Lord Gravy never chickens out, even for a trip to The Larkshall in Chick-Chick-Chick-Chingford.
Even for a trip to Chingford for a roast dinner at a Young’s Pub.
Yes, Chingford, the home of Harry “chick” Kane, someone else who wouldn’t chicken out (alas to England’s detriment in Euro 2024).
I’ve been on run of mostly very good roasts, and I was a little disheartened when I realised that The Larkshall was a Young’s Pub, as most (not all) deliver watery gravy and roast potatoes cooked the previous day.
But I’m all for an adventure, the sun was shining, I had no hangover, and looking at the Instagram feed of The Larkshall, they were suggesting that the meats come from the BBQ in the summer. Interested.
Plus we had a special guest for the day:
Everybody Having Fun
But on the walk to The Larkshall, my accomplice announced, “did you see that there’s a dog show?”. Ohhhh that’s why we have borrowed a doggy.
Inside The Larkshall is a bit of a scruffy old pub – I cannot say I spent much time in there apart from visits to the bar which had fairly slow service, or the toilet which was up a tight and slightly wonky staircase. I say scruffy and old, but also you may call it charming, I guess it depends on your mood and vibe.
Outside, they had a really large garden, the type of which you just cannot find in zones 1 or 2. Enough seating for hundreds of people, and seemingly thousands of overly cute, heart-warming doggies.
We already know that I struggle to photograph inanimate objects every week, so this is about as good as I get photographing a living being.
Loathe dogs? Or perhaps cannot stand someone who sounds like Delia Smith on a football pitch, running an event around a swimming pool in Benidorm shouting “can we have a bit of noise please”?
Well this only happens once a year, but I believe that they have DJs every Sunday outside during the summer, playing disco and funk, at least from my experience.
Doggy, doggy, doggy. Oi, oi, oi.
Options on the menu were pork belly at just £17.50, chicken at only £18.50, beef brisket at only £19.00 or a mushroom, lentil and veg wellington at, oh so cheap, £15.00. Roasts for less than £20.00…what is this place?
Yeah, I’ve found a pub that not only had a compere that sounded like she should be in Benidorm (this reads derogatory but isn’t meant so), but also prices that seemed more like Benidorm too.
Given that I was in Chick-Chick-Chick-Chingford, home of Harry “Chick” Kane and all the TACO news this week, there was only one meat I could really go for…
At least until I asked the waitress what I should go for, and she answered resoundingly with beef brisket, as did the charity raffle guy, as did the smell in the garden – at least when our little borrowed furball wasn’t farting.
So, yeah, I went off script and ordered the beef brisket. I mean – BBQ meat, it has to be beef brisket, right? As far as I know, all the meats were on the BBQ, but I don’t know for certain. Maybe ask.
You aren’t going all the way to Chingford are you?
Maybe you should though:
I Can’t Hear You
One thing I will say before we go on, is that everything was a bit on the non-warm side. After all, there is no microwave outside. Personally I’m not offended by this, but some will be. I’m more bothered about flavour, thickness of gravy, crispy spuds, etc.
Maybe they would have whacked it in a microwave if we asked?
Starting with the carrot which was half a vertically-sliced carrot, softly roasted and unspectacularly good.
Likewise the parsnip, maybe a tad al dente but not so much for me, though my accomplice did mention hers was more notably tough.
Next up there was the cabbage, again pleasing but nothing earth-shattering, a tad on the buttery side, some crunch but more on the soft side. Nicely seasoned.
There was nothing wrong per se with the roast potatoes which is a miracle at a Young’s pub, they were freshly cooked and soft inside – yet lacked crispy edges, despite appearances. Another 10 minutes in the oven, or perhaps cut smaller in the first place, and these could have been ace.
Anybody Got Raffle Ticket 656
The Yorkshire pudding was actually excellent – again a miracle in a Young’s pub, perhaps because there was no heat lamp outside to dry it under. Quite an eggy yorkie, soft and fluffy for much of it and crispy to top.
And then the star of the show…
I really do mean it – holy crap, envisage an anonymous roast dinner in a Playboy bunny outfit making Eating With Tod gawking faces level of excellence.
It had a stunning level of smoky flavour that you’d expect at the best smokehouses in town (town as in London, not just Chingford), the meat fell apart, it was melt-in-your-mouth. My eyes are all puffed up thinking about it, though that could also be hayfever.
And to think that I nearly ordered the…
Finally, and you probably won’t believe it but the gravy was banging too. A thick, meaty gravy, I guess infused with the flavours of the brisket – it really was quite the perfect trinity of yorkie, brisket and gravy when eaten together.
Though they couldn’t totally resist being a Young’s pub, as evidenced by the thimble of extra gravy.
The Larkshall
It seems that I have the golden touch right now, every roast dinner is just impressive.
Even at a Young’s pub, and regular readers will know how much struggle I’ve had there.
I cannot emphasise how good the beef brisket was – it was up there with the likes of some of the better smokehouse places, and for it to have matching gravy was just a dream, and an excellent yorkie to boot.
There are no complaints. They even had a Steady Rolling Man on tap, service was good (at least outside, inside was a bit slow), veggies were good, the sun was shining, and The Larkshall was a fun place to be.
My accomplice had the same as me (no way either of us were risking food envy) and scored it an 8.85.
The only question for me was whether this was the best roast dinner of 2025 so far – the current number one of 2025 being The Devonshire. I enjoyed this BBQ beef brisket more than the super-tender sirloin at The Devonshire, the gravy was more my style here too. Horses for courses, but for what I look for in a roast dinner, I feel The Larkshall just edges it.
And therefore it gets a crazy high score of 8.72 out of 10. And it was just £19.00.
No roast next week as I’m going on an adventure to Trieste and Ljubljana for a few days. Will be back the week after, no plan as of yet.
Summary:
The Larkshall, Chingford
Station: Chingford
Tube Lines: Overground
Fare Zone: Zone 5
Price: £19.00
Rating: 8.72
Loved & Loathed
Loved: The beef brisket was BBQ heaven, absolutely stunning. Gorgeous gravy, excellent yorkie, sun was shining, Steady Rolling Man on tap.
Loathed: Nothing. Maybe it did sound a tad like Benidorm with the dog show, and the roast potatoes weren't crispy.
