Cornish Tea is no more grown in Cornwall than Yorkshire Tea is grown in Wakefield, or Dorset Tea in Dorchester. Tregothnan Tea is grown in the Duchy, near to Truro. It is exceedingly expensive and wouldn't be to my taste even at 10% of the cost. Cornish Tea is 'made' in the same factory that produces Cornish Coffee, which equally is not grown in the famed Blue Mountains of Camborne.
Probably because no independent wants it. Simply not enough (any) money to be made , in an environment where it is difficult to staff.
Wow, an entire half coach to boil some water. GWR excel themselves. As far as I`m aware there is very little that comes from the kitchens regarding the trolley.
It's a time thing. But the time I've driven to the station in time to get the train etc, the door to door journey is actually about the same, but half an hour quicker in the car.
It isn't half a coach too be fair. Bare in mind the driving cab takes up probably a third of the coach, the kitchen a third and then a third of it is seating.
And the layout was not specified by GWR but by the DfT as I understand it.
This was in 2018 when the 800s were getting rolled out.
True but irrelevant.
relevant to your post
No. not relevant at all. You're trying to change the argument. I know full well the DfT specified the kitchen units. The layout of them and GWR hardly using them are two different arguments.
But GWR does use them. Where else can they store the trollies and the stock , and brew coffee, heat water etc? The fact that there is not a full meal service on every train is regrettable but I can't see that being restored in the forseeable future given the financial constraints they operate under.
The trollies have their own compartment. As said before water heating is a poor return for a whole kitchen don't you think?
As far as I know there is an at seat first class trolley at weekends as there are no buffet cars where you used to take your ticket for your offerings.A quick aside on the original topic of this thread:
From https://www.gwr.com/travelling-with-us/first-class/food-and-drink :
So far so good, though weekends are only "mentioned by omission" but, from https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/ways-to-save/weekend-upgrades :
So, about that last sentence, does it mean that at weekends, if thesymbol is present for a given train in the timetable / route planner, the complementary snackbox and hot and cold drinks served at your seat in first class should be provided (though this is not guaranteed) to weekend first passengers? Or is there some other symbol for "first class free stuff"?
In fairness the guards’ office is replaced by the rear cab, guards don’t often work from the small crew area which is essentially just two tip-up seats and tables in the doorways, although the catering crews make use of it between runs with the trolley. There is of course also the fact that the location of the guards accomodation in an HST TGS allowed for efficient management of the cycle spaces immediately adjacent to it, which it’s unversally agreed worked very well.
Firstly, they weren't designed for first group. Besides, having a crew rest area is not an issue. It's a pointless kitchen used for only boiled water it seems. Combined with the IET chestnut "there is no buffet because it will take up 16 standard seats" this seems an illogical argument. How many 5 car HST's with kitchen units did GWR ever have by the way?
But as noted in https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ddington-oxford-customers.252937/post-6381234 as well as other posts, it is not just "a pointless kitchen used for only boiled water".
Nothing in the post you quote adds anything to the discussion.
There are many cheap upgrades available, I find GWR to be one of the cheapest operators with first, besides for GA and SWR on weekends.
I always thought GWR never took advantage of Pullman Dining’s popularity and should roll it out on a few more services. It seems they just want it as a headline for some spin on the website so they can say they offer it but don’t want the operational hassle of doing so.
They still do egg and cress sandwiches, pastries, cakes and confectionary and fruit with hot and cold drinks, their offering is still superior to GWR and LNER (besides the bacon roll they do).
I don't, it's very expensive unless money's no object or you do a weekend first upgrade.
Funny you should say that as that’s pretty much what the managing director said when asked in a staff q and a as to why the Pullman is offered despite its high cost.