The great British Sunday roast has turned into a national treasure hunt. Pubs book out weeks ahead, chefs tweak gravies like perfume, and families plan drives around roasties. Our editors spent months eating across the UK to find the plates that truly matter in 2026. The winners? Revealed, and then some.
A napkin on my lap, a notepad stained with gravy, and a chef in whites whispering to his runner, “Yorkies up—now.” A couple behind me debate horseradish heat; a kid negotiates for a third roast potato with the focus of a barrister. I lift a slice of beef that blushes like June. The first forkful snaps a roastie, then floods the mouth with dark, glossy comfort. *It tasted like Sunday used to feel.* The room quietened for a beat. And then the judging began. One tiny detail kept winning.
The 2026 Sunday Roast winners, revealed
Across Britain, the roast has shed its sleepy cardigan and picked up craft. Wood-fired rib of beef, seaweed-basted carrots, gravies reduced to a near shimmer. Yet the heart remains simple: hot plate, honest salt, potatoes that shatter like sugar glass. We saw line cooks checking temps like pilots, then smiling as Yorkshire puddings rose like polite thunder. This year’s list isn’t about foam or flourish. It’s about timing that feels like care.
In a Dartmoor village, a thatched inn pulled off the plate we couldn’t stop talking about: shimmering beef, a russet crust on the potatoes, greens that still snapped. That’s our **National Winner 2026**. In a North London dining room, a plant-based roast anchored by miso-baked celeriac and hazelnut gravy made even carnivores pause; it takes our boldest category by a mile. Our team ate 127 roasts across 61 venues, from Hebridean ferry pubs to city brasseries. The average price for a roast main hit £19.80, and still, the very best felt like a small luxury priced with common sense.
Why these plates? Texture, timing, temperature. The holy trinity that rarely appears together. We judged roasties by sound—do they whisper when you bite? Gravy by cling—does it coat without drowning? Yorkshire puddings by architecture—tall that holds, not tall that crumbles. The top kitchens treated vegetables as leads, not extras. Carrots charred to sweetness, greens glossed not drowned, parsnips with a proper edge. Service mattered too. Plates landing hot and in unison. A roast is choreography. The winners danced.
How to spot (and cook) a winner
Start with heat and finish with rest. Warm plates for at least ten minutes—the roast cools fast and forgiveness is thin. Potatoes like this: parboil until the edges fluff, then roast in hot beef fat or rapeseed oil, turning once, not five times. Salt while the steam is still rising. For beef, sear for crust and roast low until it hits 54°C, then rest like you mean it. Make gravy from the tray, not a packet. Reduce until it shines and coats the back of a spoon. One ladle, not three.
We’ve all had that moment when the roasties look perfect, then collapse into fluff and regret. Breathe. Don’t crowd the tray—space is crispness. Slice beef across the grain or it chews like homework. Keep veg out of boiling water tragedy by blanching, then finishing in butter or oil with a squeeze of lemon. Let’s be honest: nobody makes bone marrow gravy on a school night. Keep a stash of decent stock in the freezer and reduce it like you’re telling a story that gets better because it’s shorter.
“People think the roast is about the meat,” said one head chef in Leeds, watching his veg chef glaze roots. “It’s not. It’s about attention. Every little decision adds up to Sunday.”
Below, the 2026 roll call that made us grin, nap, then book again:
- National Winner 2026: A Dartmoor inn delivering textbook beef, crackling roasties, and a gravy you could wear like silk.
- Best Traditional: A Yorkshire coaching house where the puddings stand tall and the horseradish bites back.
- Best Plant-Based: **North London celeriac roast** with hazelnut-grain stuffing and umami gravy you’ll remember on Tuesday.
- Best Value: A Cumbrian pub plate at £15.50 that punches far above its weight in crisp and comfort.
- Best Yorkshire Pudding: **West Riding bakery-pub** using bread flour and beef drippings for lift and chew.
- Best Coastal Roast: Cornish topside kissed by smoke, with sea herbs sidling up to the potatoes.
- Best Gravy: A Birmingham kitchen reducing pan juices to a tuxedo sheen, finished with a splash of porter.
- Best Lamb: Welsh salt-marsh shoulder, slow-roasted and sliced like a promise.
- Best Veg: Sussex roots roasted over embers, then glossed with brown butter and cider vinegar.
- Rising Star: A Glasgow chef reinventing the roast chicken with fermented honey glaze and thyme.
Where the roast goes next
Across the winners, there’s a clear drift toward technique with soul. Shorter menus, better stock, more seasonal veg, less beige on the plate. Pubs are smoking joints over oak, swapping generic gravy for reductions that actually taste of the joint, and treating Yorkshire puddings like pastry. Diners want less bloat, more brightness. A spoon of piccalilli, a shock of lemon on the greens, a bitter leaf salad on the side. The Sunday roast is becoming lighter without losing its hug. There’s room for tradition and a little swagger. And a next wave is coming, quietly, plate by plate.
| Key point | Detail | Interest for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Heat and timing win | Warm plates, rested meat, roasties spaced on hot trays | Actionable checks for better roasts at home and when eating out |
| Gravy is the anchor | Tray juices, proper reduction, a touch of acidity | Simple upgrades that change the whole plate |
| Vegetables are lead actors | Char, glaze, crunch; not boiled into silence | What to look for on menus and how to replicate |
FAQ :
- How were the 2026 winners chosen?Editors and guest tasters visited 61 venues across all four nations, scoring on texture, temperature, timing, seasoning, and service cadence. We revisited close calls to break ties.
- What makes a perfect roast potato?Fluffed edges from a proper parboil, high heat fat, space on the tray, and a single confident turn. Salt early so it bites.
- Is a Yorkshire pudding essential if I’m not serving beef?Yes if it brings joy. The best pubs serve Yorkies with chicken, pork, even plant roasts. It’s architecture and ceremony on one plate.
- How can I improve gravy without bones or hours?Use good stock, roast the trimmings hard, deglaze the pan, and reduce until glossy. Finish with a splash of vinegar or porter for lift.
- What’s the average price for a top-tier roast in 2026?Our sample averaged £19.80 for a main. Standout “Best Value” plates sat between £14–£17 and still felt generous.
