Review: Takeaway Sunday lunch from The Raven, Corby

One of life’s little pleasures, pre-lockdown, was being able to eat a hearty Sunday lunch without having to stand in a hot kitchen for hours.

Going out for Sunday lunch, en-masse, has become a tradition for many families.

The Raven Hotel in Rockingham Road, Corby, is one of the town’s best established and most popular destinations for people seeking carvery food in a friendly environment. So when lockdown came around, and with many pubs needing to adapt to survive, managers at the pub decided to offer their famous carvery as a takeaway.

And last Sunday we decided we didn’t fancy the washing-up much, and thought it would be nice to have our first ever takeaway roast.

The booking process was really easy - you go on to The Raven’s website, pick your food and pay for it and select a time between 1pm and 5pm on Sunday to collect your order from their front door.

There’s beef, lamb, turkey or vegetable Wellington roast dinners on offer, with each meal charged at a set £9.95. There’s also a selection of desserts including cherry bakewell sponge and sticky toffee pudding as well as a full range of soft and alcoholic drinks to take away.

Between two adults and four kids aged under ten we ordered three lamb dinners and two turkey. We placed our order at about 10.30am and collected it at 1pm. The process was really smooth with no queuing and someone waiting at the door to hand over our order, bagged up, immediately. There’s also loads of parking at The Raven.

We got our meal home in about ten minutes and unpacked it. It was still warm with no need to reheat.

In the bags were containers of meat, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, broccoli, mashed swede, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, stuffing, carrots and pigs in blankets for the two who had turkey. There was also a decent-sized pot of cranberry sauce.

The portions were huge. We managed to feed all of us at lunch, and two of us at tea time with leftovers and there were still remainders in the fridge the next morning. And we’d only ordered five meals between six to begin with.

The food travelled exceptionally well - the Yorkshires were still crispy, the gravy still smooth and the meat still moist. The carrots were ‘the best ever’ according to the picky ten year old.

The only tiny gripe was the lack of mint sauce for the lamb. But apparently there are, inexplicably, people who eat lamb without mint sauce?!

This is really good value food, and well worth the £50 we paid. We were able to provide our own desserts and make our own drinks at home which saved us money. We’d easily have spent double that if we’d eaten out.

It was the first time we’d ever been able to eat a full roast at home without having to cook it first. Aside from cleaning out the plastic and aluminium cartons (they all get recycled in this house) and sticking the plates in the dishwasher, there was no washing-up to do.

And it felt great to be supporting a local business currently unable to open its doors.

What a total pleasure.

Six local pubs doing takeaway Sunday lunch today

- The Stag’s Head, Earls Barton: Two courses delivered to your door for £8.95. 01604 511631.

- The Olde Victoria, Burton Latimer: A full menu for takeaway served between noon and 4pm. £11.95 for a main or £21.50 for three courses. Children half price. 01536 721286.

- The Old Three Cocks, Brigstock: It’s roast beef and lamb today, with takeaway or delivery on offer. 01536 370167.

- The Red Lion, Broughton: Large selection of meats and to-die-for puddings available for collection or delivery. 01536 791337.

- The Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay: Sunday lunch kits to heat at your convenience. 01832 226254.

- The Crown, Wellingborough: Order by 11am for collection between 1pm and 3pm. Only £7. 01993 222007.