifully moist and tender, with the skin packed with flavour, although it defeated my partner.
After the plates were polished off we ordered desserts, plumping again for the traditional approach of a sticky toffee pudding and a chocolate brownie.
They were served perfectly and provided the perfect end to the meal and rounded off a very pleasant afternoon.
The Evenlode has certainly got big plans but it is also built on solid foundations, so if you do fancy treating yourself to a lovely Sunday dinner I’d certainly recommend.
Although you might have to move quickly as we overheard one of the waitresses remark they’d run out of roasts a few weeks ago!
The roasts are around £14 each and £10 after 4pm.
Where's your favourite place in Oxfordshire for Sunday lunch? Comment below and we'll include your answers in our round-up!
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article