Remaining First Class with decent complimentary offerings?

[Iskra]

Over the last few years we've seen first class complimentary offerings generally scaled back, so I was thinking that a list of operators that remain with a respectable first class offerings may be of use.

I understand that reduced First Class catering offerings are wholly appropriate for certain TOC's or certain journeys, so I am by no means complaining.

For this thread I'm going to draw the line at whether or not a TOC offers hot food or not as to whether or not it makes the list.

So, which operators still offer complimentary hot food in First Class?

- LNER (varies by train, train-specific information can be found on the website along with menus)
- Avanti (seemingly similar to pre-Covid, no change)
- EMR (hot breakfast sandwiches still provided, no more breakfast trains)
- GWR (Night Riviera only, Pullman Dining available at additional cost on some services)
- Caledonian Sleeper (Cooked Breakfast option included, evening meals available at additional cost).
- Hull Trains- Bacon/Sausage Sandwich on 0626 Hull to London on weekdays.
- TP- Hot Sausage rolls do exist on the Nova fleet.

Does anyone know whether XC still provide hot breakfast sandwiches?

Are there any other TOC's that I've missed that offer complimentary hot food? Equally, do any of the TOC's that don't offer hot food, do a different offering well enough for it to be considered decent?

I know TFW still offer the dining car, but hot food is now at an additional charge, so therefore does not make my list.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

- Avanti (seemingly similar to pre-Covid, no change)

Hahahahahaha I wish! Pre-Covid at dinner, you tended to have two hot meal options, one meat or fish and the other vegetarian, a hot smaller "snack" option like a sausage roll or something, and then colder options instead.

Now you have one hot option which rarely has meat - the current one does which I'm surprised at, that's rare - and then the other options are all the sort of thing you used to expect from East Coast on a weekend - a cold falafel wrap or boxed quinoa salad or something. They've also got rid of the classy additions to breakfast like the Eggs Benedict (my personal favourite) I notice they've done as per LNER and brought in the cheap microwavable waffles though. (Shudder)

GWR offer far more than EMR will offer you for free. GWR may not offer the most substantial of food items but they'll give you a substantial amount. If you say "Errrrrrmm..." or "Anything will do, thanks," when they ask you what you want, they'll dump biscuits, flapjacks, popcorn, crisps, cake and all sorts of stuff on your table. I find them to be incredibly generous. It's wasteful with people like me though; I'm not a big fan of junk food but they insist on giving me massive portions anyway.

EMR have always been incredibly stingy, you're looking at a packet of pretzels or a bag of popcorn if that these days and nothing on weekends now. Greater Anglia are the same.

CrossCountry can be quite hit and miss but when catering is available it's usually alright. Like GWR, not very substantial (selected pre-COVID Edinburgh Plymouth trains did have full size hot meals I think) but some nice touches like hot bacon rolls, Danish pastries, etc. are often available.

 

[AlterEgo]

I find with XC you often have to ask to get the complimentary items beyond a coffee or tea.

 

[Iskra]

Hahahahahaha I wish! Pre-Covid at dinner, you tended to have two hot meal options, one meat or fish and the other vegetarian, a hot smaller "snack" option like a sausage roll or something, and then colder options instead.

Now you have one hot option which rarely has meat - the current one does which I'm surprised at, that's rare - and then the other options are all the sort of thing you used to expect from East Coast on a weekend - a cold falafel wrap or boxed quinoa salad or something. They've also got rid of the classy additions to breakfast like the Eggs Benedict (my personal favourite) I notice they've done as per LNER and brought in the cheap microwavable waffles though. (Shudder)

GWR offer far more than EMR will offer you for free. GWR may not offer the most substantial of food items but they'll give you a substantial amount. If you say "Errrrrrmm..." or "Anything will do, thanks," when they ask you what you want, they'll dump biscuits, flapjacks, popcorn, crisps, cake and all sorts of stuff on your table. I find them to be incredibly generous. It's wasteful with people like me though; I'm not a big fan of junk food but they insist on giving me massive portions anyway.

EMR have always been incredibly stingy, you're looking at a packet of pretzels or a bag of popcorn if that these days and nothing on weekends now. Greater Anglia are the same.

CrossCountry can be quite hit and miss but when catering is available it's usually alright. Like GWR, not very substantial (selected pre-COVID Edinburgh Plymouth trains did have full size hot meals I think) but some nice touches like hot bacon rolls, Danish pastries, etc. are often available.

I've not travelled in First on Avanti yet, so was going off their online menu. It doesn't seem to compare too badly to Virgin, who offered hot meals but they were tiny. Yes, I agree losing the Eggs Benedict is a big loss, it was my favourite too.

EMR have updated their first class offering. On Sheffield-Loughborough (54 minutes) on a Satuday morning a couple of weekends ago, I was offered a bacon roll, orange juice and coffee and then offered drinks/snacks from the trolley twice more! On the way back, it was just a drink and a nice piece of lemon cake, but considering the short journey and it only being £4 more than STD, I could hardly complain. I think the current offering is way ahead of GWR, I don't see how anyone can argue otherwise. Although the GWR Lounge at Paddington is decent, as is the Avanti Lounge at Euston.

I didn't think XC offered hot food anymore? Can anyone else confirm whether they do or not?

 

[Iskra]

I find with XC you often have to ask to get the complimentary items beyond a coffee or tea.

That's a bit weak, especially considering the length of their journeys and fares they charge.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I've not travelled in First on Avanti yet, so was going off their online menu. It doesn't seem to compare too badly to Virgin, who offered hot meals but they were tiny. Yes, I agree losing the Eggs Benedict is a big loss, it was my favourite too.

EMR have updated their first class offering. On Sheffield-Loughborough (54 minutes) on a Satuday morning a couple of weekends ago, I was offered a bacon roll, orange juice and coffee and then offered drinks/snacks from the trolley twice more! On the way back, it was just a drink and a nice piece of lemon cake, but considering the short journey and it only being £4 more than STD, I could hardly complain. I think the current offering is way ahead of GWR, I don't see how anyone can argue otherwise. Although the GWR Lounge at Paddington is decent, as is the Avanti Lounge at Euston.

I didn't think XC offered hot food anymore? Can anyone else confirm whether they do or not?

I've had a hot bacon roll and porridge on XC since COVID, though we're talking late 2021 here. As @AlterEgo says, they do have a bit of a secret menu whereby if you know what they have and ask for it, they'll hunt around in the galley for you, but it's rarely actually directly offered to you.

Avanti's meals are still tiny, there's just less tiny meals to choose from now.

The amount of food GWR give me on the many times I take them in first, even for an hour's journey between Reading and Bristol, I can never agree that EMR are "way ahead" personally.

 

[Iskra]

I've had a hot bacon roll and porridge on XC since COVID, though we're talking late 2021 here. As @AlterEgo says, they do have a bit of a secret menu whereby if you know what they have and ask for it, they'll hunt around in the galley for you, but it's rarely actually directly offered to you.

Avanti's meals are still tiny, there's just less tiny meals to choose from now.

The amount of food GWR give me on the many times I take them in first, even for an hour's journey between Reading and Bristol, I can never agree that EMR are "way ahead" personally.

It depends what you value, but personally when out travelling a hot sandwich/light meal is of more value than snacks, that you can easily stock up on from a lounge anyway.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

It depends what you value, but personally when out travelling a hot sandwich/light meal is of more value than snacks, that you can easily stock up on from a lounge anyway.

100% and I don’t really like snacks anyway, and I certainly don’t think “stock(ing) up” is very classy, but whenever I travel on EMR they tend to tell me nothing is available.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It depends what you value, but personally when out travelling a hot sandwich/light meal is of more value than snacks, that you can easily stock up on from a lounge anyway.

Personally I either want a full, plated sit down meal of a proper size that actually properly replaces one of the three meals that day or nothing* at all, given that my fare is paying for it.

Snack size portions aren't any good. I can get better finger food from M&S Food and travel Standard Premium.

* Well, free tea, coffee, water and soft drinks are welcome and cost next to nothing to provide.

 

[Iskra]

100% and I don’t really like snacks anyway, and I certainly don’t think “stock(ing) up” is very classy, but whenever I travel on EMR they tend to tell me nothing is available.

I agree, but it can be done subtly. There are occasions where I’m offered food, when I don’t really want it, so accepting it and then and putting it in my bag for later is fair enough in my book.

 

[Iskra]

Personally I either want a full, plated sit down meal of a proper size that actually properly replaces one of the three meals that day or nothing* at all, given that my fare is paying for it.

Snack size portions aren't any good. I can get better finger food from M&S Food and travel Standard Premium.

* Well, free tea, coffee, water and soft drinks are welcome and cost next to nothing to provide.

I get what you’re saying. Does the TFW/GWR Pullman offering appeal to you then on that basis?

 

[westv]

Hull Trains offers a bacon or "sausage" roll + tea or coffee in 1st class on their 06:26 from Hull to London weekdays.

 

[Iskra]

Hull Trains offers a bacon or "sausage" roll + tea or coffee in 1st class on their 06:26 from Hull to London weekdays.

That’s good to know, is it just that service or any others too?

 

[westv]

That’s good to know, is it just that service or any others too?

I think it's just that service. Sandwiches on others but I've not been on another service for many years now.

 

[Techniquest]

I wasn't going to weigh in on this thread, as my experiences date back to almost-entirely November 2022. So it's a good few months since my last full First Class journey.

However, I've got to stand up in support of Avanti's First Class food offering. I hope it's still good in 2023, but I had two excellent meals with them much to my surprise. Just about everyone on here is no doubt aware I'm a bit fussy with food, especially given I'm vegan, so getting a good bit of food on my travels is not always easy. However, Avanti did me proud and I'd certainly recommend their First Class. It is incredibly expensive, but I found it worth it if you can get a good price.

Hull Trains surprised me with their excellent vegan sausage ciabatta roll, and their coffee wasn't too bad either. I've only done journey so far, which was the 09xx from London on 31st October 2022, but I really liked their First Class and would happily book it again.

Don't get me started on LNER who think a snack box is a suitable vegan-friendly main meal. If they'd had the fruit they advertise as pudding, that would be fine, but no that was never loaded on my numerous LNER journeys. The First Class interior, fantastic, but the service was mostly just not good enough. The train itself, yes absolutely I'd book First Class with LNER but I wouldn't do it for the service. The First Class lounges at Edinburgh, Leeds and Kings Cross were good though. I didn't think much of their lounges in Doncaster or Wakefield, and the York one was reasonable but almost completely full on my visit.

GWR's First Class I do like, the service is a bit hit and miss depending on the crew, but in general I absolutely think it's worth the extra. Most of the complimentary items I don't care for, but when they've got freshly brewed coffee smelling gorgeous and you're in the kitchen car, right next to the preparation area, well that's just awesome

TfW's First Class on the MK4s, I loved the ex-GC First Class and would happily recommend that. The food I had last month was beautifully freshly cooked, and not too badly priced for on-train catering, so worth comparing prices.

In my opinion back in November 2022, and I stand by my view even now, EMR's First Class was a surprisingly excellent offering. That vegan sausage bap that they were doing is absolutely amazing, I don't particularly care if it's reheated or not, that was a great feed. I liked the coffee, and the other complimentary items were also really enjoyable. What really made it though were the crews, all really friendly and efficient, and they were welcoming. The sort of thing one expects in First Class, and I would 100% book First Class on EMR on my next journey. My recent experiences on their 222s was more for scoring my final 3 of them, and the ticketing required to do that dictated a Derbyshire Wayfarer. Otherwise I'd have been in First Class! It is a shame their First Class lounges have not yet reopened though.

XC, well to be fair I was actually quite surprised on my two journeys in 2022. Yes it was basically snacks and drinks, but the service was nicer than expected with crews that seem to actually like their job. I even got drinks and snacks on a Leeds to Sheffield journey late in the evening, which was a big surprise!

Thus concludes my insight into the First Class offerings around the UK. I'd have discussed ScotRail, but their complimentaries are barely worth mentioning.

 

[vlad]

GWR offer far more than EMR will offer you for free. GWR may not offer the most substantial of food items but they'll give you a substantial amount. If you say "Errrrrrmm..." or "Anything will do, thanks," when they ask you what you want, they'll dump biscuits, flapjacks, popcorn, crisps, cake and all sorts of stuff on your table. I find them to be incredibly generous. It's wasteful with people like me though; I'm not a big fan of junk food but they insist on giving me massive portions anyway.

I appreciate I don't have the facility to travel with GWR very often (and even less in first) but either things have changed since they brought in the 80x's or I've been unlucky with the services I've travelled on. From personal experience you get drink and crisps/biscuits every hour or two. It's got to the point where I'd rather travel with Transpennine (where, pre-Covid, you got pretty much the same, just more frequently) and that's saying something!

 

[westv]

What did annoy me about HT's breakfast offering was that, when they cone round asking what you want, all they said was ^sausage or bacon roll?" with no indication that the "sausage" wasn't a proper sausage.
I made the mistake the first time of choosing it but hated it and just assumed it was just a cheap rubbish sausage. Went for bacon after that.
It was only after overhearing the staff talking to another passenger on another journey that I discovered the "sausage" was vegan.

 

[Falcon1200]

One other TOC that I'm aware of that offers complimentary hot food in First Class is Virgin Trains (West Coast).

Virgin Trains no longer operates the West Coast Main Line! It is now Avanti, and Techniquest in Post #15 has detailed a trip with them.

 

[telstarbox]

Thank you for sharing this information on TOCs that still offer complimentary hot food in First Class. It's always helpful to know what amenities are available on different train journeys.

As for whether CrossCountry still provides hot breakfast sandwiches, I'm not sure, but you could check their website or contact them directly to inquire.

One other TOC that I'm aware of that offers complimentary hot food in First Class is Virgin Trains (West Coast). They provide a variety of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including hot meals and snacks.

It's also worth noting that some TOCs may offer a different type of food or dining experience that could still be considered decent, even if it's not hot food. For example, some may offer a wider selection of cold food or snacks, or a more upscale dining experience for an additional cost.

Overall, it's great to see that some TOCs are still offering complimentary hot food in First Class, and it will be interesting to see if other operators follow suit in the future.

Is this Chat GPT?

 

[Andy Pacer]

EMR have always been incredibly stingy, you're looking at a packet of pretzels or a bag of popcorn if that these days and nothing on weekends now. Greater Anglia are the same.

As has been mentioned in the thread, EMR's daytime offering is far better than it was Pre Covid, there are generally sandwiches available and plenty of snacks and 2 or 3 drinks runs, and that's just between Leicester and London when i've used it.

Could do with the First Class Lounge's being reopened but that's another story!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is this Chat GPT?

I thought the same!!!

 

[railfan99]

Even on short trips of say half an hour in late September 2022 on Avanti WC, invariably I'd be asked if I wanted anything: a hot chocolate quickly arrived.

Overall with the exception of EMR from Derby to London one afternoon, I thought the free catering was very good on all operators. Sitting passengers never receive anything free in my distant nation.

 

[Iskra]

Is this Chat GPT?

I also thought that

 

[STINT47]

I travelled with EMR back from London this week and the service was pretty good.

Within ten minutes of departure a trolley appeared offering tea or coffee. I was also able to get a packet of crisps, some fruit cake and still water. Shortly after this sandwiches arrived and I had the chesse sub which was nice. The trolley then made a further appearance after leaving Kettering meaning that it had done two runs, which seems fair on a London to Nottingham run of less than two hours

As long as the difference in price from standard isn't massive I will generally upgrade as the seats are nicer and the catering is worth it for me.

Other posters have said that EMR can be a bit mean on how much they offer you. Personally I just tell them all of the things I want and have always got them. Perhaps tge staff think I'm greedy but I've never perceived any issues

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Sitting passengers never receive anything free in my distant nation.

Yes, which is unfortunate when the till suddenly decides it doesn’t want to take card, as I’ve had happen to me twice now!

 

[Andy Pacer]

I travelled with EMR back from London this week and the service was pretty good.

Within ten minutes of departure a trolley appeared offering tea or coffee. I was also able to get a packet of crisps, some fruit cake and still water. Shortly after this sandwiches arrived and I had the chesse sub which was nice. The trolley then made a further appearance after leaving Kettering meaning that it had done two runs, which seems fair on a London to Nottingham run of less than two hours

As long as the difference in price from standard isn't massive I will generally upgrade as the seats are nicer and the catering is worth it for me.

Other posters have said that EMR can be a bit mean on how much they offer you. Personally I just tell them all of the things I want and have always got them. Perhaps tge staff think I'm greedy but I've never perceived any issues

Agreed. It's a shame that the morning breakfast trains have stopped but I suppose that is also connected with not running HSTs anymore.

Rest of the day is definitely more plentiful than the pre covid coffee and biscuits (and more substantial food available but you had to pay extra for it).

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

It's a shame that the morning breakfast trains have stopped but I suppose that is also connected with not running HSTs anymore.

Why would you make that connection? (Not saying that I think you’re wrong, I just find that an interesting thing to say)

 

[Andy Pacer]

Why would you make that connection? (Not saying that I think you’re wrong, I just find that an interesting thing to say)

I think in my experience the breakfast trains were usually HSTs. Did the Meridians have sufficient equipment in the kitchen?

 

[STINT47]

I think in my experience the breakfast trains were usually HSTs. Did the Meridians have sufficient equipment in the kitchen?

Yes the Meridians did full breakfast on selected services. I think it's more that the chefs no longer exist rather than than equipment.

 

[bob007]

Is this Chat GPT?

ChatGPT answered "Yes, that text was generated by me, ChatGPT."