Sunday Roast Platter By Hogbroast At The Mixing House, Derby
Published On Sunday 8 Jun 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Well, what a blast from the past! The Man and I were kindly invited along by Matt and Jordan of HogBroast to sample their Sunday Roast Platter at [the kitchen they rent from] The Mixing House in Derby and, when we got there, realised that we know this place – we hadn’t recognised the venue’s name at the time of being invited. We used to know this place very well, actually! Formerly The Pitcher and Piano, we attended the opening of its rooftop terrace, and had several lovely meals there, too, back in the day.
Not much has changed to the décor; it’s still an open-plan space with the main bar/drinking area located at the front, and a raised seating area for dining. Funnily enough, our server took us over to the booth table right at the back, which always used to be ‘our‘ table. Maybe the universe had been ear-wigging when the invite was extended; who knows? As soon as we were seated, water for the table was offered, and we were handed a drinks menu to look through. I fancied a Mai Tai, and The Man went for a Raspberry Mojito; well, when cocktails are 2-4-1, it’d be rude not to indulge.
As well as the classic Sunday Roasts, HogBroast also have a nifty ‘regular’ menu that is available every day; on here you’ll find burgers, fries, small plates/starters (such as Korean Chicken, Loaded Nachos and Buffalo Wings) and the Sharing [or not!] Platters. There’s also crowd-pleasing ‘old school puddings’, such as Cornflake Tart and Jam Roly Poly with Custard for if you have room for a sweet treat.
Prices for the Sunday Roasts are very reasonable: Braised Beef is £15.95, Veggie Roast, Pan-roast Chicken and Glazed Gammon are £14.95 each, and all the meats cost £19.95. Each roast comes with Roasties, Yorkshire Pud, Sausage Stuffing and Seasonal Vegetables. If you’re going the whole hog, so to speak, go for the platter (£22.50 pp) which comprises all the meats and all the sides (usually £3.50 each): Cauliflower Cheese, Mashed Potato, Red Cabbage, and Pigs in Blankets.
As we waited for Jordan to cook our food (Matt was in Wirksworth for the Bank Holiday event there), several of the sharing boards from the regular menu went past, and I have to say that they looked very scrummy…and very generous. It wasn’t long before our huge, food-laden white platter and the wooden board with the Red Cabbage, Cauli Cheese and jug of [extra] Gravy was being placed down for us, and then our server went off to fetch the Mint and Horseradish sauces that we asked for. At this point, we took the opportunity to order a bottle of Argentinean Malbec (a steal at £20.95 for the bottle!); the wine list isn’t the most extensive, but what is there covers all the bases, style-wise.
Having eschewed brekkie, we were absolutely Hank Marvin, so tucked in with no decorum whatsoever! I was in charge of the meats, and divvied up the sizeable slab of Braised Beef, slice of Gammon and quarter Chicken between our two plates. If I’m being super-picky – and with the benefit of hindsight – I would say that a half Chicken would’ve been nicer…and maybe another slice of Gammon. There was no shortage of vegetables, and all of them were cooked perfectly.
The Red Cabbage was sweet, with a marvellously jammy texture to it; this was really flavoursome, and some of the best Red Cabbage around at the moment, in my opinion. Those of you who don’t like your cabbage spiced, this’ll be the morsel for you. There was a gorgeous medley of sliced Baby Leeks, shredded Savoy Cabbage, and sweet Garden Peas to enjoy, all of which were very tasty. It’s The Man who’s the potato lover in our flock, but I was smitten with the mash! Chef had baked the spuds in the oven and scooped out their inners to crush for a gently textural mash and, combined with a smidge of butter, their nutty flavour came through in the mouth. Every bit as good were the roasties, being a perfect example of how these iconic beauties should be: crisp (but not tough) on their pleasingly golden outers, with fluffily soft inners.
You all know that His Nibs and I consider Cauliflower Cheese an essential part of our Sunday roast, and the one served by HogBroast is certainly one to remember. Florets of the pale vegetable were nice and gently firm, with their delicate flavour still clear on the palate, and they had been partnered with a cheesier-than-cheesy sauce and topped with oodles of cheese whose melted strings formed an edible tight-rope between our plates and the serving bowl that housed them! Swoon-worthy, most definitely. Hiding shyly under the slices of meat was a two-toned quenelle of mashed Swede and Carrot, that tasted both sweet and earthy and had a nice ‘body’ to it. Jordan had made a good job of the Yorkie, and it had crisp sides with a lovely batter-y flavour to it.
When the menu said that Pigs in Blankets came as part of the Platter, we’d both assumed that they would be the miniature ones that you get at Christmas. Nope, they were full size Sausages (with no repeat factor in sight – hurrah!) wrapped in a thick slice of farmhouse Bacon; unexpected, but very happily so. It turned out that we didn’t need the extra gravy; there was enough of the pan juices on the platter to provide a nice level of moisture without drowning the food, so we were happy with that.
Our tummies certainly knew that they’d just feasted handsomely, and our original plan to have pudding got ditched! It’s a good excuse to go back and maybe have one of the sharing [ or not!] platters another time at The Mixing House…and we might get to meet Matt in person as well, which would be nice. Hot Wings given to this Derby Duo; they may be a little off the beaten-track, but they’re worth sniffing out. To book a table at The Mixing house call 01332 854442; they’re closed Mon-Weds, open Thurs 5-11pm, Friday 3pm-1am, Sat Noon- 1am, and Sunday Noon-10pm. You can check Hogbroast out on Facebook - look for the cheeky, curly-tailed pink pig logo; the lads would very much appreciate the follow, and you can see all the latest info. on where they’ll be at (other than The Mixing House, obvs!).
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