The Best Sunday Roasts In North East England
Published 19 November 2024

As soon as you walk through the Ox Club's door, the smell of smoke preps you for the unplugged open-fire cooking that lies ahead. Mid-century furniture and houseplants soften the industrial feel of the brick and concrete room, while some clever landscaping partitions it out to give the whole place a cosy ambience.

Heading the kitchen is Tom Hunter, a former sous-chef at the sadly departed Reliance – an influence that can be seen in dishes such as blister-skinned grilled sardines with a refreshing tangle of fennel, black olive and blood orange. There’s a subtle char and smokiness to everything here: watermelon is grilled slowly until even the rind is tenderised, while beef tartare (served with gherkin ketchup and a veil of shoestring potatoes) also gets a whiff of smoke.

The steak offering is focused – a 400g sirloin or 1kg côte de boeuf sharer are mainstays – but regular ‘chop nights’ cater to more specific tastes, with specialist cuts from regular Yorkshire suppliers R&J Butchers. Rare-breed pork is grilled to give an almost impossible crackling and, like a hulked-up carnitas taco, is served with tajin, chipotle and pineapple ketchup, while a sour cherry-glazed kofta is made with lamb reared at local Harewood Food & Drink Project – headed up by former Ox Club sous-chef Will Campbell.

Sunday roasts are praised and the whole show is enhanced by laid-back but well-informed service. As for drinks, there's a fair selection of around 20 (mostly organic) wines from £28 a bottle, with plenty available by the glass from £8.

With forested hills sloping onto fields of grazing sheep and the Gothic remains of Byland Abbey towering over the entrance, this pub with rooms is a dream ticket – no wonder it was snapped up by chef Tommy Banks (the Black Swan at Oldstead is nearby). Inside, there’s a little bar with a snug for those wanting a drink, but the main action takes place in the three dining rooms, one of which is the former piggery – an expansive room with beams, giant flagstones and a double-facing log-burning stove, all illuminated by a conservatory-style skylight. The mood is relaxed and staff stay on top of their tasks, while cute details in the handsome finishes speak of Tommy Banks’ pedigree.

The food also makes a connection to the Banks family farm (without labouring the point), and chef Charlie Smith serves up a procession of seriously appealing, modern pub-style dishes – an incredibly original Dexter steak tartare, perhaps, cut into uniform nuggets resembling translucent rubies decorated with grated wild horseradish, fermented peppers and smoked bone marrow. Elsewhere, there might be a light, elegant plate of smoked Pablo beetroot with ewe’s curd, preserved Yorkshire rhubarb and linseed crackers for texture. Some of the meaty main courses such as a pork rib chop with fermented mushroom béarnaise could do with a little finessing, although fish dishes hit the spot – judging by a pitch-perfect serving of cod with a splendid mussel cream sauce and purple-red potatoes on the side.

Everything is executed with flair, professionalism and a deep respect for local ingredients – and that extends to the dazzling roasts served for Sunday lunch (check out the rare-breed Berkshire pork and Herdwick lamb from the family farm, just two miles away). If you're looking for real value, however, order the mighty Dexter cheeseburger with fries, plus a pint of Yorkshire-brewed ale and a shared dessert – say a soft-serve sundae topped with Douglas fir, blackcurrant and white chocolate. Aside from real ale, drinks include seasonal cocktails, homemade libations and a short but decent selection of wines with plenty by the glass.

Sometimes, good places are hard to find; best ignore the SatNav, rely instead on your instincts, and take a turn into what looks like a tradesman’s yard. At the far end you’ll spot a dark grey exterior with The Brick Yard painted in huge white letters. If you’re still unsure, take heart, for inside is a chic gem of a place (you’ll instantly forget you’re just off a busy road in Brighouse). Once a former double-glazing saleroom, it’s a welcoming space with scrubbed brick walls, chunky wooden tables and sparkling orbs hanging from the high ceiling.

A menu arrives in quick order – it’s ‘small plates’ and despite being advised ‘three each’, we wanted to work through the lot. You’ll find the usual suspects (croquetas, ‘queenie’ scallops, kimchi chicken thighs) but seek out the likes of wood pigeon Kyiv (soft, gamey meat with perfect crunch on the crust and pickled blackberries as the ideal add-on) or the autumn-perfect tartiflette – artichoke, potato and raclette. But do leave room for afters, because you’ll regret not experiencing the aptly named ‘Crack Pie’, an idea stolen straight from a visit to the Milk Bar in Manhattan. The toffee-apple bread and butter pudding is pretty damn good, too.

Also come for boozy bottomless brunches and the much-talked-about Sunday roast (aka the family-style ‘Sunday lunch club’) with its offer of Hereford beef striploin and outdoor-reared pork belly; booking is essential, they’re sold out weeks ahead. Service is fast and friendly, the wine list is concise and there are loads of cocktails. It’s worth getting lost trying to find this place, because it's tremendous fun.

Tucked away in a remote valley in the southwest corner of the North York Moors National Park, Hawnby is an estate village of mellow sandstone, with a church, a pub and a village store. John Wesley visited here in 1757 calling it ‘one of the pleasantest parts of England’ – and we agree. Surrounded by forest and the heather-covered Hawnby Hill, it is a beautiful spot attracting walkers and shooting types who pay handsomely for a day on the estate’s grouse moor. The Owl (a former drover’s inn) sits at the top of the village and gives a commanding view over this stunning countryside.

Here Sam Varley, who previously ran Bantam in Helmsley, has created a welcoming retreat, a place to come for unfussy food and a comfortable bed for the night. Whether you eat in the stone-flagged bar in front of a warming stove, the dining room or the splendid terrace on sunny days, you'll find crowd-pleasing dishes such as chicken, leek and bacon pie or pork T-bone with roasted peach, green beans and pine-nut vinaigrette. Back in the day, cheap monkfish was often passed off as scampi; nowadays it’s a luxury fish and Varley’s monkfish scampi with curry mayo is fabulous.

Also expect devilled kidneys on toast, piles of hot, melting cheese gougères and cracking Sunday lunches – generously sliced aged sirloin of beef with horseradish cream, rolled shoulder of Yorkshire lamb or game birds in season (red-legged partridge or pot-roast grouse, perhaps). Puddings might be a refreshing grapefruit and Campari sorbet or a homely rhubarb sponge and custard. To drink, there are hand-pulled Yorkshire ales, while low-intervention wines figure prominently on a list that offers plenty by the glass.

You may think that an ear-splittingly noisy restaurant, painted black, run by a team of tattooed chefs and named after a US punk band of the 70s, is not for you. Think again. This place is a terrific find. Mark Hill heads the kitchen, sending out eclectic Asian-inspired street food ‘with a big slice of punk rock’. That means an ever-changing line-up of small plates or an unstuffy tasting menu of five or six adventurous dishes rich in spices and heady flavours.

We enjoyed a cracking ‘14-spice pigeon yakitori’: two generous pieces on a skewer finished with nam jim, peanuts and lime leaves. Elsewhere, jackfruit was cleverly transformed with the addition of Burmese curry paste and a ‘prik laab’ spice mix, all set on a parilla leaf and served with pickle, chilli jam, crunchy onions and crackers. Hull meets Bangkok on Sunday when they have their own distinctive take on the classic roast lunch. Expect slow-roast beef, pork with a soy glaze and prik laab-cured duck breast, while tamarind-glazed celeriac served with a spiced beignet stuffed with betel leaves should please the vegans. All the dishes come with confit carrots, charred cabbage, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and a fabulous gravy singing with spices.

As for dessert, try the delightful ‘distorted’ steamed ginger pudding – a mini suet pudding filled with stem ginger floating in a soothing chamomile and miso custard. A chilled glass of South African Gamay shone from the short, well-described wine list, but don't ignore the cool cocktails. ‘We play brash music, serve spicy food and strong drink, but most importantly, we are a place of respect, welcomeness and love,’ say the owners. You have been warned.