Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding
A piece of roast beef, rare, with a golden crust, escorted by Yorkshire pudding puffed in hot fat and pungent horseradish: the British national dish in all its Sunday majesty.
A piece of roast beef, rare, with a golden crust, escorted by Yorkshire pudding puffed in hot fat and pungent horseradish: the British national dish in all its Sunday majesty.
The roast beef of Old England, sir, is not a mere piece of meat: it is an institution, as much as the House of Commons. I want it rare at heart, crowned with its Yorkshire pudding puffed in hot fat, and flanked by a horseradish that brings tears to your eyes like a bad opposition speech. At Chartwell, we carve the joint on Sunday with the solemnity due a great ceremony. Stand firm on the cooking: an overdone roast is a surrender, and I never surrender.
- •Beef roasting joint (rib or sirloin) — a fine piece (the roast)
- •Beef dripping — a few spoonfuls (cooking and Yorkshire pudding)
- •Flour — two good handfuls (pudding batter)
- •Eggs — a few (pudding batter)
- •Milk — a large bowl (pudding batter)
- •Fresh grated horseradish — to taste (pungent condiment)
- •Salt and pepper — as much as you like (seasoning)
Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding
A piece of roast beef, rare, with a golden crust, escorted by Yorkshire pudding puffed in hot fat and pungent horseradish: the British national dish in all its Sunday majesty.
Why this dish? An ardent patriot, Churchill saw in the 'roast beef of Old England' a national emblem as much as a table pleasure. The Sunday roast, carved with ceremony, embodied the British solidity he celebrated in his speeches.
The roast beef of Old England, sir, is not a mere piece of meat: it is an institution, as much as the House of Commons. I want it rare at heart, crowned with its Yorkshire pudding puffed in hot fat, and flanked by a horseradish that brings tears to your eyes like a bad opposition speech. At Chartwell, we carve the joint on Sunday with the solemnity due a great ceremony. Stand firm on the cooking: an overdone roast is a surrender, and I never surrender.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beef roasting joint (rib or sirloin) — a fine piece (the roast)
- Beef dripping — a few spoonfuls (cooking and Yorkshire pudding)
- Flour — two good handfuls (pudding batter)
- Eggs — a few (pudding batter)
- Milk — a large bowl (pudding batter)
- Fresh grated horseradish — to taste (pungent condiment)
- Salt and pepper — as much as you like (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Beef roast (ribeye or rump) — 1.2 kg (the roast)
- Beef dripping or neutral oil — 3 tbsp (cooking and puddings)
- Flour — 140 g (pudding batter)
- Eggs — 4 (pudding batter)
- Milk — 200 ml (pudding batter)
- Horseradish sauce or root — to your taste (condiment)
- Salt, pepper — to your taste (seasoning)
Method
- Bring the meat to room temperature, season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the roast on all sides over high heat, then roast at 220°C for 15 min, reduce to 180°C and cook about 15 min per 500 g for rare.
- Rest the meat under foil for 15 min before carving.
- Prepare Yorkshire pudding batter: whisk flour, eggs, milk, salt; rest 30 min.
- Heat fat in pans until smoking, pour in batter and bake at 220°C for about 20 min without opening the oven, until puffed and golden.
- Carve the roast and serve with puddings and horseradish.
How it was made : In the 20th century, they roasted over the fire or in the oven, basting the meat with its own fat (the dripping), which was collected to cook the Yorkshire pudding and potatoes. Horseradish traditionally accompanied beef long before industrial sauces.
The contemporary twist : Present the sliced roast on a wooden board, Yorkshire puddings around, a ramekin of horseradish in the center—'banquet table' style to share.
Sources : Georgina Landemare, Recipes from No. 10 (1958) · Cita Stelzer, Dinner with Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table (2011)
Winston Churchill · Charactorium