Hawksmoor Manchester

Hawksmoor keeps things single-minded on a Sunday: the roast is built around a slow-cooked whole rump of dry-aged beef, with beef the kitchen's speciality. The plate comes with beef-dripping roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding and a bone-marrow gravy, all served under the soaring ceilings of a grand former Victorian courthouse. It is not cheap, and it is not trying to be, but for a celebration or a lazy, wine-led afternoon it is widely rated among the city's best. A vegetarian Winslade Wellington stands in for those skipping the meat. It tops the list on execution and setting rather than price: at around £30-plus per person it is the dearest here and, being beef-only, it lacks the lamb, pork or poultry you would find elsewhere. Choose it over the cheaper Hispi below when a grand room and a wine-led celebration matter as much as the plate; skip it if you want variety or a wallet-friendly Sunday.