When is a pub roast dinner not a pub roast dinner?

[didds]

This cold also be entitled "what is a carvery" ?u

So it seems to me a pub roast dinner is sat at a table in a pub and a waitress/waiter brings you a plate of roast dinner.

And a carvery you queue up and have your plate filled for you then you take it back to the table. I had a vague thought it meant a carvery was multi visit ie all-you-can-eat but I don't see that advertised with carvery adverts I've seen in the past couple of days (FB seems to have suddenly decided I am in their advertising demographic for such!)

is that it? The lack of waiting service?

I'm really failing to see what the difference is otherwise - I last had a carvery in 2014 and I was so tired and sore (We'd swum and walked around the Scilly Isles the day before) I didn't really take any notice.

didds

[Alaric]

And a carvery you queue up and have your plate filled for you then you take it back to the table.

At a carvery, you may be able to choose a mixture of meats. Vegetables are likely to be self service. With a served roast, you don't see the meat carved and it may have been preprepared off the premises. That can be the difference. A non-carvery roast may just be reheated slices of meat with gravy and vegetables.

[Arborbridge]

This cold also be entitled "what is a carvery" ?u

So it seems to me a pub roast dinner is sat at a table in a pub and a waitress/waiter brings you a plate of roast dinner.

And a carvery you queue up and have your plate filled for you then you take it back to the table. I had a vague thought it meant a carvery was multi visit ie all-you-can-eat but I don't see that advertised with carvery adverts I've seen in the past couple of days (FB seems to have suddenly decided I am in their advertising demographic for such!)

is that it? The lack of waiting service?

I'm really failing to see what the difference is otherwise - I last had a carvery in 2014 and I was so tired and sore (We'd swum and walked around the Scilly Isles the day before) I didn't really take any notice.

didds

I propose a number of us in different regions try one of each and report back - all in the cause of research.

[bungeejumper]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

[kempiejon]

We had a good carvery a couple of years ago at an out of the way non-chain country pub, North Sussex - I think.
It was good food, the sort of stuff I'd expect at a roast dinner but you did have to queue up to be served, it was busy so the food turned over quickly so I expect was fresh, meat was removed from the joint in front of us. I had a good view of the servery so was able to time my revisit when a new batch of Yorkshire puddings had just been delivered. Revisits were only for the veg and other accompanying bits including the gravy, sausages wrapped in bacon and afore mentioned puddings.
They had a sign up saying they preferred cash - I like this campaign to keep the old money alive but locally have seen this as the last throws of a failing eatery. Perhaps a more nefarious undercurrent; still, a good feed as I remember.

[didds]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

Or you are paying too muich?

Not that far from you I can suggest excellent three venues priced from £14-£30 (though that latter is three courses). And what kicked off this thought process for me was seeing a local hostelry (Sandy lane) offering two for £25 carveries on Wed-Sat evenings prebooked

[didds]

They had a sign up saying they preferred cash - I like this campaign to keep the old money alive but locally have seen this as the last throws of a failing eatery. Perhaps a more nefarious undercurrent; still, a good feed as I remember.

Suggests to me at least that it means thay can pay suppliers and staff in cash as banking cash costs ...

[bungeejumper]

They had a sign up saying they preferred cash - I like this campaign to keep the old money alive but locally have seen this as the last throws of a failing eatery.

Suggests to me at least that it means thay can pay suppliers and staff in cash as banking cash costs ...

Well, yes, but it's more likely to suggest that their credit lines have been withdrawn. Or that some pesky bankruptcy co-ordinator has put a lien on their bank account. (I've seen it happening twice.)

BJ

[Mike4]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

And in a similar vein I can't remember the last time I had a first class pint of well-cellared real ale, in a restaurant...

(You triggered one of my FAVOURITE hobby-horses with that post of yours, lol!)

[UncleEbenezer]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

And in a similar vein I can't remember the last time I had a first class pint of well-cellared real ale, in a restaurant...

(You triggered one of my FAVOURITE hobby-horses with that post of yours, lol!)

What do you call a "restaurant"? Some people seem to apply the word to burger- and chicken-joints, these days!

If you allow pubs that serve decent food (a million times better than many "restaurants"), then I can remember many such occasions in several venues.

[BullDog]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

And in a similar vein I can't remember the last time I had a first class pint of well-cellared real ale, in a restaurant...

(You triggered one of my FAVOURITE hobby-horses with that post of yours, lol!)

I don't think either of you are near enough, but I could suggest a fix for both of those comments.

[didds]

I can't remember the last time I had a roast dinner in a pub that wasn't tepid, partially microwaved, and served with tired-looking cutlery. The last time was just before Christmas at £40 a plate. Clearly, I'm not paying enough?

BJ

And in a similar vein I can't remember the last time I had a first class pint of well-cellared real ale, in a restaurant...

(You triggered one of my FAVOURITE hobby-horses with that post of yours, lol!)

THIS.

Though one of those venues i hinted at earlier keeps a reasonable cellar and i happily drink ale there.

[redsturgeon]

Suggests to me at least that it means thay can pay suppliers and staff in cash as banking cash costs ...

Well, yes, but it's more likely to suggest that their credit lines have been withdrawn. Or that some pesky bankruptcy co-ordinator has put a lien on their bank account. (I've seen it happening twice.)

BJ

My daughter has quite a lot of experience working in local pubs and her insight is as follows.

A source of cash is very useful to the pub but these days very difficult to obtain. Just the cash itself may not be as useful as you think if it has been rung through the till it will have to be accounted for at the end of the year so is a cost rather than a benefit.

Cash is very useful for paying temporary staff and obviously avoiding tax/NI payments but it needs to be untraceable cash that has not been rung through the till since these especially in tied houses there are POS terminals that track everything.

The pubs she has experience of run things like meat raffles which are a great source of untraced cash and very popular with the locals.

[Gerry557]

I thought a carvery had a few meats to choose from or you got all 3 sorts. A Sunday roast you probably only got 1 sort and yes probably served.

There was one carvery that allowed you to stack your plate, there are you tube vids on how to build a mash wall to larger the stack. We occasionally eat at a Toby, personally I find it poor except for the meat. You can pay extra for a larger meat portion. It might be that particular venue as I've been to a couple of others that were better.

At 557 headquarters, you tend to get a choice of meats unless its universal liked and it's almost as much as you can eat. You do have to go along the worktop filling your own plate though. The kids take it in turn choosing the pudding but even then there might be a choice depending on who picks. There are fussy eaters and dietary requirements to consider.

Then again if you have swum around the Scilly's no wonder you were hungry. I only managed to walk around some of them.

[Lootman]

And a carvery you queue up and have your plate filled for you then you take it back to the table.

At a carvery, you may be able to choose a mixture of meats. Vegetables are likely to be self service. With a served roast, you don't see the meat carved and it may have been preprepared off the premises. That can be the difference. A non-carvery roast may just be reheated slices of meat with gravy and vegetables.

Yes, I would always choose a carvery because:

1) You see it being carved and so you know it is a not a microwaved frozen packaged abomination

2) You can choose exactly what sides/sauces you want and in what quantities. And avoid the thing swimming in gravy.

If the restaurant was high end I might trust them on quality but otherwise it is good to see the food before you buy

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

[Alaric]

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

Lamb in general is infrequent. Presumably it's a matter of cost. Tandoori lamb chops in an Indian is one of the few regular options.

[Lootman]

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

Lamb in general is infrequent. Presumably it's a matter of cost. Tandoori lamb chops in an Indian is one of the few regular options.

Sure and lamb is common in middle eastern places too. It is not as if there is a sheep shortage - I see them everywhere. Just not so much for Sunday lunch.

I would happily pay a few quid more for the option.

[Hallucigenia]

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

Beef and lamb are ~50% more expensive than pork and more than that than chicken, but beef is so iconic that if you're going to have a choice, the pub kinda has to have beef as an option. Lamb is less popular and more expensive, and tends not to be so popular when recycled into sandwiches etc in the following days.

[tjh290633]

At a carvery, you may be able to choose a mixture of meats. Vegetables are likely to be self service. With a served roast, you don't see the meat carved and it may have been preprepared off the premises. That can be the difference. A non-carvery roast may just be reheated slices of meat with gravy and vegetables.

Yes, I would always choose a carvery because:

1) You see it being carved and so you know it is a not a microwaved frozen packaged abomination

2) You can choose exactly what sides/sauces you want and in what quantities. And avoid the thing swimming in gravy.

If the restaurant was high end I might trust them on quality but otherwise it is good to see the food before you buy

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

It seems to be widely available round here. Indeed it is virtually always available at my favourite pub, the Jack and Jill at Clayton.

TJH

[Maroochydore]

Pet peeve: why is it so hard to find roast lamb on Sunday roast menus any more? It is my favourite but seems to be vanishing.

I think it's something to do with size. It's easier to get a large joint of beef (or pork or gammon) to carve rather than a leg of lamb which can be fiddly to carve and very few same-size slices. Difficult to portion control.

Similarly with chicken. Often see turkey available which gives many slices before needing replacing but chicken gives few slices of breast meat and it's done. Leaves a lot of meat on the underside and legs.