Olympic Studios’ 20 Minute Sunday Roast Kit
Sophie Farrah enjoys an Olympic-standard Sunday roast
I love a Sunday roast. I mean, who doesn’t? But whilst it’s a delicious and much-loved weekly tradition across the country, there’s no denying that there’s a lot of work involved.
All those vegetables that need peeling, potatoes that need par boiling, gravy that needs sieving, not to mention all the basting and stuffing.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just order a kit that magically provided you with a delicious, homemade roast in just 20 minutes? Well, the good news is – you can!
Barnes’ boutique cinema, café and restaurant Olympic Studios has recently launched an ingenious 20 Minute Sunday Roast kit.
I collected mine on a sunny Sunday morning and first’s things first – the packaging. Good packaging makes all the difference in my book and the Olympic has nailed it.
All the various elements of the kit come neatly boxed up and beautifully labelled, and all presented in a very cool Olympic tote bag, adorned with a film quote, which is yours to keep.
Back home, the cooking commenced, but I use the term ‘cooking’ loosely. I preheated the oven, popped the spuds, veg and slices of wellington on a tray, poured the gravy into a pan and gently reheated the hispi cabbage in another. The Yorkshire puds simply needed a few minutes at the end and wham, bam, thank you ma’am - it really is a roast in 20 minutes.
Whilst the oven worked its magic, I had just enough time to pop on the Olympic’s special Sunday Roast Spotify playlist (a scannable code for which is included on your instructions sheet) and pour myself a martini - and I didn’t have to make that either. The Olympic now offer bottles of pre-mixed cocktails for you to enjoy in the park, at home, or wherever you like really.
Each bottle contains three good helpings – I tried the Elderflower Martini which was spring in a glass, made with Absolut Elyx vodka and St Germain elderflower liqueur instead of the traditional white vermouth.
It gives a fresh and slightly floral note to the martini, which slipped down a treat. Also included was a little pot of beautiful edible flowers which made the most gorgeous garnish.
Back to the roast. Quite simply, it was delicious. I opted for the vegetarian wellington which was absolutely packed with a mixture of beautiful mushrooms, spinach and lashings of melted cheese.
The pastry was divine, and I am certain that the very generous slice would have satisfied even the hungriest of meat eaters, but there is also a choice of confit chicken leg or pork belly if you’d prefer.
The spuds were fluffy and crispy and the veg (mixed carrots, roast parsnips, red onions and hispi cabbage) were beautifully seasoned with fresh herbs and all came vacuum-packed, ensuring maximum flavour and freshness.
Thankfully, the Yorkshire pud was the size of my head so I definitely didn’t feel short-changed there, and the gravy was incredibly good, which is no easy feat as vegetarian gravy can be tricky to master, but this one had plenty of depth and rich flavour.
It was a huge plate of food – but that’s what a Sunday roast is all about, surely?
With eyes perhaps too big for our stomachs we then managed a cheese course – again provided as an optional add-on to the roast. Takeaway cheese and charcuterie boxes are another new offering at the Olympic and they make a delicious treat for home and/or picnicking in the park.
Again, all neatly packaged up in a lovely box, we devoured the selection of delicious artisan cheeses (Tunworth, Ogleshield, Montgomery cheddar and Harbourne-blue) sourced by Neal's Yard Dairy, along with chutney and biscuits both made inhouse. A sheet of tasting notes was also in the box which was a really nice touch.
Believe it or not, we also managed something sweet – petit fours, again made in house by an obviously very accomplished pastry chef. They were delicious and wonderfully rich and chocolatey, and just the right amount to round off the hearty meal perfectly.
So, there you have it – a truly delicious roast (and a few other tasty treats) in just 20minutes. It seems that I will never need to peel another potato again.
- Roasts are £18pp and include all the trimmings, an Olympic tote bag and a special playlist.
- Petit four £6 (for two)
- Cheese and charcuterie boxes £14 (for two)
- Premixed bottled cocktails £20 (serves 3).
Pre-order your roast before 4 pm on Friday for collection on Sunday at your preferred time between 11 am - 4 pm.
117-123 Church Road, Barnes, SW13 9HL; olympiccinema.co.uk
