‘The Locals Roast’
Where village tradition meets exceptional cooking.
What makes the perfect roast dinner?
It started with one simple question...When we set out to refresh Sundays at The Compasses, we didn't begin by writing a new menu.
We began by asking our local community what made a truly memorable roast dinner.
The answers weren't complicated. Crispy roast potatoes. Homemade gravy. Proper Yorkshire puddings. Seasonal vegetables. Quality local meat. The sort of meal that brings family and friends together around the table.
So rather than guessing, we invited the people who knew it best into our kitchen.
A local home cook, a professionally trained chef and former landlady Lee Bush, each with decades of Sunday roast experience joined our Nepalese chef Nirmal in the kitchen. They shared recipes, techniques and traditions that had been passed down over generations.
That one conversation became the beginning of something much bigger.
What happened next?
We loved...They swapped recipes, shared techniques, debated roast potatoes.
What started as a workshop quickly became something more. Stories were shared alongside recipes, old traditions were rediscovered, and ideas flowed in both directions.
Different backgrounds.
Different generations.
One shared passion for great food.
The result wasn't just a better Sunday roast. It was a menu that combines the best of British pub traditions with the skill, creativity and authenticity of our Nepalese kitchen.
Lee Bush - Former Landlady
Rekindled old traditionsFor many local people, Lee Bush is part of The Compasses' story.
Returning to the kitchen, she shared family recipes, cooking tips and little traditions that had become part of the pub over the years.
Some traditions like serving gravy in teapots, were too good to leave behind.
And a few traditions... including the former chef dressed as a pirate walking a plank into a pool... are probably best remembered rather than repeated.
More than just a roast dinner.
The result? Today, The Compasses is a place where traditional British cooking sits proudly alongside authentic Nepalese cuisine.
Whether you're joining us for a slow Sunday lunch, sausage and mash by the fire, or a Nepalese curry packed with flavour, every dish is cooked with the same care and pride.
Our menus continue to evolve, but one thing hasn't changed.
Good food brings people together.
The story travelled further than we expected.
