FOOD + DRINK
Unashamedly , a Sunday roast is my all time favourite , death-row if you will , dinner pick . What is not to love about tender , juicy meats , giant Yorkshire puddings , a mountain ( just me ?) of crispy ( they have to be crispy !) roasties and lashings of gravy ? The issue is then of course , when you proclaim it to be your favourite and when you then write about food , you become somewhat of a roast dinner connoisseur and by default set some ( really ) high expectations …
What happens ? Well , sometimes , you end up slightly underwhelmed as , entering stage left , you see the deflated Yorkie , the ‘ meh ’ side of sad-looking veg and the sacrilege that is a poor roast potato … Or , you end up at home battling a million pans to wash up … arrrgh .
So , imagine my delight when I saw that firepit at the Cave Hotel was adding a Sunday roast to its acclaimed and awardwinning menu , which they then waved like a beacon of ‘ come-eat-me-now ’ influence across their socials and even sent me pictures of - resulting in this issue ’ s worthy cover star status - intrigued ? You should be !
Set in the main firepit dining room and served between 12pm and 4pm each Sunday , firepit ’ s Sunday roast is a clever combination of refined dishes and carverystyle meat , all underpinned with executive chef John Bingley and head chef Andy Holden ’ s commitment to deep flavours and connected , social-sharing-style dining .
Guests have a choice of either a two-course or three-course lunch option . Starters , from which there are typically three seasonal choices ( including a veggie option ), on our ‘ at-last ’ visit included a clever chicken and ham hock terrine which , bucking the terrine faux pas trend of slivers of meat , instead proffered absolute hunks of smoked ham and great morsels of chicken offset with a rather moreish tarragon mayo and a great fig chutney , and a ( apt for our current icy blast temperatures ) spiced pumpkin and sweet potato soup , which for Cave aficionados demonstrated firepit ’ s commitment to depths of flavour and clever hints of spice .
Bread lovers can also rejoice as a board of warm sourdough and olive breads with both paprika-spiced and beef-dripping whipped butters timely arrived to kick off the feast . Bread devoured and starters enjoyed , it was time for the main event …
Wheeled tableside in its shiny serving cart , chef Andy carefully explained that firepit ’ s roasts of the day were a lemon and thyme butter roasted chicken , a slow-roasted belly of pork , and a sirloin of beef cooked to medium-rare perfection . You then have the choice of either one , two or all three meats depending on your roast persuasion . I , of course , opted for the latter - all for research purposes - being rewarded with juicy chicken with delicate buttery flavours , subtle Asian hits of flavour in the moist pork and crisp crackling , and , arguably the star of this show , the sirloin , which melted in the mouth .
Once expertly carved and plated , your choice of meat is joined at the table by sharing platters of Yorkshire puddings ( huge and crisp - check ), honey-roasted carrots and parsnips ( gloriously sticky and sweet ), buttered Hispi cabbage ( fabulous ),
cauliflower cheese ( with rich depths of heady strong Cheddar and yet more aged and ripened cheese - divine ), a mound of roasties ( fluffy on the inside , crisp on the outside - hurrah !) and smokehouse gravy infused with all of those rich meat flavours . It was all perfectly prepped and plated , and tasted delicious .
Tempted to just live my best roast potato and gravy life , I was gently reminded that there is of course pud , too . Offered as a sharing plate for two , dessert is an assiette of three seasonal temptations . Our board offered a heaving apple crumble with gently cinnamon-infused apple and rich , crunchy , buttery crumble served with vanilla ice cream ; a heaving slab of salted caramel chocolate tart which paired beautifully with rich vanilla ice cream ; and a fresh , zingy strawberry and raspberry Eton mess , the raspberries adding that necessary tangy cut through to this sweet end .
firepit at Cave Hotel offers its two-course (£ 40pp ) and three-course (£ 50pp ) Sunday roast menu , to be enjoyed sharing style , every Sunday between 12pm - 4pm . Booking is essential .
firepit Cave Hotel & Golf Resort Brickfield Lane Boughton , nr Canterbury ME13 9AJ
restaurant . reservations @ cavehotels . com 01227 752277
cavehotels . com / firepit-restaurant firepitatcave www . insidekent . co . uk • 139