Railway food

[Wyvern]

Do you remember all the jokes about British Railways food?

We really didnt know when we were well off, did we?

 

[Moonshot]

It really was dire in the days of British Rail.

Today the food offering on trains isnt even on passengers radar.......all they require is a train thats regular and punctual. If they want something to eat, there is a large choice of outlets at major stations.

 

[dk1]

Although on train catering is still very popular albeit a bit more food to go.

 

[wimbledonpete]

I think if you have an M&S and a Pret at the station the on-board offering isn't worth thinking about. Although there was nothing like having a full meal with proper plates and cutlery in a restaurant car, or even a properly toasted bacon sandwich on an old 4BIG unit coming back from Brighton.

 

[Greenback]

To be fair, I never found BR food to be quite as bad as the jokes made out. I remember I had a very nice egg sandwich from a platform kiosk in Bristol Temple Meads during the winter of 1994/1995...

Also in fairness, catering has improved greatly in the UK in general since there was a bit of a sandwich revolution in the second half of the 1980's. The sheer range of options is so much wider now as well, that I think someone who arrived in a time machine from 1977 would think they were on a different planet.

In tandem with the increase in choice, people's tastes and eating habits have changed. A sit down lunch has pretty much gone the way of a cooked breakfast for most people, being more of a treat than a habit.

So, train catering has changed. It has improved in quality for the most part, but the changes must be looked at in the context of the changes that have also taken place in wider society.

 

[dk1]

Buffet on last nights 19.30 Liv St -Norwich had queues before departure & was pretty non-stop until after Diss. The member of staff hadn't even had time to cash up before terminating.

 

[306024]

Well I couldn't fault the smoked salmon salad I had recently on a Great Western service. £9.50 but I thought it was excellent.

On GA the sandwiches are very good too. There seemed to be a brief period when they were outsourced, and quality declined, but appear to be made in house again now.

Fried egg on toast from a 4-REP for 30p was the best ever value, but I may be going back a few years there.

 

[yorksrob]

The Travellers Fare buffets on Ashford station used to do a lush hot chocolate

 

[Greenback]

The Travellers Fare buffets on Ashford station used to do a lush hot chocolate

The main problem in those days was inconsistency. It often depended on who made the item, as there was no set way of doing things like we have today.

I might have had an excellent sandwich at Bristol one day, but the odds were that it would have been less good elsewhere, or even on a different day in the same place. Same for the hot chocolate!

 

[yorksrob]

The microwave cheeseburger suffered from the limitations of being a microwave cheeseburger - but the fact that it came with ketchup and mustard made it very tasty. Conclusion - not as much choice as today, but not bad at all.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The main problem in those days was inconsistency. It often depended on who made the item, as there was no set way of doing things like we have today.

I might have had an excellent sandwich at Bristol one day, but the odds were that it would have been less good elsewhere, or even on a different day in the same place. Same for the hot chocolate!

Indeed. I think ours came from a machine so I think it helped to keep things consistant. Ideal for watching the CEP‘s and VEP‘s glide by !

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I think if you have an M&S and a Pret at the station the on-board offering isn't worth thinking about. . . .

Surely the truth of that statement depends on the journey time?
My regular journey is Newcastle - London, which is 3 hours on the train in each direction, plus another hour or more getting to/from the stations and time on the concourse before departure. That's 9 hours of the day - what better way to spend that time than having a proper meal? It's also not to my liking to eat much in the way of 'snack' food.

So I have to disagree - on longer journeys, even just the hour and a half between Newcastle and Edinburgh, the on-board offering is very much worth thinking about!

 

[DiscoStu]

I remember going overnight from kings cross to Edinburgh on an HST in the 80s (I think it had just switched over from being loco hauled), and brought a Cornish pasty from the buffet. To this day, I can't remember having a better one. Funny the things that stick in your mind.

I also used to like the microwave burgers at Crewe station when doing all nighters down the end of the platform.

But I think my favourite ever dining experience on the railways was the old Cross Country Grill which was always in a ****ty old MK1 restaurant car with the plastic orange seats. The food was always brilliant, and made even more so when hammering through the lake district behind a roarer.

 

[merlodlliw]

The station buffets after state ownership were a bit dire. I recall Rhyl station buffet selling the infamous Lyons gala pie, pastry & jam, tea or coffee or was it both. If I recall when food was rationed,the buffet staff asked to see your ticket, a 1d platform ticket only got you a tea.

In 1963 I traveled on the Emerald Isle Express from Holyhead to Rhyl & had an excellent breakfast. You could stay on the ferry until train time then, if you booked a cabin.

On the other hand British Rail Hotels were also excellent, I stayed at the Great Northern, London & Midland Manchester in the 60s and the Adelphi Liverpool in the 70s.

Happy Days

Bob

 

[Greenback]

I remember a few letters in a railway mag in the 1980's (I think it may have been Modern Railways) discussing the catering changes on BR, including the move towards factory made pre packed sandwiches and fast food.

One letter remarked how different standards always seemed to apply to railway food, and a sandwich that would be 'thick sliced, lovingly carved by hand' turns into ' tasteless hunks of misshapen dough' when consumed on the railway!

To me that perfectly summed up the subjectivity of food, the negative attitudes towards railway catering and the fact that the railway had to follow the trends of the time to keep up.

 

[yorksrob]

My main bugbear about modern railway catering. You end up paying almost the same as for some fancy schmancy cup of coffee nowadays, though luckily Leeds has a Maccy D‘s, so you can still get a decent sized cup for 99p.

 

[kevinwaltets]

4REP the best toasted sandwiches ever.

 

[Jones]

The best cheese and tomato sandwich I ever had was a Bangor station! They were fabulous, probably illegal now as they were stored under a plastic lid and not refrigerated.

Popped in there yesterday for the first time in 15 years and the buffet hasn't changed, except for a refrigerated sandwich display. Corking good tea!

 

[tsr]

Most of my train travel consists of a multitude of short or medium-distance hops on services without catering or just with a trolley service. But, when I use those trollies, or a buffet, I rarely have a bad experience - in fact, I find it's marginally more likely I'll get something mediocre from station facilities. I'll even pay a little more, because I'd rather support the concept of being able to board a long-distance train anywhere and finding some food or drink available to me. "Even" in the dying days of BR, I think my family and I would always have tried to buy on board, for the sake of convenience. Occasionally you find the buffet closed. But shops can and have annoyed me in similar ways.

To give a few examples of good stuff recently, I've had a very nice bacon baguette and coffee from FGW, some excellent cake from the independent trolley service on Southeastern's Hastings Line, and a decent toasty or two from Eurostar. And I'm pretty sure I remember some sandwiches on trains in the 1990s not being at all bad, though it's too long ago to say what they were, and it's possible that privatisation may just have taken hold of the catering offer.

As for Bangor's buffet, funnily enough, I wasn't impressed by their coffee a couple of years ago, but as I rarely go there, I'm not too fussed. No doubt I may well get a better service next time, anyway.

 

[Minilad]

Casey Jones burgers. Enough said

 

[Butts]

Long live British Rail onboard Buffets - I remember the stewards (red?) jackets.

A BR BLT was the height of sophistication , washed down with a can of McEwans Export (forget the maxpax coffee )

For dessert a Benson and Hedges Kingsize or two without any complaint or feigned coughing from your fellow passengers.

Heaven

 

[Jones]

Now that's a buffet car

..or not as it's not worked, but does if you right click.

and it's not a "British Rail Mark 1 RMB M1848 on the East Lancashire Railway" as it says

 

[Mugby]

I once travelled from Ely to Kings Lynn (cl.31 hauled) and the guy in the buffet had a loaf of sliced bread, took out 2 slices, buttered it and made me a fresh cheese sandwich, very nice it was too. You wouldn't get that today.

The buffet had loose chairs in wood and blue leather too!

 

[user15681]

I have mixed feelings about the independent 'catering trolley' on Southeastern mainline services (I think it's Rail Gourmet?). Sure, it's a great convenience to have at your seat whilst travelling but the prices of the food/drink aren't ideal and the fuss it causes going through is annoying. The food itself isn't bad, as most of it is just brand names.

One feature that I really like, though, is that if the train is delayed by more than 30 minutes, they'll give out free hot drinks, including Starbucks. Always nice to have a free Starbucks hot chocolate delivered to your seat for you...

 

[Tracked]

Don't think I've ever had anything other than crisps from the buffet car, used to take my own sandwiches in the BR days.

Stafford had a nice fast food place in 97/8 though, did a bacon & egg burger thing that was a real treat on the early morning train to Manchester, can't remember the outlets name there though.

Did a North Eastern rover the other week & the Subways on Doncaster station provided nice breakfast subs, again a good start to a day out on the train

 

[ChiefPlanner]

BR food was pretty sketchy till the mid 1970s - ham ,cheese (with or without tomato) on white. Individual "fruit" pies etc. Crack trains had good silver service diner cars. (not bad value actually -as even as a student could afford a sit down meal - excellent plaice and chips for example , tomato soup before and cheese / biscuits and celery after. Coffee served from a proper pot.

The step change came with HST - apart from (short lived draught beer) - you had much better pre-packed sandwiches thanks to Pru Leith being a Travellers Fare consultant / Board member - even the famous "Express Burger" and fresh chips for around £1 or so - more choice all round. BR Pullman services by 1986 had excellent fare - especially the High Tea option with Welsh Rarebit , etc. - and superb chocolate cakes. Much maligned - and probably deservedly so before then.

But motorway food could be equally dire in those days. Standards have risen allround.

 

[Hellfire]

I have fond memories of the cooked breakfast on the Golden Hind back in the 70s. Served in a proper dining car which was open to everyone, not just First Class passengers.

Cooked on board and silver service at the table. Great team of stewards made everyone welcome. It wasn't cheap but it was delicious.

Dinner on the way back was pretty good too.

I think BR used to refer to it as a Pullman although it wasn't

 

[EM2]

My dad says that the best meal he's ever had was a full English breakfast, in the dining car from St Pancras to Nottingham in 1977.
However, I'm sure that this is heavily influenced by the fact that he'd just got back from Dubai, and flying from Dubai, as well as getting to St Pancras from Heathrow, was a very different experience in those days to how it is now!

EDIT - to add that I used to really like the brunch muffins that Travellers Fare did, even though they were just prepacked and microwaved. I had a modern equivalent at Costa today and it was nowhere near as good.

 

[JB_B]

I have fond memories of the cooked breakfast on the Golden Hind back in the 70s. Served in a proper dining car which was open to everyone, not just First Class passengers.

Cooked on board and silver service at the table. Great team of stewards made everyone welcome. It wasn't cheap but it was delicious.

Dinner on the way back was pretty good too.

I think BR used to refer to it as a Pullman although it wasn't

Great Western "Pullman Dining" is still open to all - space permitting - and remains excellent.

Context is everything when it comes to the stomach (and its closest relative, the brain) so I'm not surprised by the mixed responses on this thread. I count myself lucky to have sampled all the 21st century IC restaurant car survivals (GNER, Great Western, Anglia ) although sadly only the Great Western remains.

 

[bnm]

On board menu for InterCity cross country services circa 1986:

http://andygibbs.zenfolio.com/p853553453/h21CC9D92#h21cc9d92

 

[bnm]

I have fond memories of the cooked breakfast on the Golden Hind back in the 70s. Served in a proper dining car which was open to everyone, not just First Class passengers.

Cooked on board and silver service at the table. Great team of stewards made everyone welcome. It wasn't cheap but it was delicious.

Dinner on the way back was pretty good too.

I think BR used to refer to it as a Pullman although it wasn't

All still applies today*. Full silver service breakfast on the Up Golden Hind. Two sittings - one from Plymouth at 0655 and one from Taunton at 0819.

Then you have lunchtime Pullman restaurants at 1201 and 1256 from Plymouth and 1206 from Paddington. With evening Pullmans leaving Paddington at 1803 and 1903.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Your-journey/On-board/Pullman

The staff are still a great team, I'm on first name terms with many, including the chefs. I've never experienced duff service from them and even in times of disruption or equipment failure they do their level best to provide service. I dine once a month as a treat to myself, usually on an Up lunchtime service.

There's a new menu coming. I'm looking forward to trying the Mussels starter and Duck main!

Details of that new menu can bee seen here.



*I say today, but there is in fact only a limited service at the moment due to the Dawlish sea wall collapse. There's an Up Pullman that leaves Exeter at 1301 and a Down service leaving Paddington at 1803. Because of time constraints only Mains and Desserts are being served. The staff are all based in Plymouth, so after booking on they are taxied to Exeter for the up service, then taxied back to Plymouth to book off after the down service terminates. Food stock and kitchen modules are also ferried between Plymouth and Exeter. The new menu was due to launch at the beginning of February but the sea wall collapse has put the kybosh on that. However, as existing stock has been run down, some new menu items will be appearing from Monday 10th March. A proper launch of the new menu will happen when the line reopens throughout. Credit must be given to both FGW and the Pullman staff for reintroducing a limited service to/from Exeter despite the logistical problems.