A new vegan Sunday roast for London: Lunch at the Amersham Arms review

Every week, it feels like something new, exciting vegan happening in the capital. What the Pitta getting a permanent home, London getting not just one but two vegan doughnut shops, and even Patty and Bun launching a vegan burger. It really feels like veganism's time has come, and being a herbivore has gone mainstream. What a time to be alive, and all that.

There's one area where veganism's still lagging behind: the Sunday roast. We used to have a roast every Sunday from when I was a kid til when I left home, and for a while I picked up the trend myself, cooking the full meat(less) and two veg at the weekend. Only, studying got in the way, and the only way I get to enjoy Sunday roasts now is if some kind soul makes it for me.

I regularly enjoy the vegan Sunday lunch at the Ivy House in Nunhead, but with variety being the spice of life, you can't imagine how pleased I was when I found out that the Amersham Arms in New Cross had started serving vegan roasts. Five of them.

Did I mention there were five choices? Unheard of! Even better than having five vegan choices, the Amersham Arms has six vegan choices that you'd actually want to eat. There was seitan stake and Guinness pie, chikken and leek pie, buff wellington, jerk jackfruit cornbread pie, and BBQ seitan and jackfruit ribz.

I could not get down there fast enough. This is what me and Mr Flicking the Vs ordered:

It turns out that lots of other ravenous vegans were also switched onto the myriad delight of vegan roasts, and by the time we rocked up, a couple of options had already sold out. Not such a big deal when you've got a menu that's packed with multiple delights.

I chose the 'buff' Wellington, he got the ribs. Both came with roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and vegan yorkshire puddings. Vegan yorkshire puddings! Be still my roast-loving, vegan heart. The Amersham Arms' yorkies are not an exact replica for those I remember from the pregan days - they're more soft than crispy - but you've got to hand it to anyone that cares enough to turning out a decent roast to make a vegan yorkshire equivalent.

And there's gravy - lots of gravy. I maintain that the best gravy is thick and plentiful, and the Amersham Arms' was both, so no complaints there.

There was mention of cauliflower cheeze on the menu too, but I assume that the roasts' popularity meant it had run out by the time we rocked up.

There was mention too, of a vegan dessert (cake of the week!) but the healthy portion sizes meant that we didn't even contemplate a pudding - a rare event! Normally, I'd feel hard done by, going home without cake, but I left the Amersham Arms a happy bunny indeed. Sitting down for lunch at the Amersham Arms is like rocking up at your mum's for Sunday tea: warm, comforting, solid cooking, and more food than a person needs. It's just what Sunday was made for.

The Amersham Arms
https://www.theamershamarms.net/
388 New Cross Road
London
SE14 6TY