Sunday roast in summer — why not? The top chef’s recipes

Is there anything more comforting than a good Sunday lunch? Whenever I am hosting friends at the weekend and lacking imagination, you can be sure that they’ll be getting my special roast pork with crackling, apple sauce and famously golden goose fat potatoes.
A sunny weekend in August might not feel like the obvious time for a roast, but the chef Matt Tebbutt would heartily disagree, serving Sunday lunch year-round, whatever the weather.
“It’s always roast season,” Tebbutt says. “You’ve just got to change it with the time of year — it’s all about how you lighten it up and transform it into a summery affair.”
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This month, Tebbutt’s book Pub Food is published, a collection of 100 British classics and old favourites, including his go-to Sunday lunch of roast chicken with bay leaves and preserved lemons.
Rather than relying on his oven to cook a roast low and slow, Tebbutt cooks in the garden using a barbecue, adapting the cuts of meat accordingly. “I’d spatchcock a chicken there, or I’d do a butterflied leg of lamb with some nice herbed butter,” he says. “Or I’d make lamb cutlets with a nutty pesto dressing.”
Not only do you get the charred flavour and aromas from cooking the food over fire, but you can also skip the stress of playing Jenga with the oven so that everything — meat, sides and sauces — land on the table at the same time. “A spatchcock chicken will only take about 40 minutes to cook on the barbecue,” Tebbutt says. “And a butterflied leg of lamb will only take about 30 minutes.”
Hoping for barbecue weather every Sunday for the next month or so is perhaps a little optimistic, but there are plenty of other ways to give your Sunday roast a summery twist.
For example, there is Tebbutt’s go-to summer vinaigrette, which he pours over vegetables. Serving gravy when the weather is hot feels as foreign as mince pies at a picnic, so he uses this instead. To make it, chop up a shallot and mince a clove of garlic. Add a splash of moscatel vinegar, a generous glug of olive oil and a touch of Dijon mustard. “After that, I add the juices from the meat into the vinegar and mix it all together,” Tebbutt says. “It has all the deliciousness of the meat juices, but is just a bit lighter.”
If you believe that a roast is the sum of its parts, then you will want to know what Tebbutt suggests in place of the usual Sunday lunch staples. “Instead of roast potatoes I would put a few new potatoes on the barbecue. They turn into mini jacket potatoes.” He’d also grill some small, young carrots and dress and stew any summer courgettes. “I’d put courgettes in a pan with some white wine vinegar and slow-stew them, finishing with a bit of lemon.”
There are a few things he wouldn’t serve in summer: rich, creamy sauces and turnips, parsnips and other root vegetables that you wouldn’t find at this time of year. Ultimately, the aim is to evoke the feeling of being on holiday with the ingredients you use.
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“Introduce the flavours you find abroad to your British roast,” Tebbutt suggests. “If it’s Greece you love, grab some oregano and tomatoes or peppers. You could make a garlic, feta and honey dressing to go with your vegetables.”
As for puddings, Tebbutt says that nothing transcends the seasons like a pavlova. “It’s dead easy. You can make it ahead of time and just top it with the fruit that is in season — right now, soft summer fruits are wonderful,” he says. “It’s fresh and vibrant and you can put it down in the middle of the table so that everyone can just help themselves, which is exactly how I like to eat at this time of year.”
This dish is based on the now-classic vegetarian dish imam bayildi, which is delicious on its own but works equally well with lamb.
Serves 4
• 4 lamb rumps• A few sprigs fresh rosemary• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole• Knob of salted butter• 3 aubergines• 50ml olive oil, plus a little extra• Salt and pepper• 2 onions, peeled and diced• 1 tsp ground allspice• 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin• A pinch of cayenne pepper• 100g currants• 400g can chopped plum tomatoes• 4-5 fresh plum tomatoes, roughly chopped• 1⁄2 bunch each of fresh coriander and mint, chopped• Flatbreads, to serve
• 1 garlic clove, peeled• A few sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked• Salt and white pepper• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Put the lamb in a roasting tin and roast in the preheated oven until pink, about 10-12 min. When out of the oven and resting, throw the rosemary sprigs, 2 of the garlic cloves and a knob of butter into the roasting tin and baste.2. Dice the aubergines into 1cm cubes. In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the aubergine in 50ml olive oil for 10-15 min until golden brown all over and soft. Season lightly with salt. Set aside.3. In a saucepan over a low heat, add a little olive oil and sweat off the diced onion with the remaining whole garlic cloves. When translucent, after 10 minutes or so, add the spices and fry them off for 1 min. Throw in the currants and canned plum tomatoes and cook for a further couple of minutes. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, followed by the aubergine chunks. Check the seasoning and add the freshly chopped herbs. Set aside.4. Make the mint yoghurt by crushing the garlic clove and fresh mint, along with a little salt and white pepper, in a pestle and mortar. Stir this into the yoghurt, set aside and allow the flavours to mingle.5. Cut the lamb into thickish slices. Arrange next to a pile of aubergine and spoon the yoghurt dressing over. Serve with warm flatbreads.
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This is a great one-pot dish, which should take a little over an hour to cook, and elevates the humble chicken to new heights. The preserved lemon can be picked up at most good supermarkets now — don’t substitute it with a regular lemon. The saltiness the preserved ones bring is integral to this dish.
Serves 4–6
• 4-5 whole preserved lemons (small, shop-bought ones)• 1 large free-range chicken• Salt and pepper• 1 bunch fresh basil• 1 twig bay leaves• Extra virgin olive oil• 2 garlic bulbs, cut in half horizontally• A few slices of grilled ciabatta or baguette, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Halve the preserved lemons, scoop out the insides and keep the skins.2. Season the chicken inside and out and stuff with the lemon skins, the basil and bay leaves. Rub with olive oil and put in a roasting tin. Scatter the garlic around the bird.3. Roast in the preheated oven for at least an hour, basting regularly. Check after an hour, allowing longer depending on the size of the bird — but generally not leaving it in for more than another 20 min. To check if the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the flesh — if the juices that run out are transparent it is done, and if they are pink it needs longer.4. When the chicken is cooked, allow it to rest somewhere warm and catch any resting juices. Leave for at least 15 min.5. When ready to serve, remove the lemons from the cavity and smear the roasted garlic onto the grilled toasts (it should be very soft). Chop up some of the preserved lemon and scatter over the garlic toast. Put them in the oven for a few minutes to warm through while you are slicing the chicken. Serve the chicken over the garlic toast with the juices from the roasting tin.
Serves 4
• 1 tbsp olive oil• 2 x 8-bone racks of lamb• Salt and pepper• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked• 75g unsalted butter• 4 medium baby gem lettuces, halved• 200g pancetta or bacon, diced• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced• 100g freshly shelled peas, blanched and refreshed• 800ml lamb stock• 4 sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked and torn, plus extra to garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Season the lamb fat with salt and pepper then fry, fat-side down, over a high heat until browned.2. Turn the lamb over, put it into a roasting tin and sprinkle with some of the fresh thyme. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 min, or until cooked to your liking. Leave to rest for 10 min.3. In another frying pan, over a low-medium heat, add 15g of the butter and colour the baby gem lettuces, cut-side down, in the foaming butter. Throw in the diced pancetta, garlic and remaining thyme and sauté for a few minutes until coloured. Add the peas and pour in the lamb stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 min to warm everything through.4. Cut the lamb into chops and place on a large serving dish. Throw the mint into the simmering stock along with the remaining butter, stirring to give it a good sheen. Season carefully, as the pancetta may already have seasoned the stock sufficiently. Spoon around the lamb racks and serve garnished with the extra mint.
Lighter than a traditional quiche, but just as satisfying. Always source naturally smoked haddock.
Serves 4
• 2 smoked haddock fillets• 1.5 litres whole milk• 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped• 60g unsalted butter, melted• 50g strong cheddar, grated• 1 tbsp crème fraîche or double cream• Salt and pepper• 3 free-range eggs, separated• 1 ready-made 22cm round shortcrust pastry case
• Mixed green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice• Lemon wedges
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Place the haddock and milk in a large saucepan and poach for 8-10 min or until cooked through.2. Remove the fish, leave to cool, then break the haddock into flakes. Place it in a bowl and stir in the dill, melted butter, cheddar and crème fraîche or cream, then season with salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks and mix to combine.3. In a separate bowl, whisk the whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites gently through the haddock mixture. Spoon the haddock mixture into the tart shell and bake for 35 min, or until the filling has risen and the pastry is golden.4. Serve the tart in slices with a green salad and a lemon wedge for squeezing over.
Serves 4-6
• 1 whole best-quality Old Spot pork loin, 1.5-2kg in weight, boneless and skinless• Salt and pepper• Olive oil• 2 white onions, peeled and cut into quarters• 100g unsalted butter• 2 garlic bulbs, cut in half• 1 bunch sage• Approx 2 litres milk (enough to cover the pork)• 3 bay leaves• Zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
1. Preheat the oven to 130C fan/gas 2. Take the pork loin, season all over and, using a little olive oil, seal over a hot heat in a deep casserole or a roasting tray that’s big enough to hold the whole pork loin. 2. Add the onions, butter, garlic and sage and let the pork sizzle for a few minutes. Add the milk almost to cover the pork, along with the bay leaves, lemon zest and half the juice. 3. Place the whole thing into the preheated oven and cook uncovered for 1½-2 hours.4. Remove the pork from the dish and keep warm. Skim any excess fat from the sauce, taste, and pour in the remaining lemon juice. On the hob, reduce the sauce to a pouring consistency.5. Cut the meat into slices and spoon over the sauce and soft onions.
I love the combination of sweet and sour in this pudding, and the sprinkling of pistachios adds an unexpected sweet crunchiness at the end of each mouthful. The meringue mixture makes quite a lot, but it is difficult to do in lesser quantities. Any leftovers can be broken up into whipped double cream and mixed together to make a fool.
Serves 4–6
• 400g fresh cherries• Kirsch (optional)• 50g shelled pistachios• 2 tbsp icing sugar• 300ml double cream• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• 200ml water• 125g caster sugar• Pared zest of 1⁄2 unwaxed orange• 1 cinnamon stick, halved
• 4 medium free-range egg whites• 225g caster sugar• 1 tsp cornflour• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract• 1 tsp white wine vinegar• 75g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 110C fan/gas 3⁄4. For the cherry stock syrup, put all the ingredients in a non-reactive pan and cook until the sugar has just dissolved. 2. Remove the stones and stalks from two thirds of the cherries, then poach them in the sugar syrup until just tender, about 10 min. Add a big splash of Kirsch to this, if you like. Allow to cool in the liquid.3. Toast the pistachio nuts with the icing sugar in a non-stick pan, then tip out onto a piece of non-stick baking paper and leave to cool before roughly chopping. Reserve.4. While the cherries are cooling, take a ladle of the poaching liquid and reduce to a semi-sticky syrup consistency in a separate pan. This will garnish the dish when served and add a greater depth of flavour.5. To make the pavlova, in a mixer whisk up the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form and the sugar has completely dissolved. Throw in the cornflour, vanilla extract and white wine vinegar, and fold together with the dried sour cherries.6. Dollop or pipe the pavlova mixture onto non-stick baking mats in individual portion sizes — they will expand, so about a tablespoon per person. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 min, or until they lift off the non-stick mat cleanly.7. Meanwhile, whip the double cream with the scraped seeds of the vanilla pod — and a splash of Kirsch, if using — to semi-stiff peaks, just until it holds its own weight.8. Spoon a generous amount of the vanilla cream onto each pavlova and drizzle over the stoned poached cherries and the reduced sauce. Scatter over the pistachios and decorate with the remaining whole cherries.
Matt Tebbutt’s Pub Food by Matt Tebbutt (Quadrille £26). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members