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Original poster

Sunday lunch - how common in 2025?

167 replies

Partridgewell · 09/02/2025 15:31

Hi all,

Just pondering really and wondered how many of you have a roast dinner most Sundays? I had one almost every Sunday as a child. We have just had roast beef and yorkshire pudding, with raspberry and coconut sponge for pudding. I would say it's very unusual for us to miss one.

Is this still the case in your house? Did you have the same Sunday dinner as a child? Would absolutely love to hear from people whose parents or grandparents are not from the UK - what is your Sunday lunch tradition? Have you incorporated any traditionally British elements over the years?

OP posts:
IdaClair · 09/02/2025 17:17

I was brought up in northern working class England. Monday to Saturday there were three meals a day, breakfast, dinner and tea. On Sundays there was only one meal, and it was called dinner, but eaten late afternoon.

We still do it roughly the same way. Sunday dinner, every Sunday, roast and a pudding, but no other meals. Eaten late afternoon in place of both dinner and tea.

Wells37 · 09/02/2025 17:18

We do most Sundays but at tea time

greengreyblue · 09/02/2025 17:20

IdaClair · 09/02/2025 17:17

I was brought up in northern working class England. Monday to Saturday there were three meals a day, breakfast, dinner and tea. On Sundays there was only one meal, and it was called dinner, but eaten late afternoon.

We still do it roughly the same way. Sunday dinner, every Sunday, roast and a pudding, but no other meals. Eaten late afternoon in place of both dinner and tea.

No breakfast ? Not even for the children?

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General food
FreedomandPeace · 09/02/2025 17:21

IdaClair · 09/02/2025 17:17

I was brought up in northern working class England. Monday to Saturday there were three meals a day, breakfast, dinner and tea. On Sundays there was only one meal, and it was called dinner, but eaten late afternoon.

We still do it roughly the same way. Sunday dinner, every Sunday, roast and a pudding, but no other meals. Eaten late afternoon in place of both dinner and tea.

This is exactly what we do.
One large meal 4pm ish. Nothing after. It means not having to do two meals because at some point we’d just like a rest from it all 😁

PonyPatter44 · 09/02/2025 17:21

We have roast dinner most Sunday evenings. Its a very low-faff sort of meal, really. Chicken or joint into the oven, do some roasties, cook some green veg... done. Its even easier in the summer when i just do a green salad alongside the chicken!

Perplexed20 · 09/02/2025 17:25

Yep, pretty much every week. It's family time.
Left overs for another meal during week.

Boope · 09/02/2025 17:26

We do, it's my favourite meal. We eat in the evening though. DS (29) coming over tonight so I will do Yorkshire puddings as well. I don't bother for just the two of us.

Moorfellduck · 09/02/2025 17:26

Are you stuck for material for an article OP?

AmadeustheAlpaca · 09/02/2025 17:32

Jollyjoy · 09/02/2025 16:56

I think this is an English thing and not common in Scotland where I am from - as far as I can judge anecdotally, I'd be interested if others would say the same. I didn't grow up with it and no way would I be fannying about with a big meal on a Sunday!

I agree. I've lived in different parts of Scotland most of my life and it was never a big thing. My Scottish parents didn't have roast Sunday lunches when they were children either. When my own children were young we tended on Sundays to have a snack for lunch then go out for the day, maybe taking more snacks with us. Main meal of the day was in the evening, very rarely a roast.

prawncocktailcrispss · 09/02/2025 17:32

Every Sunday - never miss, and if we can afford we will eat Sunday lunch out as a family. My kids love it - and I hope they will cook it for their family when they are older.

ayvasili · 09/02/2025 17:35

My parents are English and Greek and I grew up with Sunday roast, and I have passed the love of it in to my own children. We do not live in the UK, but have had Sunday roast every Sunday for as long as I can remember, unless we have plans outside of the house. My kids (now young adults) do not like the thought of any other food on a Sunday, it has to be roast (usually chicken) with roast potatoes, salad, and Yorkshire puddings. If I remember to, I will make the giblets and gravy for my husband. Leftovers are used for chicken pie or sandwiched later in the week

FreedomandPeace · 09/02/2025 17:36

Shepherds pie on Monday
Chops on Tuesday
Sausage on Wednesday
Kidneys on Thursday
Fish on Friday
Sandwiches on Saturday
Roast on Sunday

and repeat, every week.
My MILs meal plan that my dh and FIL used to recite.
even if FIL was cooking he kept to this strict plan 🤣

Charlize43 · 09/02/2025 17:39

I do sometimes have friends round for spaghetti on a Sunday but I with the Cost of Living crisis, I couldn't afford to lay on a traditional Sunday lunch for six unless I shoplifted it from the Supermarket. I know that shoplifting is on the increase but I don't think that I've got a handbag large enough... A large roast chicken is quite cumbersome, not to mention all the vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. Having the gas on for so long to roast a chicken would also be a problem at the mo.

Spaghetti will have to do and my friends normally bring over the wine.

IHateBakedBeans · 09/02/2025 17:39

We do most weeks, eaten at kids teatime so about 5pm. We light the candelabra in the dining room and the kids lay the table and it is lovely.

LarryUnderwood · 09/02/2025 17:40

Most Sundays we have a roast. Lamb today.

Jo1667 · 09/02/2025 17:48

I very rarely have a roast dinner on Sunday. If I do make one, it will be chicken, with veg, mash, roasties, and Yorkshires. I live on my own so will have the same on Monday evening for my tea. Then chicken sandwiches for work lunches for a couple of days and then strip the carcass and use that chicken to make a curry. Then use the carcass to make stock for a soup.
I buy chicken for the roast as I can make other meals from it and is more affordable than red meat (which I don't really like cold).
When I was growing up (mining town in Northern England) we had a roast dinner every week. Mam wasn't the best cook, so it was overcooked meat (lots of gravy disguised the dryness or burnt where it had 'caught') and soft veg, but it was all I knew.

NotMeekNotObedient · 09/02/2025 17:50

We always had Sunday dinner, we often had grandparents over. My mum didn't work.

I work part time and only do a roast about 5-6 times a year, Xmas, New Years Day and Easter being included.

I'm so knackered from juggling ageing DF, DD3 and working three days. We host grandparents during the week for dinner so we get some quiet time at weekends.

I do tend to do more complex recipes at the weekend. I think people eat a much wider variety of meals now too so not having a roast doesn't necessarily mean people aren't having a nice meal together. But it definitely doesn't have that same significance as a day. Probably because people eat a lot more meat during the week these days.

WellsAndThistles · 09/02/2025 17:52

I would love to but as it's just me and DH it's not worth it and creates too many leftovers.

We prefer to eat out when we fancy a roast dinner now.

greengreyblue · 09/02/2025 17:53

Jo1667 · 09/02/2025 17:48

I very rarely have a roast dinner on Sunday. If I do make one, it will be chicken, with veg, mash, roasties, and Yorkshires. I live on my own so will have the same on Monday evening for my tea. Then chicken sandwiches for work lunches for a couple of days and then strip the carcass and use that chicken to make a curry. Then use the carcass to make stock for a soup.
I buy chicken for the roast as I can make other meals from it and is more affordable than red meat (which I don't really like cold).
When I was growing up (mining town in Northern England) we had a roast dinner every week. Mam wasn't the best cook, so it was overcooked meat (lots of gravy disguised the dryness or burnt where it had 'caught') and soft veg, but it was all I knew.

Gas ovens often ‘caught’ the meat . These days that’s quite desirable!

theduchessofspork · 09/02/2025 17:54

I love it but it depends on what we’re doing - sometimes we might have it as early dinner. It does break the day up.

But once a month for sure - a bit more in winter.

When I was a kid I think it was more like 2 or 3 times a month.

IdaClair · 09/02/2025 17:57

greengreyblue · 09/02/2025 17:20

No breakfast ? Not even for the children?

Show quote history

Just the one meal, served around 4pm. No breakfast, not when I was a child and not for my DC, it’s Sunday. Same as Christmas Day and Easter Day etc. I wouldn’t deny the DC if they were really hungry but it didn’t really come up, if we’d ever bother asking we’d just be told off for ruining our dinner and sent out to play.

neverthelastone · 09/02/2025 17:59

Always used to as a child - like the OP it was rarely missed! We almost always had fruit salad and cream for pudding.

Rarely have one now - we’re often either out doing something or working on a Sunday.

Remember that if you grew up before the millennium that the Sunday Trading laws meant that few things were open on Sundays - from shops to cafes and restaurants. Near us only the newsagent was open between 10 and 1pm. So there wasn’t much to do on a Sunday apart from go to church, have a roast dinner, do your homework in the afternoon and then watch Sunday evening telly! And our parents weren’t having to check their email to finish up some bits of work, either.

RoseyLentil · 09/02/2025 18:04

Never did as a child. We were very outdoorsy as a family so we were usually on top of a mountain with sandwiches 🤣
As an adult I've never bothered.

caringcarer · 09/02/2025 18:05

I often do a roast midweek when we are less busy.

TokyoSushi · 09/02/2025 18:07

Yes we do, but for dinner every Sunday in winter, in summer it switches to BBQ, or roast chicken and a 'Mumsnet big salad' type of thing.

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