42 roast dinner recipes

Expect roast chicken and classic roast beef with Yorkshire puddings, vegetarian roast ideas, inspiring roast pork (including an expert guide to create the perfect pork crackling), plus many alternative Sunday roast ideas including ham, duck and guinea fowl. We’ve also come up with the best ever roast potatoes and some epic sides to make Sunday dinner a really indulgent affair. Cheers, and Happy Sunday!

Roast chicken recipes

Roast chicken is the most popular Sunday roast as it's super easy to make and you can spruce up your recipe in many ways. We have the best and most succulent roast chicken recipes, including a quick alternative for those in a hurry.

Rosemary salt roast chicken

Try our expert recipe for the most golden roast, crisp-skinned chicken – the perfect main for your Sunday dinner.

Roast chicken with kiev butter

Smother this whole chicken in garlicky, lemony butter and roast for an easy, flavour-packed family roast.

Chicken roasted on crunchy rosemary sourdough

Chunky slices of sourdough make a trivet for roast chicken in this cosy recipe, and soak up all the delicious cooking juices. Perfect for Sunday lunch.

Brick chicken with brown butter and capers

So-called because a brick wrapped in foil was traditionally used to weigh down the chicken. Spatchcocking the bird and having it in direct contact with the pan reduces the cooking time and gives crisp, golden skin.

Roast chicken with garlic and thyme croutons

Everyone loves a Sunday roast, and this roast chicken with garlic and thyme croutons makes it even better. Big chunky pieces of sourdough make a trivet for roast chicken and soak up all the delicious juices while it cooks.

Spiced-yogurt roast chicken

Roast chicken with a twist! Make a simple, spicy marinade from store cupboard ingredients and cover the chicken with it before roasting. This recipe includes potato wedges but you can make roast potatoes using our guide below to accompany the meat.

Healthy one-pot chicken

A brilliant alternative roast to feed the family, check out Nadine’s healthier one-pot roast chicken, infused with aromatic flavours such as miso and pak choi.

Classic roast beef recipes

Sunday dinner in a local pub often involves roast beef, so we've come up with recipes to make the best roast beef at home. Try our expert beef with red wine gravy, or gourmet beef fillet, and don't forget the Yorkshire puddings and gravy!

Pot-roast brisket with the best gravy

Check out our easy one-pot beef brisket with gravy. Slow cooking brisket in stock and aromatics produces tender meat and a rich gravy.

Slow-cooker roast beef

Make this joint of beef in the slow cooker for a rich, tender centrepiece – miso provides an umami kick, adding depth of flavour to the beef and gravy.

Rib of beef with bone marrow butter

Need a beef recipe? Cooking a huge rib roast can be quite daunting so we love this simplified method and the bone marrow butter takes it to the next level. Ask your butcher to split the bones for you.

Roast beef with red wine gravy

A classic Sunday roast with a fruity redcurrant and wine sauce to serve the whole family. This roast beef recipe is great for an Easter roast.

You can't have roast beef without Yorkshire puddings, so here's our ultimate guide to Yorkshire puddings, plus we've even got yorkies for the veggies too.

Vegan yorkshire puddings

It took two years to perfect this magic vegan yorkshire puddings recipe. You'll need gram flour and aquafaba (the water tinned chickpeas come in) to make these golden beauties.

Best beef gravy

Here’s how to create the ultimate meaty, full-flavoured, glossy gravy. Just the thing, for your weekly Sunday lunch ritual.

Pork roasts recipes

Roast pork with crisp crackling is the ultimate comfort food. We have mastered the art of roast pork and perfect crackling with our recipes, from rolled stuffed pork belly to slow-roast pork shoulder.

Roast pork with hasselback potatoes

This beauty was the cover recipe for our March 2020 issue. Slow-roasted pork, crispy roasties, and a quick gremolata for a splash of colour...it's got Sunday written all over it.

Hog roast with spiced apple stuffing

Looking for a hearty centrepiece to serve friends and family? Check out our impressive pork shoulder hog roast with easy spiced apple stuffing. You’ll need butcher’s string to tie this up – if you get your pork from a butcher ask for some string when you buy it.

Roast pork loin with apfelkren

Try our easy roast pork with apple horseradish sauce and super crispy crackling. This comforting pork recipe is easy to make and will make for a show-stopping family dinner.

Epic pork crackling

Follow these guidelines to create the perfect crackling on your Sunday roast pork belly, every time. Impress your friends and families with our simple step-by-step guide to the best pork crackling.

Slow-roast fennel pork with confit shallots

Looking for a pork recipe? This slow-roast pork recipe includes fennel seeds and seasonal shallots for extra flavour. It is easy to prepare and perfect for a Sunday roast dinner with your family and friends.

Rolled 'nduja-stuffed pork belly

’Ndjua is a spicy spreadable salami from Calabria and it adds a special twist to Tom Adams’ pork belly recipe. This special recipe is worth the effort. Love pork belly? We have plenty more pork belly recipes here.

Roast lamb recipes

Whether it's roast lamb and mint sauce, or a slow-roasted leg of lamb, the unique flavour of lamb is a real crowd pleaser. Try our rosemary-stuffed lamb recipe, or a complete recipe for slow-roast shoulder of lamb with all the trimmings.

Rosemary and apricot-stuffed leg of lamb

Want a roast lamb recipe? Learn how to stuff your own leg of lamb with step-by-step help from the olive test kitchen, ideal for a Sunday lunch.

Lamb cutlets with mustard and shallot sauce

Add these lamb cutlets with a mustard dipping sauce to your roast repertoire – it’s perfect for sharing.

Slow-cooker leg of lamb

This leg of lamb is slow-cooked with madeira, red onion, prunes and thyme, so it's rich and intense in flavour with a hint of sweetness.

Roast shoulder of lamb and root vegetables with an onion sauce

Just the ticket for a special Sunday dinner with the family, roast shoulder of lamb is served with baked Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips. Making your own onion gravy is really worth the extra effort.

Braised shoulder of lamb

Savour the perfect Sunday roast dinner with a crowd-pleasing masterpiece from London's The Red Lion & Sun – expertly done lamb shoulder. This culinary delight involves roasting lamb with a whole bottle of red wine, ensuring super-tender results.

Vegetarian roasts and sides recipes

Veggies are an important part of a roast dinner, so we've given roast vegetables proper attention in this collection of vegetarian mains and side dishes.

Stuffed butternut squash with cider cream sauce

Check out our impressive butternut squash recipe with veggie stuffing and a side of crunchy kale. This veggie main becomes a real centrepiece when carved into slices at the table.

Vegan roast-dinner bowls

Cater for vegans this Christmas with our special festive bowls, packed with crispy roasties, parsnips, stuffing balls, cranberry sauce and plenty of gravy.

Roasted roots and goat's cheese

Earthy beetroot and roasted parsnips and carrots provide a great contrast to the rich, creamy goat's cheese in this dish. This is a really simple vegetarian roast idea that requires very little hands-on time.

Cauliflower, manchego and almond gratin

Try our easy baked cauliflower with manchego cheese and crunchy almonds. Make this veggie traybake for an indulgent recipe for your roast dinner.

Other delicious ideas for Sunday roasts

Move away from the classics and go for a centrepiece of duck or ham to make your roast dinner extra special.

Roast partridge one-pan boulanger

Why not give this one-pan boulanger a go for a roast dinner for two? As the partridges roast, the juices will drip down, leaving you with meltingly soft, saucy potatoes and onions to serve alongside.

Roast guinea fowl in white wine sauce

Level up your roast dinner game with this roast guinea fowl recipe, featuring a rich and creamy chicken stock sauce with shallots and lardons. Serve with mashed potatoes and greens and you’re good to go.

Sherry-and-quince-glazed ham with pineapple relish

This ham can be scaled up or down in size – just use the calculations in the recipe. Rather than the fuss of boiling then baking, we prefer to tent the ham with foil and bake in its own juices before glazing, why not try this instead of your classic roast.

Roast duck with layered potato cake and spring onion, radish and watercress salad

Get your friends over and serve up a feast of juicy roast duck, duck fat potatoes and a vibrant spring salad for the ultimate entertaining menu.

Roast duck with sherried shallots

Replace traditional turkey or chicken for gamey duck in this effortless main for two. Bathed in sweet sherry and soft shallots, it pairs perfectly with buttery mash or roast potatoes.

Maple-glazed gammon with roasted chicory, and fennel and apple slaw

This maple-glazed gammon recipe from Dan Doherty is a clever update on a classic roast. Serve it with bittersweet chicory and a fresh slaw to cut through the salt.

Check out more flavourful fennel recipes.

Maryland stuffed ham

A traditional Thanksgiving favourite in southern Maryland, this unusual recipe from Felicity Cloake stuffs brined ham with a piquant mix of highly spiced greens. Not only does this cut through the rich meat beautifully, but it looks great on the plate. Choose a long, thin gammon joint rather than a wide, fat piece as this will be easier to stuff. You’ll need cheesecloth and butcher’s string for this recipe. The glaze is less traditional (and optional) but will give the ham a nice finish.

Roast dinner side dishes

Best ever roast potato recipes

Roast potatoes are key to a roast dinner - click on the link above to find easy recipes for goose-fat roasties, crisp schnitzel roasties, plus indulgent recipes for dauphinoise, potato gratins and mash.

Beef dripping roast potatoes

Elevate your roast dinner by roasting your potatoes in hot beef dripping with garlic, rosemary, thyme and butter.

Parmesan crusted parsnips

This is a delightful and different way of cooking parsnips. The thin parsnip fries are tossed in Parmesan, polenta, English mustard powder and salt and fried until crisp. A delicious side for a Sunday roast.

Gruyere and swede gratin

Our epic side dish is a meal in itself, and makes any Sunday roast extra indulgent. Serve this gratin on the side of your Sunday dinner.

Cauliflower and three cheese gratin

Cauliflower cheese makes any Sunday roast that bit more indulgent. This cauliflower and three-cheese gratin is the ultimate comfort food and a must-have side dish.

Baby carrots with citrus

A great way to jazz-up carrots for your Sunday roast. Clementines add a festive touch, and lemon lifts the whole dish. Roasted whole baby carrots look beautiful, and feel that little bit more special than ‘carrot coins’.

And, of course, you need a foolproof gravy recipe for any Sunday roast!

Now, what's for pudding?? Save room for one of our indulgent dessert recipes

The perfect way to finish Sunday roast is with a really indulgent dessert or a comforting pudding. Try our recipes for bread and butter pudding, sticky toffee pudding and more.

Or why not go all out and indulge in one of our best cheesecake recipes.

Better still, follow your Sunday roast with a classic British pudding: crumble! Here are our crumble recipes.