An Ode to the Traditional Sunday Roast

Image courtesy of Rosadae on Flickr

The imminence of Christmas brings with it vivid memories of the traditional Christmas day lunch - which, for myself is one of the most satisfying meals of the whole year (subtracting the generally heightened stress levels).

It brings immediate thoughts of family, ultimate belly satisfaction (if not a little/lot of belly bloat), and harmonious happiness all-round.

For as long as I can remember, the traditional Sunday Roast has been my ultimate meal of choice. With this in mind, I'm extremely lucky that my Mum still bothers to go the vast lengths she does to dish up weekly platters of delicious, chunky roasted meat, complete with heaped piles of vegetables of every hue, not forgetting her amazing roast potatoes that always maintain the perfect balance between crunchy and soft (though I tend to feast on the veggies more so).

But with recent research stating that just 2% of the UK population have remained loyal to the beloved weekly traditional Sunday lunch, it appears that my family are one of very few who get to enjoy this kind of 'family time' over the dinner table.

For me, this is pretty shocking - I think food should naturally bring the family together, and that effort should always be made to subsidise a little bit of quality time that everyone can benefit from.

I've always associated food with family - it goes hand in hand, and our dining table is quite naturally the heart of the home. It's a rarity that I miss an evening meal (besides those days where I'm working an evening shift, of which a staff meal must suffice - begrudgingly so). Knowing that I'm one of the lucky few who get to experience this has opened my eyes to how it's really influenced my positive attitude towards food, healthy eating and nutrition in general (as well as appreciate my Mum's homemade cooking approach a whole lot more!).

Of course, it's understandable that for many families it's just not always possible to sit down and eat at a table - but, even if it's just a once-a-week arrangement, making the time for a hearty family meal with no distractions is an experience that shouldn't be taken for granted, nor should it be thought of as an outdated, past-generation thing (And that rule especially applies to Christmas day lunch!).