It may seem an odd choice to head off for a full roast during a heat wave, but the packed dining room at The Chester Arms off Iffley Road proved that we weren’t the only ones unable to resist the lure of one of Oxfordshire’s best Sunday lunches, whatever the weather.
And despite it being 12 years since Beccy Webb took over the East Oxford pub, it’s as popular as ever, its new beer garden ensuring an even bigger crowd comes flocking, us amongst them.
The Chester Arms, while serving a full menu of delicious food, is famous for two things – its infamous steak platters and its Sunday lunch, so come the Sabbath, there we were, back in one of our favourite boozers, ready for some of its culinary magic.
while the queues stretch around the block in the winter, come summer it’s still just about possible to nab a table
And while the queues stretch around the block in the winter, come summer it’s still just about possible to nab a table.
First up we must mention the Bloody Mary’s, here taken to the next level ands treated with great esteem – a choice of gin, vodka or tequila base, and its secret ingredient – home-made harissa – and a pickled chilli balanced on top, signalling real intent. Choose the heat from 1-10, sit back and enjoy. It’s like a starter all on its own.
we must mention the Bloody Mary’s, here taken to the next level ands treated with great esteem
But despite some enticing specials on the boards, from Caesar salad to the smoked haddock and salmon fishcakes – we had one thing on our minds – roast!
Which meant we eschewed the soup and headed straight for the mains – a choice of overnight slow roasted pork belly (£19), beef (£19), nut roast wellington (£19), fish & chips (£19) or a whole roast chicken, the latter for two to three people (£46).
Hugely generous portions appeared in front of us, steaming plates of beef, pork and wellington crowding the table
Despite the packed tables, our roasts arrived within 10 minutes and we immediately stopped admiring the interior and set to work. Hugely generous portions appeared in front of us, steaming plates of beef, pork and wellington crowding the table.
The roasts come with roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, savoy cabbage, carrots, a huge Yorkshire pudding and gravy, and boy do they pile them on, the cauli sauce rich and then browned, the carrots sweet and actually tasting of carrots, the cabbage thinly shredded, the gravy deep and so tasty we had to ask for more, the big, dense potatoes scattered with roasted rosemary.
In terms of the star of the show though, the slow roasted pork won hands down – soft, sweet, flaky, juicy, tender and beautifully seasoned, it melted in the mouth.
we weren’t the only ones unable to resist the lure of one of Oxfordshire’s best Sunday lunches, whatever the weather
But it was a close run thing – the slice of wellington was packed full of flavour, the nutty contents finely diced and encased in a thick pastry, while the two ample slices of beef kept us going right to the end when we eventually had to admit defeat.
Dessert-wise there’s a bijou choice of four, plus lots of lovely cheese, ice cream and sherry to choose from, and we instantly locked into the creme brûlée (£7.50) and the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream (£7.50) to share between the four of us, already full to the brim but needing that hit of sweetness to finish off the meal.
our table was instantly picked up by the next loitering punters and with lunch of this calibre and that price who can blame them?
The brûlée tapped with sugar crunch before revealing its vanillary depths while the chocolate brownie packed a dense, gooey punch against the blissfully cold ice cream.
Job done, our table was instantly picked up by the next loitering punters who evidently only had one thing on their minds – the Chester Arms Sunday roast, and with lunch of this calibre and that price who can blame them?
The Chester Arms Oxford, 19 Chester St, Oxford.OX4 1SN serves Sunday lunch from 12 noon until 3pm and you can’t book.
Oktoberfest at The Chester is October 2-3 with a full German takeover of food and drink. https://chesterarmsoxford.co.uk
