Last Updated on January 22, 2025

Hearty feasting on a Sunday

4.0 out of 5.0 stars

We arrived at the Duke of Greenwich for Sunday lunch to find the pub busy with guests of all ages, family groups and gangs of friends all tucking into great plates of food. Recently taken over by the owners of the Jolly Gardeners in Vauxhall, the Duke of Greenwich (formerly called the Vanbrugh) is an independent pub in East Greenwich just round the corner from Maze Hill station and just minutes from Greenwich Park.

The main event at Sunday lunchtime is, of course, the Sunday Roast

The roast dinners at this pub are all served family-style with sides to share. I love this way of eating – it’s convivial and means that everyone can pick their favourites.

I tried one of the pub’s signature cocktails – the Hebridean Queen. The invention of the pub’s Scottish barman, it has a strong flavour of honey and lemon – bringing to mind the classic hot toddy, but with gin instead of whisky, and ice cold instead of hot, plus a hint of rosemary.

My companion meanwhile had one of the pub’s tempting mocktails – the Blueberry Lemonade – a refreshing combination of blueberries, agave, lemon and soda.

We decided to share one starter, desperate to leave enough room for our Sunday roast and even (possibly) puddings. We quickly polished off the Black Garlic Hummus, served with roasted chickpeas and flatbread. The hummus was silky and rich in tahini, offset by the surprisingly sweet black garlic. 

We were pleased to discover that the Duke of Greenwich sources their meat from a regenerative farm, Lyon’s Hill in Dorset. I had the Dorset Lamb Shoulder with apricot and parsley stuffing, while my companion chose the 28-day aged beef rump with Yorkshire pudding. Both meats were tender and my lamb was enhanced by the strong flavours of the stuffing.

There’s a decent array of alternatives for non-meat eaters with two vegan options, both served with vegan versions of the sides. Curried Parsnip Wellington with cranberry and onion gravy was one of the examples on offer the day of our visit.

The vegetable plates are generous and packed with good stuff: crunchy beef fat potatoes, roasted carrots and fennel seeds, buttered kale, savoy cabbage and sweet potato mash. Plus, vitally, there’s cauliflower cheese. These days, this is often only available as an extra so we were pleased to see it included here – it’s such a favourite.

It’s worth pointing out that the Duke of Greenwich’s Sunday roasts come with unlimited vegetables and gravy – we didn’t quite manage to finish every morsel of our first round but it’s good to know that this is an option.

We gave each a challenging look across the table when the pudding menu arrived. It was going to be a yes. I’d have liked to see something more traditional on the pudding menu – the sort of thing I associate with Sunday lunches of old, a syrup sponge, a crumble, a spotted dick even – something with custard!

Instead, I had a richly indulgent and frankly huge Chocolate and Maple Syrup Tart with passionfruit sauce. My companion opted for the also pretty large, but light and fluffy, Peanut Butter Cheesecake served with caramelised banana.

The Duke of Greenwich is just a five-minute walk from the eastern bottom edge of Greenwich Park, so absolutely ideal for a long lunch before or after a good hike along the river and through the park or a visit to the market or museums. I needed to walk off my lunch and strode home feeling very satisfied.

The Duke of Greenwich offers a generous, well-thought-out roast in a glorious Sunday feasting atmosphere. Service is very friendly and welcoming too.

The most expensive roasts here are the beef and the lamb, both at £24, and the cheapest is the Hasselback Roasted Celeriac at £19. That price includes all the trimmings and all the veg you could ever hope to eat.  It’s the perfect local Sunday Roast venue and worth travelling for!

The Duke of Greenwich
91 Colomb St
Greenwich
London
SE10 9EZ

02088583577