Like the much-quoted demise of Mark Twain, the death of the dining car on the national rail network turns out to have been somewhat exaggerated. When East Coast ran its last dining car last month, there was an outpouring of sentiment, especially from the national media. I played my own part in this, lamenting it on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on the morning after, as well as writing an article for Rail about the atmosphere on the last dining car train from London to Edinburgh.
But it wasn’t quite the end. Through all the fuss and the mourning, First Great Western has determinedly stuck to its commitment to old-style restaurant cars on trains to the West Country, offering freshly-cooked meals to both first and standard-class passengers, with the full works of white tablecloths and silver service from dedicated stewards juggling hot plates delivering steaming food straight from the galley.
This week [June 29] I was one of the first to try their revamped menu for the summer. Admittedly, it’s a rather rarified experience since FGW operates dining cars only only four services – two up and two down – on the Paddington-Plymouth-Penzance route. But quality of the food and service make it worth tweaking an itinerary to a get a place on board. Not just for nostalgia’s sake – since these are truly the last real dining cars left in Britain – but because the food and service are as good as you might find in any quality West End restaurant
I lunched on the 12.55 from Plymouth to Paddington. As I boarded, the team of five, led by veteran FGW steward Ian Smith, who has worked in the dining cars for 10 years, were folding out the tablecloths. “We’ll make the call for lunch around Newton Abbot and taking orders at Exeter,” he tells me. But when the summons comes to take our seats, the atmosphere in the HST kitchen car isn’t exactly out of the luxury heyday of the Cornish Riviera Express.
Apart from the brown paper signs pasted on the windows reading “Pullman Dining”, there is nothing much to suggest this is anything out of the ordinary. Indeed, the electronic indicator in the Plymouth concourse merely said “Restaurant car” – and the printed timetable was even more effacing stating that the 12.55 had an “enhanced level of catering”.
But the menu and the excellent service amply compensate. I opt for starters of “West Country Sardines & Rich Tomato Compote” followed by “Somerset Fillet Steak served with a Roasted Bone Marrow Sauce” followed by the “West Country Cheese Selection.” I could have had Caesar Salad, Spiced Cauliflower Soup, Roasted Red Pepper stuffed with Mediterranean vegetables, or Lamb Rump with Salsa Verde.
The service seemed effortless as the landscapes of Devon, Somerset, Hampshire and Berkshire rolled by through the window. But not always so easy for chef Paul Tregellis, who sources the food fresh from Plymouth and cooks it on the train every day. “It’s good when we get fully equipped sets like this one., Ian says. “But sometimes we get what we call the “Wendy Houses”, which have smaller kitchens with one oven instead of two, or the “Rio” sets [cascaded from Midland Mainline] which also have restricted kitchen equipment.”
Today, on a midweek lunchtime it is quiet, with eight diners occupying tables set for 17. But on the evening down trains at 1803 and 1903, especially on Thursdays and Fridays it is buzzing with the maximum of 29 covers. “We have lots of regulars,” Ian says, “and passengers tell us it’s the best club outside London. For instance, have a Harley Street doctor who’s being going home on the Wednesday night train for many years. Last week it was his 90th birthday and we gave him a bottle of champagne.”
“They’re a great bunch of passengers,” Paul adds. “If they ever tried to cut this service there’d be an outcry.”
For the time being, there’s no reason to worry. David Lennox, FGW’s head of catering, told me he is fully committed to proper dining on trains. “It’s an experience that makes a train journey memorable – and what better way of offering added value to the railway experience?” However, FGW have declared their intention to hand back the franchise early and, the cooking facilities in these elderly Mk IIIs clearly cannot go on for ever.
As we passed along the sea wall at Dawlish Warren my companion observed: “Eating freshly grilled West Country sardines looking out over a sparkling ocean on an early summer’s day. Could there be a finer railway dining experience anywhere?”
It won’t just be Ian Smith and his team who will be praying that it lasts.
