A family favourite; often a time when all generations come together around the dinner table and enjoy a hearty meal whilst catching up on the week’s events. Cooking a delicious Sunday roast can be quite an accomplishment, and thanks to our head chef Jamie Coleman, we’ve outlined the top tips to make sure each element of the plate is cooked to perfection.

The meat

Whether you fancy beef, pork or lamb for the main event, we’ve got Jamie’s advice on the best cuts of meat for roasting. For beef lovers, it has to be a slow-roasted sirloin, seasoned heavily with salt, pepper and rapeseed oil before placing in the oven. Cook at 230 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. You must allow the meat to rest for an hour once taken out of the oven covered in foil, so when you carve you should have perfectly pink beef. It’s great served with horseradish cream.

If you prefer lamb, the best is a pot-roasted shoulder, boned and rolled (any butcher can do this for you) then stud with garlic cloves, rosemary and anchovies. Seal off in a casserole dish, then add chunky chopped carrots, onions and parsnips. Lid the dish and cook in oven at 160 degrees for approximately four hours, until it’s tender and pulls apart. Finish with grated lemon zest.

Last but certainly not least, if pork is your favourite meat then it has to be slow-cooked belly. Tie the pork belly into a round shape, then pour boiling hot water over the skin three times and dust with table salt. Put in the oven at 230 degrees for 40 minutes until the crackling starts to crisp, then turn the oven down to 160 degrees and cook for three to four hours. Carve and serve with baked apple sauce.

The vegetarian alternative 

Jamie suggests one of the best vegetarian alternatives for a roast dinner is his recipe for a baked carrot baklava. Made using a combination of ingredients including carrots, pine nuts, spinach, mushrooms, kataifi pastry and Cornish Smuggler cheese – this crunchy, flaky dish is great served with sour cream and chives.

Slowly braise the carrots in orange juice until tender, then sweat down the spinach and mushrooms with garlic. Add pine nuts, crumble in the cheese and allow to cool. Lay the spinach mix flat on cling film and place the carrots on top. Roll the cling film up and allow to set in fridge for an hour. Once set, unroll the cling film and wrap the kataifi pastry around the mix. Place on a backing tray and cook in the oven at 200 degrees until golden and crispy.

The potato

To make the perfect roast potato, Jamie recommends pre-blanching potatoes in salted water with garlic, thyme and lemon. Strain off the water and allow to air dry. Whilst the potatoes are drying, place a roasting tray in the oven at 200 degrees with duck or goose fat. When the potatoes are cool, squish them slightly to open them up. After the tray has been in the oven for 15 minutes add the potatoes and cover coat with the fat. Be careful, this will be very hot. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes are crispy, then add garlic and thyme and cook for a further 10 minutes.

The Yorkshire pudding

Light and fluffy with a crispy outer; Jamie’s recipe for the perfect Yorkshire pudding is: one cup of plain flour, a cup of milk, four eggs, and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Heat a muffin tray in the oven for 10 minutes with a small amount of oil in each section, then pour the batter evenly throughout the holes. Cook at 190 degrees for 35 minutes.

Vegetable accompaniments are often a personal choice depending on the tastes and preferences of your family. Our personal favourites to serve in the restaurant are cauliflower cheese, carrots and broccoli.

Alternatively if you don’t want to cook at home, The Beach serves a delicious roast every Sunday from 12-8pm. To book a table call 01288 389800.