When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good
Oh! the Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!
 English ballad from 1731.

We English love Sunday roast which has always been based around roast beef.

It was normal practice to roast "the noble sirloin of about fifteen pounds" in front of the fire for about four hours for Sunday lunch. This method of hanging the meat on a spit or hanging in front of said fire meant that a fire of good size was needed and would feed a large family on Sunday, and also throughout the week.

The poor did not have big fires and meat was not cheap. So the poor would leave their smaller joint at the bakers as they went to church. This meant everybody had the chance to cook and eat meat on a Sunday, and a tradition was born.

And that is why I had a splendid roast dinner today, but the beef was substituted admirably by roast chicken:)