After a long week at work, I can’t think of anything better than a delicious Sunday roast. For years I missed meeting up with my friends and family at our local pub for a roast dinner because they wouldn’t cater for allergies and intolerances. That’s why I jumped at the chance to search for the best and most delicious free from Sunday roasts across the UK. Here are my favourites.
The Gallimaufry, Bishopston, Bristol
The Gallimaufry is a quirky venue situated on Gloucester Road, Bristol. It’s beautifully decorated with a cosy atmosphere and encompasses restaurant, live music venue and art space. The staff were so friendly, and the roast dinner was without a doubt one of the best I’ve ever eaten!
The menu
Their Sunday menu is full of delicious gluten free, nut free, vegan and vegetarian options, you’ll be spoilt for choice. There were some free from starters too – the butternut squash arancini was just incredible! On the main menu there were five dishes to choose from, four of which were free from options:
- Roasted Squash, mushroom, pinto bean and walnut roast with cauliflower gratin (vg,gf,n)
- Beetroot, lentil pate, pesto and goats cheese puff pastry wellington (v)
- Slow cooked somerset pork belly with apple sauce (gf)
- Free range chicken with garlic and thyme stuffing and a cranberry compote (gf)
The portions at The Gallimaufry were more than generous and came with giant roast potatoes, an array of seasonal vegetables and lashings of gorgeous free from gravy.
The staff
The staff were really helpful, happy to answer questions regarding cross contamination and were really clued up about allergies and dietary requirements. I have never had such a relaxing dining experience before, and I can’t recommend this venue enough.
Toby Carvery, UK-wide
Everyone knows where their nearest Toby Carvery is! Nationwide, family friendly, budget friendly and serving roasts all week long, it’s a popular choice. But how did it fair for free fromers? I was pleasantly surprised.
The menu
All the meat is free from all major allergens. Just make the staff member at the carvery aware of your dietary requirement and they can use fresh cutlery and tongs to serve. If you’re worried about cross contamination on the carvery, you can ask your server for fresh vegetables and gravy (which is also available as vegan and vegetarian) and they will get some fresh vegetables from the kitchen which come with an allergy flag. On the menu you can also order vegan and vegetarian meals to go alongside your roast potatoes and vegetables. You can get a vegetarian and vegan sausage roll, a spiced vegetable tart and a roast mushroom and ale pie. On the allergen menu, you can easily identify what you can and can’t eat, such as the Yorkshire puddings containing eggs and gluten.
The staff
On arrival, I was shown a tablet with the entire menu and taken through the options. The server also recommended I downloaded the Glass Onion app, on which you can filter out dishes containing the top 14 allergens for many of the major chains and larger venues, Toby Carvery being one. I had a positive experience at the Toby Carvery I visited. I felt comfortable, well looked after and the food was lovely.
The Amberley Inn, Cotswolds
The Amberley Inn is the full package: scenic views of the Cotswold countryside, a beautiful building and delicious food from an award-winning restaurant. It’s on the pricey side, but perfect for a special getaway.
The menu
There was a good choice of vegan and dairy free starters on offer, most of which were gluten free or available as gluten free. There were five choices for roast dinner:
- Roasted Chicken Supreme (gfo)
- Slow Roasted Sirloin of Beef (gfo)
- Slow Roasted Pork Loin and apple sauce (gfo)
- The Amberley’s Nut Roast (v,ve)
- Mixed Meat Roast(gfo)
I opted for the roasted sirloin, and it was cooked to perfection. The gluten free option came with a Yorkshire pudding and the gravy is always gluten free. The plate was full to the brim with the perfect roast potatoes, sirloin, and seasonal vegetables. It’s not often you get a gluten free Yorkshire pudding when eating out so I was really pleasantly surprised and felt my needs were catered for. That said, as lovely as the food was I found the Sunday roast menu to be a little bit limited. The only vegetarian/vegan option contained nuts and gluten.
The staff
The staff were wonderful and we able to talk me through the menu confidently. I emailed in advance to ask about some of their allergy options and I got a speedy response.
More options for free from roasts:
Roast, Borough Market, London
Plenty of free from options including a vegan wellington, vegan feta salad and gluten free roasted pork belly.
Eat Your Greens, Bristol
A vegan restaurant where the menu is also entirely gluten free, unless specified. Options include a sunflower seed buckroast balls – perfect for anyone with a nut allergy.
French Horn, Hampshire
The French Horn is a gastro pub serving vegetarian, vegan, meat and gluten free options with lots of seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire puddings and gravy.
Woodland Creatures, Edinburgh
This is a vegan friendly gastro pub with a lovely butternut and cashew vegan/veggie roast on the menu and plenty of gluten free options.
Note: menus may be subject to change from the dishes listed here. Always enquire before making a visit if you have any concerns.