Sunday Lunch in Havant

Roast dinners and weekend dining options

Sunday lunch is a well-observed tradition in Havant, and the pubs and restaurants serving roast dinners are well patronised through the autumn and winter months in particular. The choice is reasonable for a town of this size, with several pubs offering traditional roasts alongside their regular menus.

The Bear Hotel on East Street serves a Sunday roast in its dining room, offering the combination of a historic setting and a traditional meal. The coaching inn has been feeding travellers and locals for centuries, and Sunday lunch here has a sense of occasion that a chain restaurant cannot replicate. Booking is advisable, particularly for larger groups.

The Royal Oak at Langstone offers Sunday lunch with harbour views, which lifts the experience considerably. Sitting by the water with a roast beef and all the trimmings, watching the wading birds on the mudflats, is one of the quiet pleasures of living in this part of Hampshire. The pub is popular with families, and tables by the window and on the terrace go quickly.

Other pubs across Havant, Bedhampton and the surrounding areas serve Sunday roasts of varying quality and price. The standard offering is a choice of two or three meats, roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, with a vegetarian option usually available. Prices are competitive with the pub trade across south Hampshire.

For those who prefer to cook at home, Havant's supermarkets sell roasting joints and all the accompaniments. The butchers at the local farm shops in the surrounding countryside offer quality Hampshire-reared meat for those willing to make a short trip. The farmers' market, when it runs, also provides locally sourced options.

The Sunday lunch tradition reflects a rhythm of life that persists in market towns like Havant. A morning walk along the harbour path at Langstone, followed by a roast at one of the local pubs, is a weekend routine that many residents value highly. For those wanting a wider choice, Emsworth and Chichester both have strong Sunday lunch options within a short drive.

For those who prefer to cook at home, Havant's supermarkets sell roasting joints and all the accompaniments. The butchers at local farm shops in the surrounding countryside offer quality Hampshire-reared meat for those willing to make a short trip. A good joint of beef from a Hampshire farm, slow-roasted with proper dripping potatoes, remains one of the finest meals that can be produced in a domestic kitchen. The Sunday lunch tradition reflects a rhythm of life that persists in market towns like Havant. A morning walk along the harbour path at Langstone or through Staunton Country Park, followed by a roast at one of the local pubs, is a weekend routine that many residents value highly. For those wanting a wider choice, Emsworth and Chichester both have strong Sunday lunch options within a short drive.