We’re well and truly into the throws of winter – and it sucks. I’m not a winter person, and I don’t understand the love for the season at all.
It’s dark by 4pm, it’s cold, and it’s grim. Besides Christmas, what’s there to romanticise? But the one saving grace for this time of year is all of the guilt-free comfort food you can indulge in.
You can load up on stodgy, carby, meat-and-potatoes goodness, and not worry. It’s the one time of year where it’s acceptable to eat a big Sunday lunch and go for a nap afterwards.
My go-tos this time of year are pie and mash, slow cooker curries and chillis, and saucy pasta bakes smothered in lasting of cheese.
“But what about roast dinners?”
Sorry to say, but I don’t like roast dinners all that much. They’re an effort to make (and clean up after, since they use every pot and pan in the kitchen), and overrated. The only time I really have a roast is Christmas dinner. But even that’s an exception because you’ve got wildcard additions like bread sauce (yum), parsnips (yum), and pigs in blankets (yum). The holy trinity of sides. They really help lift an otherwise boring meal, but the other 364 days of the year? Nah.
However, I’d heard great things about the roast dinners at a café in Ipswich, and I thought it was about time I became a Sunday lunch convert.
My mum told me she’d booked us a table at On The Huh, which is located St Peter’s Street, so I met her there for a Sunday lunch and a catch-up last week.
We’d placed a reservation earlier in the week, as its Facebook page said ‘book now to avoid disappointment’, and we didn’t want to risk being turned away if there no tables available. They also asked us which meat we wanted with our roasts, ahead of time.
And it’s a good thing we did book, as the place was pretty busy. We were seated around half one, and people kept filtering in and out – all coming in for Sunday lunch, so it must be pretty good.
We headed to the counter, and said we had a reservation for two. The waitress confirmed ‘one beef and one pork’ before seating us at our table.
In terms of interiors, On The Huh is really cute and quaint inside. Like your nan’s dining room. It’s pink and white, with framed artwork on the walls. The tables and chairs are pine, and of course there was a Christmas tree up.
I asked for a menu, to see what else was on offer, but they told me they didn’t have one. I then asked for a drinks menu but they didn’t have that either.
However, there was a fridge with soft drinks that we could grab a drink from, hot drinks available to order, and wine behind the counter.
Mum went for a bottle of local Breckland Orchard cloudy lemonade (£2.75), and I went for a medium glass of white wine.
After about 20 minutes or so of nattering, the waitress brought our roasts over.
I went for the pork, while mum went for the beef.
Presentation is key, and I like how the plate came out with just the meat, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding on it.
“I’ll be over with the veg in a second,” the waitress added before heading off.
She came back with a generous serving of broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, carrot, and swede.
We couldn’t wait to eat so we loaded up our plates with veg and tucked in.
Firstly, as someone who isn’t a big roast fan, I really enjoyed this. One thing I hate is watery gravy, and this gravy was perfectly thick. The roast potatoes were pretty crispy, and the meat itself was great. The pork was a good cut of meat – not too fatty, and the beef was moist and tender.
The star of the show though had to be the Yorkshire puddings. “Danielle, we need the recipe for these – they’re amazing!” said my mum. She was such a big fan in fact, before we ate, she actually made me swap my Yorkie with her as mine was bigger.
Both roasts were £12.50 each (or £10 for a vegan option), which I think is great value for money. The portion was a fair size, and of course it takes out all of the fuss of prepping and washing up after trying to make a roast at home.
With (just about) enough room for dessert, we asked the waitress was the special was.
“Apple cinnamon and date crumble – with ice cream or custard,” she said.
So we went for that, with two spoons as we knew we couldn’t tackle our own desserts each.
Freshly made and filling, it was like eating at your grandmother’s house. A proper good homecooked classic dessert.
As we finished up, we headed to the counter and paid off our bill.
Our total came to £37. The receipt wasn’t actually itemised so I'm unsure how much the dessert and my wine cost but I guess they were around £4 and £5 each, respectively. Nothing was expensive here – and great value for money seems to be its draw.
Throughout the week, On The Huh also serves all day breakfasts, a variety of £5 lunch specials including soup, macaroni cheese, hash brown patties, sausage rolls, and mushrooms on toast, as well as a number of sandwich and toastie options. I definitely need to pop in and try lunch one day.
If I’m in the mood for a roast again, I’d definitely go back. I’d have loved it if they offered the option to add on a couple of pigs in blankets though - ‘tis the season, after all.
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