An American man has shared his thoughts on a traditional British roast dinner after visiting a carvery in Yorkshire – and it’s safe to say he was quite surprised by the size of the portion
An American tourist has been left gobsmacked by the “ridiculous” size of a roast dinner he tucked into at a York carvery. Joel, a US YouTuber with a soft spot for all things British, regularly hops across the pond to explore the UK, ticking off destinations from Liverpool to Scarborough and Brighton, and most recently, the stunning Yorkshire Dales.
In his latest video on his channel, ItsJps, Joel, who’s also a dab hand at reacting to British culture clips, and reviewing iconic UK establishments like Wetherspoons, dropped by a Toby Carvery in York for a taste of the classic British roast dinner.
As he returned to his table with a plate piled high with carrots, spuds (both mashed and roasted), Yorkshire puds, and stuffing, it was hard to make out the choice of meat beneath the veggie avalanche, though a quick shuffle of the plate revealed what seemed to be beef peeking out from under the peas.
Joel couldn’t hide his amazement as he exclaimed: “I can’t even see half of the plate. Like, there’s so much underneath that you can’t even see what I got.”
Facing the camera, he continued to express his astonishment at the generous spread: “The amount of options here are ridiculous.”
He reminisced about previous Sunday roasts but noted this experience was on another level: “I’ve had Sunday roast in the past, but not with this many ingredients and things on the plate. The plate is so damn full, you don’t even know what’s on it. Half the plate is covered up.”
Joel was buzzing about his “first time here”, confessing he’d “starved” himself in anticipation and was ready to “go crazy” with the grub, hinting it would be “one of many” feasts.
Back in 2024, and Joel found himself in historic York once again, this time stepping into a Wetherspoons for a maiden voyage to see what the “wonderful establishment has to offer”. The YouTuber couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the bargain prices.
He was particularly struck by the £10.60 deal for a classic curry and an alcoholic beverage, branding the value as “ridiculous”. Once he’d finished up, he reflected that he “enjoyed it” despite only sampling the drinks, which left him acknowledging that there “wasn’t much to judge”.
Although he noted the absence of music or TVs, which left him a tad underwhelmed, Joel still seemed to have had a good time. He observed: “There was nothing in there but three slot machines so definitely geared towards profit from an entertainment perspective, but overall, I thought it was really nice.”
But this carvery adventure is just one chapter in Joel’s ongoing exploration of the UK. He’s already lauded our public transport and now seems taken with our pubs too.
When explaining the concept of a pub to his audience, Joel painted it as a spot where you can “place you can just go and talk to your neighbour” and “enjoy a pint.”
For him, it’s less about wild nights out and more about the “sense of community.”