The ultimate Sunday roast

All of us love a roast on Sunday it's one of the last great traditional meals that still, thank goodness, exist in this great country of ours. If we ever lose interest, I shall be forced to bring in drastic measures to ensure that every person is made to indulge in this delicious treat. It's one of the most important things on the weekly calendar for me, and one that I always look forward to. I don't have any time in the week to cook for myself or friends as I'm working at the stove Monday to Friday at Tom Aikens. It's a real treat to get the time to cook a Sunday joint, as I'm always rushing around every day and don't get two seconds to stop and think. Having the time to go shopping and then cook is an utter joy for me I find the whole experience really relaxing and such fun. Being able to share the shopping and preparation of a great meal with loved ones is just as important, especially with the young. Getting them to peel vegetables, stir a sauce or chop potatoes is great fun for them and something new that they can help with. If there's great food at the end of it, they should love to help, even if it's the smallest of tasks. It's the same with friends instead of sitting drinking the wine of the day and leaving the girlfriend or whatever to do it all, lend a hand and get involved. Sunday lunch is a meal that everyone should embrace and cherish; it's a time for a family to get together, to share stories, to laugh, and to enjoy one another's company. It's still something we all should make sure remains the heart of Sunday. Just keep it simple and don't try and overcomplicate things stick to meat, two veg and a potato of some sort, be it mash, gratin or, as I've done in this month's recipe, chips. For a Sunday roast, I always use a leg of lamb, a roast chicken, a four-bone beef rib or sirloin, or a six-bone pork cutlet rack. All the meat that I use at Tom's Kitchen and Tom Aikens is from farms around the country direct from the source. I have a specialist for each and they're all amazing and love what they produce. This has only really been possible in the past five years before that, I would have just called one supplier for everything and most of it came from France. But now it's very different in this country, we have producers who are just as good if not better than those in France. It makes me feel so happy to be using such great food produced in this country. Try to get your meat from a specialist butcher or farmer's market rather than a piece of supermarket meat. Although you might have to pay a little more, the quality it will definitely be worth it in terms of taste and texture. Find out what's cooking at Tom's restaurants at www.tomaikens.co.uk