We all have our favourite meals, and mine by far is a Sunday Roast. Maybe it’s because my mum insists on cooking one even if it’s the height of summer – and has done since I was a kid.
So I’ve been raised on good roast dinners – which means I can be quite particular when it comes to spending what’s now around £20 to eat a Sunday Roast out.
And here’s the thing with a roast dinner, there’s a lot of elements to it – and therefore a lot of room for error.
The Bristol food scene has garnered quite a reputation for roast dinners. I mean we’re home to the Bank Tavern where the Sunday Roast slots sold out for the entire of 2025 in just 15 minutes.
Competition is fierce, expectations are high – and getting a reservation in some places is almost impossible.
But thankfully I’ve found a little known spot in a northern suburb of the city that has yet to disappoint when it comes to its Sunday Roast offering.
I say little known because of its location – not a lot of my friends and family who live in east, central or south Bristol had heard of The Blaise Inn in Henbury. But the pub has managed to get itself on the radar for Michelin Guide inspectors.
In 2022, just nine months after it reopened under new owners, it secured a spot in the prestigious Michelin Guide. Inspectors revealed it as one of their favourite new additions to that year’s Great Britain & Ireland Guide. And this year it received a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was highlighted for good quality, good value cooking.
So there were high expectations when we sat down at our table in the fully booked restaurant section of the pub in Henbury Road.
I knew I wanted to save room for dessert so skipped a starter – but my husband went with the haggis sausage roll with homemade pickles and blackberry ketchup (£8). An unusual option, but one he didn’t regret. The pastry was light and flaky and a good size to whet the appetite ahead of the main course, while the blackberry ketchup was a lovely tangy accompaniment.
For mains I went for the vegetarian roast – as there wasn’t a chicken option on the menu when we visited. It was a sweet potato, goats cheese and walnut parcel topped with vegetable crisps (£15) and my husband went with the pork belly, which came with pork and apple stuffing, and apple sauce (£17).
As a non beef eater it really upsets me when some restaurants decide to only serve a Yorkshire Pudding with the roast beef option – but thankfully this is not the case at the Blaise Inn. Every roast comes with a large Yorkshire – which takes up most of the plate – as well as roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, buttered greens and seasonal vegetables.
My parcel roast was a really lovely mix of textures made up of mashed sweet potato, with goats cheese and walnuts mixed in. There was plenty of the pork, which was cooked to perfection and included the crunchy crackling – my husband’s favourite part.
The roast potatoes were crisp and fluffy and the cauliflower cheese was delicious with plenty of the crispy burnt bits around the edges.
For pudding we went with the apple and quince crumble with custard (£8) based on the server’s recommendation and it did not disappoint. Although personally anything accompanied with custard would probably get full marks from me.
For me one of the Blaise Inn’s biggest selling points is that it’s a pub with a country feel in the city – perfect to escape into on a cold winter afternoon and tuck into a delicious meal.
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