Recently, we’ve taken a break from our quest to find Nottingham’s finest Sunday roast as we’ve become convinced that nothing can beat our own homemade efforts (and we need to save some pennies!) As a result, we have enjoyed making and eating them at home, discovering Emily’s extraordinary ability to accidentally incinerate all meats other than chicken. However, sometimes laziness takes hold and convinces you to dine out. We’ve heard a lot of good things about Tom Brown’s at Gunthorpe so decided it would be a good day to give it a go. The location on the Gunthorpe loch is so lovely – we had a great little walk after our lunch to take in the beautiful scenery. 

The Sunday menu offers a beef, lamb, chicken or pork roast alongside an a la carte style variety of dishes, giving the diner plenty to choose from. We both ordered the roast beef (cooked pink) and waited expectantly while we eyed up fellow diners’ meals.

The roasts arrived looking great. Meat, yorkie and roasties were served on a plate with gravy while the cauliflower cheese, green beans, carrots and broccoli arrived shortly after on a sharing plate.

After divvying up the veg I tucked into the beef. It was absolutely gorgeous – full of flavour with minimal fat and cooked perfectly pink. Emily’s meat was not as pink as mine; I did offer to swap (in my quietest voice) but she declined and soldiered on – it was still just as tender and full of flavour. The gravy was rich with a perfect consistency but there wasn’t quite enough of it so a jug on the side would have been appreciated (they clearly don’t understand how important it is to keep Emily the gravy monster satisfied). The veg was also very tasty. Veg is often an overlooked element to a roast, but it was fresh and cooked to perfection.

So far so good, however there were some bum notes among the symphony of roast perfection. Namely, the roast potatoes. They were cooked traditionally in goose fat, which is usually a good sign, but these were bland, under-seasoned, hard, dry lumps of spud that did nothing for either of us. If there was more gravy on the go maybe they wouldn’t have tasted so dry or bland. We all know that roasties are a big deal and here they almost sank a near-perfect plate of food. Maybe expectations had been set too high after spending the last few weeks eating my own roast potatoes (which are, all modesty aside, fucking amazing). The yorkshire pudding was also overcooked and dry, unfortunately. 

We decided to order dessert. I went for the apple and cranberry crumble served with custard while Emily ordered the lemon meringue tart with pistachio. 

My crumble was fine but not amazing. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I am a relative newcomer to the world of puds and don’t think I’ve eaten apple crumble since I was a child so don’t have many reference points to compare it against. The crumble crumbled and apple was sharp and sweet. I do, however, remember my Nan’s being much better. 

Emily’s tart was absolutely excellent.

The pastry was short and the filling sweet yet sharp, but the star of the show was the addition of pistachio ice cream and pistachio crumb, elevating a simple lemon tart to a memorable and moreish dessert. Although lemon and pistachio always make a classic flavour combination, the balance here was harmony on a plate. The nuttiness and sharpness were delicious and it was Emily’s favourite part of the meal.

So, overall an enjoyable meal. A couple of duffers (roasties and yorkies) weren’t bad enough to outweigh the good points; the meat, veg and gravy were all exceptional and the puddings were comforting and delicious. We’d definitely recommend eating here if you’re in the area. Although a little pricier than your average, it won’t break the bank for a special occasion or treat. Just remember to ask for extra gravy!

Overall score: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Atmosphere and surroundings: 10/10

Experience: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Emily & Stuart