Sunday Lunch in Bognor Regis

Traditional roasts across the area

Sunday lunch remains a serious institution in the Bognor Regis area, and there are enough pubs and restaurants serving roasts to provide genuine choice for families and groups looking for a proper weekend meal. The tradition runs deep here. This is conservative, traditional Sussex, and a roast dinner on a Sunday is as fixed a part of the weekly rhythm as church once was.

The Unicorn on Nyetimber Lane is one of the most popular Sunday lunch destinations in the area. Its roasts are well regarded, the portions are generous, and the large garden means that families with children can eat without feeling anxious about noise levels. Booking ahead is advisable, particularly during the summer months and around bank holidays when the pub fills early. The Unicorn has the advantage of sitting between Aldwick and Pagham, drawing from both communities and from Bognor itself.

The Fox in Felpham is another strong choice, offering a village pub atmosphere that suits a relaxed Sunday meal. The food is solid rather than ambitious, which is exactly what most people want from a Sunday roast. Good beef, proper gravy, Yorkshire puddings that have actually risen, and vegetables that retain some texture. These are not unreasonable expectations, but they are not universally met, and the places that deliver consistently earn their reputations.

Several restaurants in the town centre also serve Sunday lunch, though the pub remains the more natural setting for the meal. Some of the seafront restaurants offer roasts alongside their regular menus, and on a clear winter Sunday the combination of a roast dinner and a sea view is hard to beat.

For those willing to drive a few miles, the options improve further. The villages north of Bognor, in the countryside towards the South Downs, have traditional country pubs that do excellent Sunday roasts using local meat. The lamb from the Downs is particularly good, and several pubs make a point of sourcing their beef and pork from Sussex farms. Arundel, Slindon and the Lavant valley are all within easy reach and have pubs worth seeking out.

The carvery format, where diners serve themselves from a hot counter, is available at a few locations in the area and provides good value for families and larger groups. The quality is necessarily less refined than a plated roast, but for sheer quantity of food per pound spent, the carveries are hard to beat.

Home cooking should not be overlooked. The Bognor butchers and the supermarkets in the area sell good-quality joints, and the local farm shops stock Sussex beef and lamb. For many residents, the best Sunday lunch is the one cooked at home with ingredients sourced from the local area.

The timing of Sunday lunch remains a matter of some importance. The traditionalists eat at one o'clock, as their parents and grandparents did. The more relaxed approach, encouraged by pubs that serve food all afternoon, allows for a later start and a more leisurely meal. Either way, the principle is the same: good meat, proper vegetables, homemade gravy, and the company of family or friends around a table. In the Bognor area, this tradition is alive, well, and served with generous portions and a minimum of fuss.