Optus Stadium welcomes English soccer fans with fair dinkum British pub grub

Fair dinkum British pub grub will welcome fans of English Premier League clubs West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at Optus Stadium during friendly matches on Saturday and Tuesday.

Among the special dishes available at the ground are The Duke of Wellington, roast beef in green peppercorn and mushroom gravy stuffed into two slider-sized Yorkshire puddings, and a footy-shaped scotch egg with pickles and brown sauce.

The West’s food critic Simon Collins road-tested both Pommy meal deals.

While a beef wellington in England is beef and mushrooms in pastry, Optus Stadium’s version is closer to a roast beef roll or burger.

Slowly roasted overnight, the local rump beef is thinly sliced and softer than David Beckham’s talking voice, while the gravy smells like Sunday lunch at gran’s and is thicker than David Beckham.

The modest serve of crunchy roast potatoes accompany the easy-to-handle Yorkie sliders and make The Duke a real meal deal at $16.

The tasty, satisfying scotch egg — a slow-boiled egg, encased in pork sausage meat and breadcrumbs before hitting the deep-fryer, then oven baked for service — is a steal at $10.

Spicy with strong barbecue notes, the brown sauce is a combination of popular UK condiments Daddies and HP Sauce.

Other “scran” available during the top flight friendlies include hot chips loaded with baked beans and cheese, Glorious Loaded Cheeseburger Chips in honour of local side Perth Glory, who play West Ham on Saturday, and a crispy chicken burger with cheese, “baconaise” and coleslaw called Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.

What? No blood sausage, toad in the hole or spotted dick?

The British culinary invasion of Optus Stadium comes courtesy of English-born retail sous chef Michelle Rose, who once worked as a line chef at White Hart Lane — Tottenham’s home ground from 1899 till it was demolished in 2017.

Having also cheffed at Subiaco Oval and Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, she confessed to becoming more passionate about Aussie Rules Football since moving Down Under more than 20 years ago.

The Richmond supporter explained that while her small team had to produce thousands of serves of the special dishes, there was no cutting corners on quality.

She said the Yorkshire puddings, which require an extra hot oven, are particularly tricky to get right in such large numbers.

Made by hand, the scotch eggs were a favourite of Rose’s childhood.

“They are hard work, but worth it,” she said. “They’re going to be served warm with a special barbecue sauce, or brown sauce.

“We’re here to please the masses with something that’s good, that’s got a bit of love and attention, and some of it you’ve got to make it by hand.

“You can’t take shortcuts”.

The Spurs’ match against the Hammers on Tuesday night is also the debut for the club’s new manager, Australian Ange Postecoglou, who will probably be fanging more for a Mrs Mac’s pie and sauce after spending two seasons in Scotland with Celtic.