The Refuge Sunday lunch

Let’s face it, it’s not often students cook themselves a full Sunday Roast, and if they do it just doesn’t quite compare to one cooked at home. So instead they do what millennials do best, we eat out. There are hundreds of options to go for a great Sunday Lunch in Manchester, but so far I have found none better than at Refuge.

If you haven’t ventured down to Refuge at The Principal Manchester you are definitely missing out. My last visit was my second experience, but this time rather than sharing their mouth-watering small plates, we decided to experience their newly launched Sunday Roast sharing platter.

The platter will be known to anyone who has experienced Volta in West Didsbury, and if you have you will understand me when I say it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Luke Cowdrey co-curator of Volta and The Refuge, described the platter as being “the same family style sharing vision,” and in my mind this highlights perfectly what Volta and the Refuge do so well. The experience of eating with them is shared, it feels like a family dinner – although your surroundings at The Refuge may be a little more upmarket than most of our family kitchens.

But despite this, the shared nature of the meal means you cannot help but feel comfortable and at home in your surroundings, the fact that the food works both in the cosy venue of Volta in West Didsbury and in the grander situation of Refuge is testament to this.

The platter for two people has three types of meat; rare roast beef, suckling pig and chicken, with roast potatoes, carrot and swede, red cabbage, buttered greens, Yorkshire puddings, heavenly cauliflower cheese and pan gravy.

The addition of cauliflower cheese is a stroke of genius and really adds to the feeling of it being your traditional home cooked Sunday lunch, although I don’t think I’ve ever tasted cauliflower cheese quite like it.

It is strange however, the Vimto-braised red cabbage I have not been able to get out of my mind since I went. As a massive fan of red cabbage generally this was a real treat, and even once almost bursting I was still not able to leave any left on the plate.

Our food was served with the most lavish Bloody Mary I’ve ever seen, definitely an order I’d recommend if you do decide to make a visit, although the Refuge also have a wide selection of craft beers which were also very tempting – considering the strength of the Bloody Mary I resisted this temptation.

Our meal ended with a shared apple tart, served with Madagascan vanilla ice cream – although sticky toffee pudding is definitely something I’ll have to go back for – be smarter and faster than me before you go so you have room to not have to share.

Sunday Lunch at The Refuge is served from 12 noon and priced at £39