Taste Test
|  | | | | | | | | | | | | | SOUTHEND UNITED | | | | HEALTH | | | | | | | COMING UP IN YOUR ECHO | | |
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A return to traditional values
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| Traditional - The Fox and Hounds, Ramsden Heath |
IT is one of our national treasures, as reassuring as fish with chips, red telephone boxes and HP sauce.
But the roast dinner has been something of poor relation in our affections in latter years.
Our tastes have moved on and now lean towards the more exotic, with chicken tikka now officially the number one dish us hungry Brits hanker for.
And it is little wonder really as all too often the promise of a traditional Sunday lunch in your local pub fails to live up to expectation.
It may have the roaring log fire, the twee brass ornaments and squeezy leather sofas, but these days the word traditional' seems to be a theme rather than a flavour.
Mass produced meat, frozen roast potatoes cooked in a deep fat fryer and vegetables that have clocked up as so many air miles they should get frequent flier discount, just do not deserve the accolade of traditional Sunday roast. But there is hope in this desert of dowdy disappointing dinners.
Shining like an oasis is the Fox and Hounds in Ramsden Heath.
Unassumingly tucked to one side of the pub is the Fox's Den - its small restaurant serving traditional pub grub.
But this is no gastro pub and so much the better for it. There may have been no ponce but there were certainly portions - hearty ones at that.
We began our roast dinner rescue programme with simple starters - a tasty tomato and red pepper soup for me and no frills potato skins with BBQ dip for Clive.
Taste buds tantalised, the jewel in the crown then emerged from the kitchen - two large oval plates swathed with slices of meat (turkey for me, beef for himself), real roast potatoes, tasty gravy and a yorkshire pudding, the only disappointment being this wasn't home made.
To accompany our meal, we were given our own tray of vegetables cooked to perfect tenderness and a good selection at that - carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and new potatoes.
We couldn't wait to tuck in and were delighted to find it tasted just as good as we hoped.
Despite the generous portions, Sunday lunch would not be Sunday lunch without squeezing in a pud to the point of bursting.
So in the name of all that is traditional we did just that - an oaty dense rhubarb crumble for me and a sweet sticky syrup sponge for the man - both with lashings of hot custard.
All this came for the amazing price of £10.95 for three courses each proving value for money is alive and well and living in Ramsden Heath.
Resplendent from our roast dinner rendezvous, the only tradition left to complete was the Sunday afternoon snooze on the sofa, which we did in style!
The Fox and Hounds, Church Road, Ramsden Heath - 01268 710286
Our verdict
Food - 5/5
Service - 4/5
Atmosphere - 4/5
Decor - 4/5
Value - 5/5
What we ate
Starters: Tomato and red pepper soup, Potato skins with BBQ dip
Main courses: Roast beef dinner, Roast turkey dinner
Desserts: Rhubarb crumble, Syrup sponge
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