“Would anyone like to try the Yorkshire pudding wrap at the Christmas market?” These are surely the magic words that everyone wants to hear their line manager say in the morning. Despite feeling qualified for the task and, frankly, quite hungry, I hesitated before raising my hand - because I’d been let down by Sunday roast-themed street food before.
A few years ago, long before the cost of living crisis, I purchased a similarly styled wrap from a food market in London, and £12 poorer, the disappointment and regret I felt after consuming that cold, dry, tasteless lump left me with only negative feelings toward the concept of using a Yorkshire pudding as a receptacle for an entire roast dinner.
But with the prices of food and energy rising, a home-cooked Sunday roast is becoming an increasingly rare treat, and many of us will be forgoing a traditional Christmas dinner this year. So, excited at the prospect of an unexpectedly extravagant weekday lunch, I ventured off into the winter wonderland of Broadmead Christmas market in search of its notoriously popular Yorkshire pudding wrap.
READ MORE: Bristol Christmas Market - All food and drink on offer and how much it costs
Run by Marie from JMF catering, the cash-only stall offers customers a choice of four roast meats: turkey, beef, pork and honey-glazed ham, all sourced from Easter Compton Farm Shop. These can be accompanied by stuffing and pork crackling as well as condiments, including veggie-friendly gravy, mustard, horse radish and apple, cranberry or mint sauce.
The honey roast ham and beef options cost £10, while the pork and turkey are a pound cheaper. This represents a 50p increase on last year, a rise that Marie tells us she’s endeavoured to keep as low as possible as she realises how expensive a trip to the market can be for families.
If a Yorkshire pudding doesn’t appeal, or if, like me, you have opinions on which meats it should accompany (only beef, sorry), you can opt for a baguette priced at £8.50/£8.00 or a roll for £8.00/£7.50. The veg is also locally sourced with mushy peas, green beans, carrots and mashed potatoes all available, and if you decide to forgo meat entirely, a vegetarian-only wrap will only set you back £6.50, the same price as in 2021
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I was initially sceptical about the roll mushy peas might play in a non-fish-based meal, but it proved an essential component, combining with the mash and stuffing to form a delicious savoury cement to bind this beast of a wrap together. Feeling that early November was perhaps still too early for a full-on festive lunch of turkey, I opted for roast beef with horseradish and all the trimmings, and my only regret is not asking for a fork to help tackle the perfectly proportioned layers of meat and veg.
The beef was tender and juicy, swaddled with vegetables boasting just the right amount of bite and bright, fresh flavours. None of the components had that disappointing ‘heat lamp limpness’, and unusually for a wrap, the consistency and its overall structural integrity were well maintained throughout, despite the perilous presence of gravy.
But what about the titular Yorkshire pud itself? It was soft and warm, understatedly holding things together without any rubbery chewiness. I’d suggest tackling the wrap sitting down, as the portion size is on the generous side, representing decent value for money.
I arrived at the market just before the lunch rush, and my wrap was whipped up in a matter of moments. But the welcoming stall and its mouthwatering aroma had a magnetising effect on passers-by and a queue quickly formed, though customers didn’t have to wait long as Marie and her team of four efficiently worked the production line.
Understanding that everyone’s ideal roast is unique, Broadmead’s Yorkshire pudding wrap stall is happy to let customers customise as they see fit. Marie told me that it's not unusual for people to ask for all four meats, and while we were there, one woman even requested the rind from the ham joint.
While I’m not sure I’d go that far, I left feeling the stall feeling full, just a tad festive, and fully intending to return and sample some of the other flavours.
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