Sunday Lunch at The Knife and Cleaver, Houghton Conquest

Who doesn’t love a good Sunday Roast? 

I was invited to try out Epic Pubs’ newest addition in Buckinghamshire, The Knife and Cleaver at Houghton Conquest. You might have seen my recent review of The Anchor in Aspley Guise which is part of the same group but with a different Chef and menu. The Knife and Cleaver has recently been taken over by Epic, and has been freshened up and revamped. The interior is so welcoming – it’s very bright but cosy inside, which made it a perfect destination for a chilly Sunday afternoon. Once seated, Harry and I ordered some drinks – a pint of local ale for Harry and a pint of Cider for me. The waitress then bought us some complimentary bread and olives as an appetiser.

For our starter, we couldn’t resist the baked camembert. It was served with Maple roasted figs on top which complimented the flavour of the cheese perfectly. The figs were soft, sweet and sticky and the camembert was completely molten making this a real treat for the eyes… and tastebuds! It was served with sourdough toast to scoop out the gooey cheese.

The Knife and Cleaver have four different roasts on the menu: Beef, pork loin, slow cooked lamb and nut roast. They also offer a selection of specials which sounded amazing too! However, as it was Sunday and we’d both been craving a roast all week, Harry opted for the roast beef and I had the slow cooked lamb. Both were served with all the trimmings; huge Yorkshire puds, parsnip, carrots, roast potatoes and greens. As if we needed any more food, we also ordered some extras to go with our meal. I chose the cauliflower cheese and Harry had stuffing. What. A. Feast. I can honestly say I think this might have been the best pub roast I’ve ever had. Everything was just perfect from the meat, to the veg to the crispy roast potatoes, and the cauliflower cheese was heavenly. The best thing about the meal was that you could ask for any extras free of charge; fancy more roasties? No problem. Not that we could have eaten any more food by the time we’d finished. We were totally stuffed, but it was so worth it.

After letting our mains settle a bit, we still had a little bit of room to squeeze dessert in… Harry went for the apple, pear and berry crumble which was served with vanilla custard. This went down very well and was beautifully presented in a dish and saucepan. The berry were very tart so the sweet custard made the perfect companion. I decided to have something a little lighter in the form of the Raspberry Panna Cotta which was served with meringue and a scoop of raspberry sorbet. This was a real treat – the panna cotta was smooth and sweet which went nicely with the slightly sour sorbet. I loved the little creamy meringues around the plate too, offering a nice contrast to the raspberries.

I couldn’t fault our meal at The Knife and Cleaver. Despite only being open a few weeks, the service was brilliant and the food was just amazing. Considering the roast trimmings are essentially bottomless, it is excellent value with each roast setting you back around £14. My only complaint would be the insane need I felt to nap after I’d indulged in all that food…!

For menus and bookings, visit theknifeandcleaver.com.

Rating:

[pipdig_stars rating=”5″ align=”center” color=”#FAAEB7″]

Where is your favourite place to get a Sunday Roast?