After the guest list, next up for consideration for the Vicarage Sunday lunch is the menu. Our Sunday lunches have a few criteria to meet:
- Cheap, otherwise the Vicar’s stipend would be sorely stretched. This means fancy organic meat and any red meat not on special offer is usually off the menu.
- Acceptable for consumption by all the guests. This is why I tend to stick to pretty traditional roasts. We don’t live in an area where we can cook our beef raw or serve the lamb with a fancy salsa verde. And since I cooked roast pork for some dear friends in our last parish and only discovered on serving that one of them couldn’t abide it, I ALWAYS check whether there is anything that people won’t consume. I’ve been surprised by people’s dietary restrictions.
- Possible to cook on the oven timer, or otherwise be worked around our absence at church between about 10.00am and 12.30pm. And we want to eat by 2.30pm at the latest, otherwise the Vicar has indigestion at the Evening Service and the children have consumed so many snacks that they don’t eat the lovely meal I’ve just slaved over.
- I like if possible to make desserts the day before, or have a dessert that’s really speedy to make on a Sunday. There’s enough stress in the Vicarage on a Sunday morning without having to whip cream.
- A few good leftovers always makes a good meal perfect.
The Vicar's Wife 
How about some warming winter stews? Great opportunity to use cheap meats – oxtail, shin etc. Can be left to cook in a slow cooker overnight (saving money) . Add pearl barley as a great way of thickening. You can still have roasties/Yorkies and plenty of veggies. No need to worry about last-minute gravy production!
Go back to the roasts next spring when you can eat outside!
My boys really like pot roast – and brisket is nice and cheap! I finish the veg and gravy with bread for lunch on Monday.
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/meat/beef/english-pot-roast.html
Good old, reliable Delia.
If you can avoid those that don’t like it, roast pork is good – I buy the cheap cut, and don’t bother about it being ‘on the bone’
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/533892
and my vicar then makes lasagne with the left overs (yum)
I agree with Tim.
I stew/casserole every Sunday (unless we are feeling flush or have a rare Sunday evening together and can therefore eat our main meal in the evening). This way speeds up the preparation in the mornings and I can prepare whilst our 3yr old eats his breakfast watching Ben 10 (insert embarrassed emoticon here).
I use different meat and veggies and spices every week though to vary it. Caribbean seasoning is a current favourite!
Thanks for your input everyone. I confess that I generally stick to traditional roasts – somehow it seems more Sunday-y, but I’m now thinking about expanding the options… I guess I need to remember that Sunday lunch is about showing hospitality and not about the menu!