'We don’t get stingy with gravy': Chapel Allerton bar The Woods on its new Sunday roast
‘The care we put into the chicken throughout the week continues into Sunday’
The Woods on Stainbeck Corner in Chapel Allerton has spent most of its life as a neighbourhood bar - a busy spot on Stainbeck Corner for drinks, a bite to eat and community events.
But this year, the venue has taken a deliberate step forward.
After launching its in-house kitchen in April and bringing in head chef Jamie Brooks, The Woods has now added a Sunday roast that general manager Iain Silver says is already changing how people see the place.
Silver describes The Woods as “a community spot” where people come for “really good drinks and really good food” without any pretence.
“It’s not a fancy restaurant and it’s not a dedicated cocktail bar,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “It’s somewhere comfortable for people to come and hang out. But we knew food had to be the next step.”
When the current team took over the venue, they outsourced the kitchen to street-food outfit Kerbside so they could focus on front-of-house.
“They did phenomenally well,” Silver said. “But people don’t really eat burgers three times a week. With 50 per cent of our business being regulars, we needed something that kept people coming back.”
The turning point came when Brooks, whose background includes Ox Club and Woodside, got in touch. Their first meeting “was one of those lightbulb moments”, Silver said.
“We pitched the idea of rotisserie chicken and flatbreads, and he was all in from the start,” he said. “He came back for his second interview with a full menu and it blew us away.”
The Woods launched its new kitchen in April, centred on rotisserie chicken, flatbreads and comfort dishes with Brooks’ own twists. One of those twists - the “mopping crumpet” - has already become a signature.
“Beautiful chicken, amazing butter sauce, and then a crumpet to soak it up - it’s become our thing now,” said Silver.
Regulars caught on straight away.
“There was real anticipation,” Silver said. “When we opened, the feedback was amazing. People were saying we were up there with some of the best independents in Leeds.”
The Woods’ Sunday roast was introduced in September. The team initially limited bookings to ensure the kitchen could manage the new menu. The first Sunday without the cap was a success.
Silver says the roast follows the same approach as the weekend menu.
“The care we put into the chicken throughout the week continues into Sunday. The brining and all those little nuances,” he said.
The sides have received just as much attention.
“A good Sunday roast is 70 per cent sides,” he said. “We’ve nailed the chicken, and we’ve got beef as well, but we wanted the sides to be what people come back for.”
The roast potatoes are a closely guarded secret that not even Silver has been let in on. Yorkshire puddings “the size of your head”, cheesy leeks with Guinness rarebit sauce from the weekday menu, and a gravy that takes seven days to prepare.
“The gravy starts on a Monday,” he said. “It’s bottomless gravy as well. A lot of places get stingy with gravy. We don’t.”
Three servings in and customers are already responding well.
“The first table we ever served called me back over to say it was the best Sunday roast they’d ever had,” Silver said. “Another couple told me they didn’t know how they were going to cook a roast at home again.”
The Woods serves its roast family-style, with sides placed in the centre of the table for parties to share.
“It adds to that community vibe - it’s the closest thing to eating at home,” Silver said.
The venue is now planning quarterly supper clubs, a Bonfire Night rooftop menu, Christmas specials and more private dining.
“We’ve put so much love into the food,” Silver said. “We just want as many people as possible to try it.”