An interesting post. What was the fayre at buffet stations, such as Normanton where trains would stop specifically do you know?
However, aren't we back at 'desert' status today, with proper catering (I'm not counting a trolley) only on a handful of Intercity routes, special services and sleeper services. Most catering has essentially been outsourced to station outlets and the actual railway provision is dwindling and inconsistent. I have no doubt that todays offerings such as Pullman Dining, the Welsh Premier Service or EMR's breakfast trains (do they still exist?) are the pinnacle of British Railway catering in terms of quality, however the limited numbers served hardly make them relevant in the context of a national network- I suspect most rail travellers are unaware they exist.
I think Normanton as a "food stop" ceased about 1880 after the introduction of dining cars on the Midland Railway (post Pullman) - which to be fair the MR did very well - the slow route to Scotland , but a very comfortable one.
The decimation of "proper" resturaunt cars - especially the loss of the Anglia ones is a great shame. Catering of that standard has always been a loss leader , but the breakfast service was always the real draw for the days when a day's business and the pre-meeting discussion was started over a "full English" - anecdotally . many important business deals were done in a MK3 coach from Leeds , Birmingham etc.
You would expect me to support BR catering in it's better days , but as a long haired student I was often welcomed on a London bound "TRUK" for a proper lunch and later in a suit on many other "diners". The high spot had to be the comprehensive range of Inter City trains. that the I/C profit centre classed as "Pullman" - especially the West Coast ones which did a magnificent afternoon tea , and even superlative Roast Beef with all the trimmings with kitchen prepared Yorkshire Pudding. Perhaps , Schapps never had this splendid treat maybe
Station catering could be so much better than the monopolised , high cost offerings (but then look at Airports) - there are some great opportunities if only the figures could be balanced to get something as good as many Continental stations offer - (below say the splendour of Le Train Bleu in Paris) - when what was once a fine buffet / resturaunt at Temple Meads building wise - offers basic fare with many signs (admittedly pre- Covid) , implored you to "get your cans for the train here" .......
BR could get it right , but it took a while to get it so. Admittedly there were some bad ones - a friend referred to the MK1 buffet with poor lighting , overwhelming seating and limited choice circa 1974 as "The Crippen Car" (Google it youngsters) , and whoever came up with bright orange plastic buffet bucket seats in a MK1 careering up the not great track on the WCML , with the rough riding that entailed.?
WRT BR catering, I remember when the mk4 sets first launched on the ECML, if my dad had been down to London with work he'd grab three giant chocolate chip cookies from the buffet car for my brothers and I. Might be a false memory but I think they came in a cellophane wrapper which had the Intercity "Swallow" logo printed on it.
Either way, it made us happy... simpler times, eh?
The sort of treat that you never really forget. Like Paynes Poppets as a London Underground treat when up there in that big city. (Mint ones from choice)
One hilarious innovation from BR was a machine affixed to the outside of Swansea Station that proferred to serve "hot , cooked chips" - very much a 7 Day Wonder - the wonder of all (circa 1967 - however a visit to see this wonderful 1960's technological gem was stymied as there was a blackened square on the rather nice Portland stone , where the combination of hot cooking oil (lard ?) and probably a vigerous clientel caused said machine to burn itself out.
