My Sunday roast journey across Cambridgeshire continues with The Crown in Fordham.

The pub has been getting a massive amount of praise after starting their new Sunday roast service last month. I was expecting big things, especially since I had to book a table several weeks in advance, further adding to the hype. By the time Sunday finally rolled around, I was absolutely buzzing to see if it could actually live up to the rapidly forming reputation.

18th century charm

The Crown is a beautiful historic pub where you can really feel the heritage when you walk in. It dates back to the 18th century and was originally a coaching inn. It features a striking old fireplace and a wood-burning stove located on the other side of the room. Wooden beams line the ceiling, with a stunning view of the local church from your window. This is the wholesome old English pub experience at its very best.

The Menu

There are quite a few menus available with a huge gluten-free menu that is actually bigger than the main one. I know many people in the Cambridge Foodies community often ask about gluten-free options, so I can safely say you are in good hands here.

The Sunday menu offers sharing platters served between two people with the option for starters and dessert on top. All the classic roast dinner options are available, from roast beef, roast chicken, crispy pork, sea trout, or beetroot.

These are all served with beef fat roast potatoes, roasted carrots, parsnips, swede mash, smoked cauliflower cheese, sage and onion stuffing, broccoli, Yorkshire puddings, and “proper gravy.” It comes to £22.50 per person or £45 for a sharing tray for two people, making it a fairly standard price.

Roast Beef

The Crown roasts their beef over an open fire, so I was keen to see what difference this would make to the flavour when compared to your typical roast beef. It is something I haven’t seen for some time in Cambridgeshire, so I knew I had to try it.

The tray is an impressive sight with all the trimmings on full display and two large Yorkshire puddings at the back. One corner of the tray was absolutely loaded with pink roast beef featuring a thick, caramelised skin. It looked beautiful and, for a platter for two people, it was absolutely huge – seriously, the meat portion could easily feed three or four.

The beef itself was so soft that it barely took any effort to cut. Beef can often be quite stubborn but my knife glided right through it. The fire roasting gave it a mild smokiness that really added an extra dimension to the flavour. The balance was spot on, as it would be very easy to over-smoke it and ruin the meat, but they got it just right. This, my friends, is how beef is done!

The carrots and parsnips were thick-cut, glazed, and lightly seasoned. They were soft, sweet, and an absolute joy to eat. You only get one each but they are pretty big, making them more than enough for a portion.

The smoked cauliflower cheese was stunning – probably one of the best I have ever had. The cauliflower still had a bit of crunch but it was the cheese that stood out which brought a mature, punchy flavour and a gooey texture that collided together to make a stringy mess of joy.

The swede mash and broccoli were both equally well-executed, but it was the roast potatoes that really won me over. They are the very foundation of a Sunday roast and many places fall to the temptation of sticking them in a deep fat fryer but these were proper beef fat roast potatoes. Because they were roasted in the oven rather than fried, they had that perfect light and fluffy centre with a crisp skin. I could really taste the actual potato flavour with a slight earthiness that is so often lost on many roast potatoes which can taste oily.

Other than some rather anemic stuffing, this was an utterly flawless Sunday roast. In fact, I would go as far as you say that it was one of the best Sunday roasts I have ever had!

Kids menu

Believe it or not, this is a kid’s portion! After the monstrous roast beef sharing platter, I was starting to learn that The Crown is a place quickly getting a reputation for big portions. Make sure you arrive hungry because this roast chicken dish was large enough to feed an adult. My three-year-old made a valiant effort tackling this beast but frankly never stood a chance – for £10 (which included a Fruit Shoot), it is a fantastic deal.

After sampling some of his chicken, I was impressed with the juicy, succulent body and crispy skin. It felt a million miles away from other children’s meals at restaurants where they are just offered chicken nuggets or a fish fingers. This was essentially a (not so) small adult’s portion.

The best roast dinner in ages!

The Crown is clearly onto something special. Between that incredible fire-roasted beef and the massive portions, it’s easy to see why they’ve built such a solid reputation so quickly. It is also rare to see gluten-free options treated with such respect; they aren’t just an afterthought here, they’re a proper part of the spread.

This was easily the best roast I have had out in ages and well worth the wait. If you haven’t managed to snag a spot yet, get a table booked as this is exactly what a Sunday roast should be!

Thanks for reading.