Cord Kitchen, Bristol Beer Factory: 'A moment must be had for the gravy'

A solid roast south of the river

Roast dinners are somewhat frowned on by ‘serious foodies’ — they’re not refined, not innovative, bland, stodgy, the same every time. It is true that many roast dinners served in pubs and restaurants are underwhelming and overpriced, but not all can be tarred with the same brush.

To cook a good roast dinner at home is to get somewhere between five and ten different elements, possibly more, ready and tasting excellent at exactly the same time — often battling limited oven space, reluctant sous chefs and the three glasses of wine that might’ve been best saved for later.

A roast in a restaurant is a different affair entirely, for the customers can come in any time between midday and 5pm. How do you keep roast potatoes crisp, roast beef pink, crackling crackly for five hours? To deliver a great roast in a restaurant takes a hell of a lot of skill.

As such, we’ll be running a round up of Bristol’s best roasts in January. Know somewhere deserving of a spot on the list? Let us know in the comments.

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I don’t trust anyone that says autumn or winter are their favourite times of the year. How can you be so content when you haven’t seen the sun in weeks, your ceilings have begun to leak on account of the nonstop rain, and your washing from days ago is still ‘drying’ in the living room?

I’m able to bat away any counter arguments on the matter, until the subject of the return of Sunday roasts comes up. This is my only concession on the favourite-season debate.

The discussion of people’s favourite roasts always prompts the same chorus: “Oh my mum/dad/granny/neighbour etc… makes the best Sunday roast”. As a food critic, this is largely unhelpful as I doubt your nan will be extending the invite to me anytime soon. (Though I’ll keep an eye on the comments section just in case.)

Instead, I’ll settle on a critique of the roast dinner offering at Cord Kitchen in Bristol Beer Factory’s Southville taproom instead.

Cord Kitchen was conceptualised in 2022 by teenage sweethearts Will and Hilda. Inspired by Will’s head cheffing duties at Bristol institutions like The Grain Barge and The Canteen, alongside Hilda’s experience working in events management, they combined forces to form Cord Kitchen. Cord operates as a resident in pub kitchens: first at the Barley Mow, followed by the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom, Junction and then most recently the kitchen at the Full Moon, Stokes Croft. This pragmatic business model works for the team to adapt and secure new business ventures quickly and with the state of the hospitality industry in this country, who could blame them?

The Sunday I visited reinforced my dislike for the hibernal months. The journey to Southville shot cold, murky water up my legs from between broken pavement flags and icy winds finished off my already inverted umbrella, exposing me to horizontal rain.

To step inside the taproom to the promise of a roast was a great relief. The oddly named “L’Gary” greeted and escorted us to our table in a dining room which resembled a multi-use primary school sports hall. Floor markings, a disastrously placed dartboard above a four person table and a collection of books and teddies could be found awaiting children destined to tire of grown-up conversation at the table. I half expected a spontaneous rendition of Give Me Oil in My Lamp at any moment.

In a very pleasing sight for today’s hospitality scene, almost every table was packed with families of all ages. Evidently granny’s kitchen was shut this Sunday.

From a bumper menu featuring West Country salt marsh lamb (£17.50), topside of Hereford (£17.50) and an impressive three vegetarian options, we opted for pork belly with fennel salted crackling (£16) and the rarer roast offering of confit duck leg (£17.50). The roasts came with the usual trimmings; garlic and rosemary roasties, roasted carrots, parsnip purée, butter seasonal greens and chicken and tempranillo gravy (or mushroom and tamari gravy for the veggies). On this occasion we passed on the addition of cauliflower cheese for £4.50.

They’ve certainly got the presentation down

The pork belly was delicate and tender to the fork, with a lovely lingering richness — not leathery at all. The crackling, though light on the promised fennel, compensated with sufficient crunch. The roasties were golden with the perfect crisp to fluff ratio and a nutty, earthy depth from the garlic.

A moment must be had for the gravy: a glossy and moreish lake on the plate which elevated everything. If I were to Augustus Gloop into a river of this stuff, I would be content. Speaking of gravy, does your nan use Bisto? If so, I’ll have to politely decline.

The superlatives end there — cue a sigh of relief from roasting relatives at the thought of being replaced. The duck leg confit was dismal. Despite having experienced the optimal cooking method — roasting semi-submerged in fat — it was dried out and fatiguing affair, tasting like it had been left in a hot holding area too long.

The Yorkies, too, were underwhelming. Cold, crusty and tasting like someone dropped the pepper mill into the mix. Thankfully, Yorkies aren’t a deal breaker for me, I’ve never been too fussed.

What did make us chuckle were the comically large mounds of shredded vegetables on the plates. I’ve never eaten so much of the same veg in one sitting. It defeated me. If anyone is struggling to find cabbage in the Southwest, you’ll be sure to find it in Southville. Hilda does say that not having enough veg on a roast is a bug bear of hers. I say would it kill you to mix it up a little?

Cord Kitchen knows how to make a great sauce

I was worried that because I didn’t finish my greens, L’Gary might come over and tell me I wasn’t allowed my pudding, but out he came with a steaming plate of sticky toffee date pudding (£6.50) with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. This was exquisite and more than made up for the disappointment of the duck. Soft to the spoon, more cake than pudding, but tasted superb, hitting the right balance between not being too sickeningly sweet nor bitter to taste. Phenomenal.

Food-coma pending and still seated with the Apple Weather app open, praying for the rain to ease off, we philosophised roasts. Cord does a good, solid roast dinner. But I find the value of a Sunday roast isn’t dictated by the food alone.

After a long busy week, the tradition of reconnecting with loved ones over a pile of roasties is one of the best things we can do in the British Isles. Surveying the scene around us of families meeting new babies, partners being introduced to parents, hungover groups of friends searching for solace in a vat of gravy — it’s apparent that the key to a good roast is in the context in which you share it with loved ones.

All words and photos by Harry Hughes, edited by Meg Houghton-Gilmour

Cord Kitchen, Bristol Beer Factory Taproom, 291 North St, BS3 1JP

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