Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire puddings
Roast topside of beef cooked to your liking, with tall, crisp Yorkshire puddings and a rich red wine gravy.
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 1 hr 50 mins
- Total
- 2 hrs 15 mins
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cost
- A treat
Recipe: Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire puddings
Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire puddings
Ingredients
For the beef
- 1.5kg beef topping or topside joint, or rib on the bone
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 2 onions, halved
- 2 carrots, halved lengthways
- salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Yorkshire puddings
- 140g plain flour
- 4 eggs, medium
- 200ml milk
- 6 tbsp beef dripping or sunflower oil
For the gravy
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 150ml red wine, or more stock
- 600ml beef stock, check label for gluten
Kitchen kit
- Large roasting tin Search Amazon for large roasting tin
- 12-hole Yorkshire pudding or muffin tin Search Amazon for yorkshire pudding tin 12 hole
- Meat thermometer Search Amazon for digital meat thermometer
- Balloon whisk Search Amazon for balloon whisk
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links go to search results for the kit, never food.
Method
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Step 1: Make the batter
Tip the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well, add the eggs and a splash of milk and whisk to a smooth paste, then whisk in the rest of the milk. Pour into a jug and rest for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day in the fridge).
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Step 2: Season and sear the beef
Take the beef out of the fridge an hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 240°C / 220°C fan / gas 9. Rub the joint with oil, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Put the onions and carrots in the tin and sit the beef on top.
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Step 3: Roast
Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. For rare allow 10–15 minutes per 500g, medium 15–20 minutes, well done 20–25 minutes. A thermometer in the centre reads about 50°C for rare, 60°C medium, 70°C well done (it rises a few degrees while resting).
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Step 4: Rest the beef
Lift onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for at least 30 minutes. Turn the oven up to 230°C / 210°C fan / gas 8.
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Step 5: Bake the Yorkshires
Put ½ tbsp dripping or oil in each hole of the tin and heat in the oven for 10 minutes until smoking hot. Working quickly, pour the batter in to about half full and return to the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes without opening the door until tall, deep golden and crisp.
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Step 6: Make the gravy
Pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin. Set over a medium heat, stir in the flour for 1 minute, then add the wine and bubble, scraping up the sticky bits. Whisk in the stock and simmer for 5–10 minutes. Strain, add any resting juices and season. Carve the beef thinly across the grain and serve.
Tips
- Smoking-hot fat is the secret to Yorkshires that rise: the batter should sizzle when it hits the tin.
- Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes or the puddings will sink.
- Whole beef joints can safely be served pink as long as the outside is properly seared; rolled joints should be cooked through.
Storing & reheating
Refrigerate leftover beef within 2 hours and eat within 2 days – cold in sandwiches or reheated once until steaming hot in gravy.
Freezing
Sliced beef in gravy freezes for up to 3 months. Cooked Yorkshires freeze for up to 1 month; reheat from frozen at 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6 for 5–8 minutes.
Variations
- Make one large Yorkshire in a 20 x 30cm tin and cut into squares.
- Serve with fresh horseradish sauce and roast potatoes.
Allergies: Always check the labels of the ingredients you buy for allergens — our dietary tags are a guide, not a guarantee.
From feeed.co.uk/recipes/roast-beef-with-yorkshire-puddings/ · Checked 17 October 2026
Questions people ask
Can I serve a rolled beef joint pink?
The FSA advises that rolled joints, where the surface has been rolled inside, should be cooked until the juices run clear and there is no pink in the middle. Whole cuts such as topside or rib can be served rare.
Why didn't my Yorkshire puddings rise?
Usually the fat wasn't hot enough, the oven door was opened early, or the tin was overfilled.
Sources & inspiration
Checked 17 October 2026. Written in our own words; we checked proportions, technique and food safety against:
- BBC Food: Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (proportions and timings cross-check) (bbc.co.uk)
- BBC Good Food: Best Yorkshire puddings (proportions and timings cross-check) (bbcgoodfood.com)
- FSA: Cooking your food (safety: cooking temperatures, checking meat, leftovers) (gov.uk)
- FSA: How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely (safety) (gov.uk)
See other recipes that use the same kit on our kitchen kit pages.
