Sewards of Petersfield

Victoria's Roast Dinner.

It was Easter Sunday and the first steam up of the season for Victoria, we had a couple of odd jobs to do so they were tended to and by lunchtime Victoria was all ready for a trip out.

We had decided that we would cook our tea in Victoria’s smoke box, a full roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings. We have cooked jacket spuds and things many times in her but never attempted a roast. After a few miles of steaming her round the roads of Liss, she was ready to return to the drive and become my oven for a few more hours. I wrapped the chicken in tin foil and place it on a baking tray. Of course no one had thought about what we were going to stand the baking tray on so it was decided that we would take a rack out of the oven in the house, yes my nice clean rack was going to be used in the smoke box of our steam engine with all that soot and ash (not that there is much of that in Victoria as she has her tubes and smoke box hovered regularly). A brick was placed in the bottom of the smoke box to keep things level, it was all so high tech! The chicken was placed in “Victoria’s oven” and then we had to wait.

There was a quite a crowd outside our house. Many neighbours had their friends and family over for the day and they were all quite amused by what I was doing. We had decided to give an hour and a half before we would look at it but that was a long time to have to sit around and wait. After about 45 minutes we were bored so we decided that we would go for a gentle trip around the block which went well, although I was hoping that at no point would there be a chicken flying out the top of the chimney or that the tray had slipped and everything had fallen off into the ash, but there was no need to worry.

The spuds were prepared and ready for their roasting, the veg was cooked on the cooker indoors (how normal). After a couple of hours we took the chicken out and had a good look, making sure that the juices ran clear and it was all cooked. After the complication of having to go to Victoria which was on the drive and the veg being cook on the house cooker all was ready to eat. It was dished up and put on the table ready for the taste test by the family. They all cleared their plates so I think it went down well.

Now they can’t wait for the rallies to start as they think that they’re getting a roast dinner on Saturday evening. The good news for the boys is that I will cook the roast but the bad news is that you have to wash and dry up!!!

All in all a good day, I can’t think of a better way to spend Easter Sunday, steaming around the Hampshire country side whilst the dinner is cooking in the smoke box of your engine.