It became one of the internet’s biggest “foodie” obsessions last year after videos of this pub’s huge Sunday “sharing roast” went viral.
One clip on Instagram showing the mammoth meat tray and its generous helpings of veg and yorkies at The Royal Oak in Hawkhurst amassed more than 1.9 million views online.
Outside The Royal Oak in Hawkhurst on a wet and windy New Year’s Day
Posted by Kent-based bloggers, Flabssometimesabs, it sparked a frenzy of food envy in the comments. “That looks mad good,” gushed one hungry social media user. “No chance I’m sharing that with three other people”, added another ambitious commenter.
So when clips of the new gravy-fuelled offering dripped onto my own social media feed, offering four choices of meat and all the trimmings, I knew I needed in on the action.
First announced back in February of last year, the high street venue’s sharing roast has grown so popular that serving hours have been extended until 6pm to accommodate more hungry punters.
It perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me to learn therefore that I’d be joining a long waiting list for the pub’s mouth-watering meat.
But as luck would have it, the boozer posted on its social feed that more pre-booked slots had become available for New Year’s Day and so I spied my opportunity to curb my Sunday lunch cravings, albeit on a less conventional Wednesday afternoon.
Inside The Royal Oak in Hawkhurst is cosy and was still festively decorated at the time of our visit
However, before we delve head-first into the grub, a quick word about the venue itself.
Located in the Kentish Weald, The Royal Oak pub and hotel is set within a Grade II-listed building just off the historic Hawkhurst High Street, at the A229/A268 crossroads in Rye Road.
For a time it was a favourite haunt of the infamous Hawkhurst Gang, the country’s most notorious smugglers, who hatched plans here to use now buried secret tunnels to transport contraband.
It was once rated the county’s worst pub by KentOnline’s Secret Drinker who visited in 2019.
But it’s had a makeover both inside and out and seen a complete reversal in fortunes since then.
For me and my culinary companion, our visit to the venue coincided with an altogether miserably wet and windy New Year’s Day which made the allure of the pub’s warm and cosy confines all the more inviting.
The walls are tastefully decorated with nods to the pub’s smuggling past
After nabbing the last space in the car park we headed inside where we’re immediately greeted by a warm and welcoming waitress who showed us to our table in the restaurant area to the immediate left of the bar.
An eclectic mix of black and white photographs charting the hostelries’ decorated 400-year history complements the modern dark blue colour scheme throughout and the entrance was still adorned with festive decorations.
The ordering process was swift given we’d already made up our minds more than a month ago.
Recommended for up to four people, these so-called “sharer roasts” — which we tackled between two of us — come with four meat choices; whole roast chicken, leg of lamb, beef short rib, or pork with crackling.
Prices start from £39 for the chicken, up to £65 for the slow-cooked sous vide beef which is what we had opted for and pre-ordered weeks in advance.
Each comes with three big hand-sized yorkies, a generous helping of crispy roast potatoes, veggies and a china pot of gravy.
Our food reviewer Sean Delaney prepares to tuck into the gigantic Sunday sharing roast
As additional extras we decided to get the oversized pigs in blankets and the creamy cauliflower cheese, both £4 a portion.
After our drinks arrived – a pint of Madrí for me and a Coke Zero for my partner who was driving, it felt like barely ten minutes had passed before a friendly waiter emerged from the kitchen with a huge smile and a roasting tray in his hands.
Those trimmings – Yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes and a selection of seasonal vegetables – were piled high.
The meat, which was presented with a huge steak knife in the middle, was roasted to perfection and seared to lock in all that mouth-watering flavour.
As I removed the blade it literally fell off the bone and I was practically salivating as I slid the knife to carve it up for both our plates.
Our reviewer opted for the beef short rib which fell off the boneThe sharing Sunday roast could easily feed three to four people
I don’t know how much the remnants of last night’s mix of beer and rum swirling around my stomach played a part in calling for creature comforts but I don’t recall ever eating beef as soft or tasty as this.
As any man with Irish roots will attest however, the true test of any meal purporting to be a roast dinner will be how good its taters are.
I’m only too happy to report back therefore that these were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle – just how they should be.
Not only that, but the carrots were just as tender to cut as the beef and the oversized yorkies and pigs in blankets delectable also.
Our eyes were certainly bigger than our bellies
Our bellies soon got the better of us though. As the pictures show, this mammoth meat tray can comfortably feed three or four people let alone two.
Not wanting to indulge to the point of discomfort we asked to package up the remaining beef which later went down a treat in a stew, helping to see off the remainder of the festive produce in our fridge in the forthcoming days.
We couldn’t of course leave without having a glance at the dessert menu which featured a choice of Christmas pudding, spiced apple crumble, or a chocolate fondant.
The chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream
It’s a case of want over need at this point but our sights are firmly set on the fondant which is served with a generous helping of vanilla ice cream on top and we agree – perhaps reluctantly after we see it arrive – to share.
It went down a treat.
Although if there can be one criticism it was, as my dessert partner in crime states, that it’s wasn’t totally gooey in the centre and was quite possibly marginally overcooked.
Having said that, our failure to polish off our sizeable sharing roast may have also been a factor in our critique, with it certainly being a surplus to requirements on the day.
Furry friends are also welcome at The Royal Oak
Out of five:
Food: Setting aside minor afflictions over dessert, the Sunday roast was the ultimate comfort food after the usual New Year indulgencies. The beef was some of the best I’ve ever tasted and cannot fault the portion sizes which were generous to say the least. *****
Drink: I was hit by the stout drought with no Guinness on draught proving a bummer. But drink was less high on my agenda and a cursory glance at the pumps showed this boozer packed more than enough punch elsewhere, particularly for real ale drinkers ****
Décor: Cosy and warm like any good pub should be with tasteful modern colour schemes complementing period features like fireplaces and wooden beams. It was busy as you’d expected it to be but at no point did it feel like it was on top of you. ****
Staff: Could not fault them. From start to finish they were warm and attentive with regular check backs and good friendly chatter. *****
Price: Subtracting a £10 deposit to secure our booking our meal came in at just under £90. This is obviously steep for your usual Sunday roast for two but I’d caveat that by saying we could easily have shared the beef with more people and split the cost. For the occasional indulgence you really would struggle to find better quality meat elsewhere. ***
• Nominations are still open for the Kent and Medway Food and Drink Awards 2025. To nominate, click here.
The deadline is 5pm today (Thursday, January 9).