The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Sarah Marshal
‘If you’re knocking it, I want to know why.’
So say American tourists Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis as they film their first-ever trip to a Toby Carvery to try a Sunday roast, which they describe as ‘pretty tasty’.
The pair go to great lengths to reach the ‘home of the roast’, taking a train with their dog, Carly, from Ashford, where they were staying, then a bus.
After a mile-long walk, they finally reach the eatery in Westwood Cross, Ramsgate – and are pleasantly surprised by how ‘fancy’ it is.
In the video, the pair claim upon entering that Toby Carvery is ‘a much classier experience’ than all-you-can-eat American ‘equivalent’ Golden Corral.
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American couple Jeremy Davis and Cara Atwell (pictured) film trying a Toby Carvery for the first time and say it’s much ‘fancier’ than they expected
Cara says: ‘Inside is very elevated from what I expected it to be. People talk about Toby Carvery being the cheap version of a Sunday roast, but it is very classy in there.’
At the carvery section, the couple opt for a ‘little bit of everything’, with pork, gammon, turkey and beef loaded onto their plates. Next they move on to the self-service side and add cauliflower cheese, mac and cheese, peas, potatoes, carrots, onion stuffing and, of course, Yorkshire puddings.
They are particularly impressed with the potato options.
Cara says: ‘There are potatoes that have some kind of sauce, there’s mashed potato, there’s every kind of potato you could want.’
Upon first impression, the pair are surprised by how ‘classy’ the Toby Carvery is inside
Cara and Jeremy are impressed by the vast potato selection, exclaiming that there’s ‘every kind of potato you could want’
The couple fill up their plate with ‘a little bit of everything’
The pair choose to sit on a table outside and continue with their verdict on the £9 meal.
Jeremy describes the beef as ‘tender’ and the mash as ‘smooth and buttery’.
Digging into the macaroni cheese, Jeremy pronounces it to be ‘pretty good’, despite it tasting ‘processed’. Cara adds: ‘This mac and cheese tastes like one of our famous processed cheeses, Velveeta. It’s good.’
The pair choose to sit on a table outside at the Ramsgate restaurant and continue with their verdict on the £9 meal
Jeremy describes the beef as ‘tender’ and the mash as ‘smooth and buttery’
After trying the Carvery’s Yorkshire puddings, the pair agree: ‘There is not a bad Yorkshire pudding that exists.’
But they are most impressed by the gravy. Cara says: ‘This is really tasty and I can see why Toby’s calls their gravy famous. I feel like it shines on my Yorkshire pudding.’
Carly the dog approves, too, and is filmed licking her lips after trying a gravy-covered carrot.
However, the pair aren’t satisfied with everything on their plates. Jeremey describes the turkey as ‘dry’ and the stuffing only as ‘interesting looking’.
Cara adds: ‘I don’t like the beef. That’s going to be a no from me. It’s just too fatty.’
The pair are most impressed by the gravy. Cara says: ‘This is really tasty and I can see why Toby’s calls their gravy famous. I feel like it shines on my Yorkshire pudding’
Carly the dog approves of the carvery. She’s pictured above licking her lips after trying a gravy-covered carrot
But, overall, the couple decide that the meal is ‘pretty tasty’.
Cara says: ‘It’s not the classiest experience that you can have but it is definitely nicer than I thought it was going to be and for the weekday price of £9 per person – what a deal.’
Jeremy adds: ‘Would I prefer one at a fancier pub, like a gastro pub? Probably.
‘But also that would be at least £5 more. It’s not a bad deal.’
Looking back, did the couple think overall that Toby Carvery trumped its American equivalents?
How does the Toby Carvery offering compare to other Sunday roasts they’ve had in the UK?
They told us: ‘We’ve had better Sunday roasts at independent pubs and restaurants. We’ve had some more interesting sides at some of the smaller places too. We had a Stilton fritter at one that was wonderful.’
