Judging from this trip report it would seem that the chef difficulties at Inverness have thankfully been resolved!
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service
- Thread starter MidnightFlyer
- Start date
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Good to hear.
Sealink
Member
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2006
- Messages
- 374
Everytime I've boarded the Highland Chieftain (1200hrs from Kings Cross) it has been full. That's the only service I can speak for
Cottage pie would be a nice idea! Still to try a dine service, every time I've booked one it has been swapped out! Hoping that the sausage and mash doesn't disappear, but have a bad feeling it will
styles
Member
If it's the same sausages they have on their full breakfast, they're very tasty!
They are different, I think it's because otherwise it'd be slightly repetitive with the same sausages all day - having different ones probably offers a little variety
Source: https://www.lner.co.uk/globalassets/lner2810-dine-menu-jan-2025-web.pdf
Doctor Pepper
Member
Has anyone ever ordered a meal, and then been completely forgotten about? Happened to me yesterday, on the 15:30 EDB to KGX. Ordered the curry. Subsequently saw a bunch of other people get served, with dishes being carried down the train, but for me nothing. What really irked me was when a group got on at a subsequent station, ordered the curry, and then were served, when I still hadn't been given mine! I tried to grab the attention of the crew member who served them, but he walked off....despite looking back at me as I called out to him............
I had to grab the attention of another crew member, who was doing the drinks run. Eventually I got my meal. Nice, but the naan bread was a bit firm tbh.
My experience on my previous journey was odd too. This time the 13:00 KGX to EDB on Monday. There were very late taking food orders, and again I saw other people being served and dishes being whisked passed me for what seemed like quite a long time. I began to suspect they'd forgotten about me this time too. Eventually my meal turned up, with an apology for the wait, so I'm not sure what that was about. Given the train departed KGX at 13:00, I didn't actually receive my meal until gone 3 pm!
This one was a Dine train, so I had the sausage and mash, and very nice it was too.
I had to grab the attention of another crew member, who was doing the drinks run. Eventually I got my meal. Nice, but the naan bread was a bit firm tbh.
My experience on my previous journey was odd too. This time the 13:00 KGX to EDB on Monday. There were very late taking food orders, and again I saw other people being served and dishes being whisked passed me for what seemed like quite a long time. I began to suspect they'd forgotten about me this time too. Eventually my meal turned up, with an apology for the wait, so I'm not sure what that was about. Given the train departed KGX at 13:00, I didn't actually receive my meal until gone 3 pm!
This one was a Dine train, so I had the sausage and mash, and very nice it was too.
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Sausage and mash was always my favourite on the old gner restaurant menu, back in the good old days when you paid for it and first class was simply teas, coffees, water and snacks. I still feel that this was better
WesternLancer
Established Member
- Joined
- 12 Apr 2019
- Messages
- 10,478
I very much agree - the quantites were substantial too and the quality was superior for the food.
I was in Austria this week and stamped the restaurant car on one of their Railways. Very nice, proper meal served on proper plates etc. quite reasonably priced too. Seems every Railjet has a restaurant car open for the duration of the journey.
Why can we do that? I'd gladly pay for a proper meal on LNER rather than the diddy portions provided "free".
Why can we do that? I'd gladly pay for a proper meal on LNER rather than the diddy portions provided "free".
Decided to take the 1403 Kings Cross to Leeds this afternoon in First - just for the treat of doing a MK4 set more than anything.
Again, the weird mix of contrasts you seem to get these days. Two of the members of staff are lovely, and one is seemingly making it his mission to be as unpleasant as possible. Extremely short with people and basically storming past with the trolley barely giving you a chance to ask for anything!
The risotto was tasty but one of the tiniest portions I've seen. Still, we've had two (hot and cold) drinks runs within the first hour, on top of all food being served and cleared away, so its been efficient.
Again, the weird mix of contrasts you seem to get these days. Two of the members of staff are lovely, and one is seemingly making it his mission to be as unpleasant as possible. Extremely short with people and basically storming past with the trolley barely giving you a chance to ask for anything!
The risotto was tasty but one of the tiniest portions I've seen. Still, we've had two (hot and cold) drinks runs within the first hour, on top of all food being served and cleared away, so its been efficient.
Falcon1200
Established Member
Yes, happened to me a couple of years ago - Ordered my meal, waited and waited and waited. Eventually, after everyone else appeared to have been served, I went to find the catering crew who by that time were sitting down having their own lunch, which one of them then had to interrupt. I did get my meal eventually.
Doctor Pepper
Member
I don't understand how this can happen, tbh, when they write down seat numbers when they take orders.
A very long time ago (I think it was back in EC days), I didn't event get to order, as when they came round they walked straight past me, and I had to ask about it later.
One thing that irked my on the first journey last week, is they started coming round and clearing things away before I'd been delivered my meal, and wanted to take away my unused napkin and cutlery, when I hadn't even had a chance to use them yet!
It does amuse me that they have to write things down. Way back in the mists of time of pre-May 2011 when they took orders for paid food it was via a digital system that sent tickets electronically back to the kitchen with, I believe, the delivery instructions included. But such is progress I suppose that they had to go back to pen and paper!
Then again it wasn't all modernity in the pre-complimentary era. My first and last time of having my card run through one of those imprinting machines (where they took your card, put it into a device and then ran paper over the card and embossed the details into the paper) was paying for breakfast on an East Coast service towards Edinburgh in about 2010. Took about a month before the payment debited from my account
Then again it wasn't all modernity in the pre-complimentary era. My first and last time of having my card run through one of those imprinting machines (where they took your card, put it into a device and then ran paper over the card and embossed the details into the paper) was paying for breakfast on an East Coast service towards Edinburgh in about 2010. Took about a month before the payment debited from my account
Sealink
Member
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2006
- Messages
- 374
I see today there is no food in First Class, something alternative being offered. This happened to me on my last trip from Inverness.
WesternLancer
Established Member
- Joined
- 12 Apr 2019
- Messages
- 10,478
If you were hungry it's not too clear what an 'alternative' might be useful for....
It's normally a dine service (source https://www.lner.co.uk/globalassets/first-class-dining-services-january-2025---south.pdf) and the travel alert states:If you were hungry it's not too clear what an 'alternative' might be useful for....
Source - https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-now/travel-alerts
So it's probably something like they can't offer the hot food, so are serving the cold food offer (sandwiches etc.) instead.
WesternLancer
Established Member
- Joined
- 12 Apr 2019
- Messages
- 10,478
understood and fair enough
Good service on the 0926 this morning from Darlington. Hot and cold drinks by the time the train was racing through Northallerton. Food orders taken on departure from York and delivered rapidly including a special request from a passenger sat behind me for a breakfast without hashbrowns or beans. Two more rounds of hot and cold drinks as well after York. Can't fault it really! TM was in good spirits cracking plenty of jokes as he went along checking tickets combined with a friendly and attentive catering crew making for an excellent journey even on a very busy service. If only it could always be this way....
Attachments
Blindtraveler
Established Member
That all sounds positive
Sealink
Member
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2006
- Messages
- 374
New menu coming on 11 June. Full details not yet available.
Yes, it was mentioned in this thread a couple of weeks ago.
Leeds lounge seems to be falling apart.
Earlier in the week both the coffee machines were out of action which seems to be a regular occurrence. This time there was a large jug of tepid tea next to them.
A couple of months ago we had particularly attentive service, with 3 drinks runs and staff asking if we wanted anything for the trip North of Leeds before they left - a surprise when they're usually packing up at Doncaster.
At least there's no chance of it getting hacked by dodgy spider, or whatever they're called.
I would have thought the patchy wifi would be enough to protect it from external attack
Blindtraveler
Established Member
The Leeds Lounge is truly awful, not that I'm an expert by any means, but it just doesn't feel particularly premium anytime I use it
All of them are supposed to have, according to the LNER Website. The only one I tended to use it at was Leeds as that's also a dead spot for 3, but it's been down for several years.
First Class Lounges
First Class Lounges are available at the key LNER train stations. Click through to get a feel for our lounges with a 360 degree view.
If you click through to the individual pages it suggests both Leeds and Newcastle have Wifi.
Doctor Pepper
Member
KGX does. I used it the other week. York is supposed to, but (iirc) it wasn't working when I was there last December. I think I had to connect to the station wifi in Edinburgh, again the other week. Maybe LNER need a new wifi provider?
anothertyke
Member
I was on that train, the 0755 from Inverness on Thursday. It seemed as if two things had happened. Because of staff shortage it was reduced from Dine to Dish service so no 'full breakfast' or whatever and no sausages for lunch. The bacon rolls etc and rogan josh etc were on. But also there was a fault with the water boiler so no hot drinks. I was a bit surprised they didn't tell us to go down to the buffet for a comp. tea or coffee, but no.