News that The Part & Parcel in Witney has introduced Sunday lunch to its legendary menu line-up is big news, namely because when the first Dodo pub The Rickety Press opened in Oxford ten years ago, its roasts were legendary.
In those days The Rickety Press was an award-winning gastropub, but as more branches opened, Dodo opted for a more relaxed offering and introduced its infamous burgers and pizzas instead which instantly took off, although sadly the roasts stopped…….. until now.
Planning to roll out the new roasts in all their branches (currently 10 and counting, including The Slow & Steady, Up In Arms, Rusty Bicycle and The Rickety Press in Oxfordshire), over the next six months, judging by the avid diners wolfing down their Sunday lunches at The Part & Parcel it’s going to go down a storm.
It’s a chilled vibe at the Witney hostelry where huge efforts have obviously gone into ensuring it’s still a pub for drinkers to accommodate everyone, whether it’s food, drink or a great night out, the extensive dining areas mainly scattered around the back and sides.
Starting off with a Bloody Mary, another renowned signature offering at Dodo, thanks to the shaved horseradish and vibrant flavour, we eschewed the offering of olives and bread, keen to get stuck into the main event.
There are three options – roast beef rump, served pink unless requested (£18.95), half a rotisserie chicken (£17.95), or the butternut squash wellington with feta, spinach, pine nuts & caramelised onions (£16.50) with all the trimmings, as well as a kids roast (£9.50).
Diving straight in we ordered the beef, but couldn’t resist trying the wellington once we realised it was a pithivier, a former stalwart on The Rickety Press menu back in the day, with a few portions of cauliflower cheese (£4.95) thrown in, because a roast just isn’t the same without it.
A pithivier, for those who haven’t tried one, is a beautiful, round, decorated pie, bursting with goodies, and at The Part & Parcel it shone, not just due to the baked glaze, but the pungent flavours within ensured it was anything but bland.
Throw in the roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables and gravy, and our plates were positively groaning with bountiful produce, not that we were complaining.
The Yorkshire pudding alone ensures that you need an extra notch on your belt; enormous in size, light and doughy within and crisp on the outside, just as you’d hope.
The beef still stole the show, the generous slices of perfectly pink rump were marvellously unchewy, aided by the real depth of the gravy (we ordered more), juicy carrots and cabbage, and a properly cheesy cauli, grilled on top, with lots of sauce.
After that there wasn’t much conversation, as we tucked in, utterly absorbed, making sure we enjoyed every last morsel, trying all the components which work so well together. Who can beat a good roast eh?
Which meant that when our waitress tried to entice us into having dessert we were fairly nonplussed. Yes we fancied the half baked cookie & ice cream (£4.95), but how good can a cookie be?
So so good, as it turned out. So good in fact that we kicked ourselves for only ordering one between three. Served in a skittle, the cookie dough melting, the vanilla ice cream slowly subsiding on top, the chocolate pieces within all gooey and delicious, it was calorific heaven.
Perched around the corner we espied all the original founders Fred Samengo-Turner, Chris Manners, Leo Johnson and Andy Holland tucking in with equal gusto, enjoying the return of the roast as much as we did.
For those who still fancy a pizza/burger fix on a Sunday, the normal menu resumes at 5pm, but don’t miss out on the new daytime offering. It’s bloody lovely. But more than that, it’s properly relaxed; kids, families, friends and couples all enjoying their roasts without any of the pomp and circumstance of some hostelries. Get in!
SUNDAY LUNCH AT THE PART & PARCEL IN WITNEY IS SERVED FROM 12 NOON UNTIL 4PM. BOOK HERE HTTPS://dodopubs.com/bookings/
