Great Western Railway: on-board catering, buffets, Travelling Chef, Pullman - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[bobm]

You are not alone BNM, they had a run on the fish on my latest trip, seven taking the lemon sole and just one having steak.

I had the steak.....

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Our paths crossed!  I was on the same train.  Very good turnout for a Monday too with 13 taking a meal - boosted, it now seems, by three from the Coffee Shop! 

Good heavens!  We were sitting in the bay of 2 one away from the vestibule - were you sitting in the window facing seat in the bay of 4 oppposite, with a lady joining your table at Taunton?  (NB I'm not implying any assignations etc here!!)

[bobm]

No when I am on my own I tend to go for the single seat (number 7) nearest the kitchen.  (So I was behind you!)

[Jonty]

Would be interested to know the approx price of a 3 course meal- say ^35 per head?

Wish I could claim on company expenses - being self employed everything ends up being paid by me anyway...!

[broadgage]

Would be interested to know the approx price of a 3 course meal- say ^35 per head?

Wish I could claim on company expenses - being self employed everything ends up being paid by me anyway...!

^35 if you take the cheapest option for each course, ^40 to ^43 more typicly.
Plus a little gin beforehand, some wine with the meal, and perhaps a morsel of port with the cheese.

[Brucey]

Would be interested to know the approx price of a 3 course meal- say ^35 per head?

Wish I could claim on company expenses - being self employed everything ends up being paid by me anyway...!

I can't see many employers paying ^35+ anyway.  Where I work, all employees (at all grades) are limited to ^25 for dinner, which is to include a 10% tip and one alcoholic beverage.  No first class travel is permitted either, without the employee paying the difference.

[broadgage]

Just to note for anyone planning on travelling on the Pullmans immediately after Easter...
From the 2nd to 5th April the ones up from Plymouth still leave at 12:01 and 12:55 - except on the 2nd when the 12:55 becomes a 13:03.
The two down will leave at 17:33 and 18:33 from Paddington.
The 12:01/17:33 will go via Bristol Temple Meads (not calling) and the 12:55/13:03/12:55 with their Westbury stops going via Melksham (also not calling  )
Extra mileage to eat your tucker!

Thanks for the info.
I hope to dine on the Wednesday following Easter on the earlier service, boarding at Taunton.
Have I understood correctly that this service leaves Plymouth, at the usual time and calls at Taunton at 13-34 as usual ?
I appreciate that arrival at London will be delayed by the diversion via Bristol, this is of no consequence.
But I obviously want to be at Taunton at the right time.
And if I do miss it, does the following Pullman service still call Taunton at 14-23, or perhaps a few minutes later as it leaves Plymouth a few minutes later than normal.

Have looked on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site but the temp timetable wont display on this PC.

Presuming that these services do actually run, then full marks to FGW for still running Pullmans during disruption, in years gone by I doubt that they would have bothered.

[bobm]

Yes on the 3rd the early train calls at 13:34 and the later one at 14:23.  Due to arrive at Paddington at 16:00 and 16:59 respectively.

[broadgage]

Thanks for that

[BBM]

The April edition of 'Modern Railways' magazine has a 2-page article entitled 'Pullman Dining - The Great Western Experience' about the new menus developed with Mitch Tonks, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s rationale in maintaining a full Pullman dining service.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the First Great Western press release:

First Great Western rewards students' miracle menus

Hospitality students at Stoke Damerel Community College, Plymouth, honed their culinary skills on Tuesday [19 March 2013] when they presented a three-course ^ la carte menu to a renowned seafood chef and restaurateur, as part of a First Great Western initiative.

The Year 9 students have been working on a project called On Board with First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)), the brainchild of former student and FGW Pullman Dining chef Paul Tregillis and college staff Hazel Lethbridge and Karen Burn.

Seafood guru Mitch Tonks, who works in partnership with FGW developing their Pullman Dining menus, agreed to be part of the judging panel.

Two teams of students each created an original menu and a poster to represent the FGW Pullman Dining service, which operates on the Penzance to London Paddington route.

Team Armada made up of four Year 9 students. Head chef Sophie, Shannon, Elijah and Tiffany won the cooking challenge by just one point, with 26 against Team Hind^s 25. Team Hind, also four Year 9s, Ellie, Davina (head chef), Ross and Keelan, won the poster challenge.

FGW chef Paul has worked with staff and students since the autumn term to plan the cooking event between two teams, who each created their menus with a focus on showing off the best produce from the South West. ^500 prize money was donated to the School, and the winning teams will also have the opportunity to drive a train at an FGW train simulator.   

The Team Armada menu included: salmon fingers with watercress salad and mushroom topped with local seasonal vegetables and Cornish Yarg; Cornish crab cakes with watercress and rocket salad and Devonshire potato and vegetable platter; followed by sugar spun cream tea and Cornish mess.

Team Hind cooked up: Cornish mussels with rock sapphire, sweet scrumpy and chilli and mushroom souffl^; lamb cutlets with crushed new potatoes and seasonal vegetables with rosemary sauce, stuffed beef tomatoes with Somerset goats cheese; followed by Plymouth gin and tonic tarts with strawberry macaroon cake.

^It^s a real coup for us to have Mitch Tonks as a judge,^ said hospitality teacher Mrs Burn. ^This has been an amazing opportunity for our students and we were also delighted to welcome a former student back to the College to work with us on this challenge.^

Paul said: ^It's been a really good experience for me going back to my old school. The students have been so enthusiastic. And I have to say the dishes they have come up with are fantastic, they taste stunning. They^ve learned a lot about how to develop a menu and about marketing and advertising too by designing the poster. I^m very impressed with how well the students have done.

Mitch Tonks, who owns the Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth and recently announced plans to open a restaurant close to Plymouth^s National Marine Aquarium, was joined on the judging panel by Paul and two of the College^s governors.

^It is so important that we have an understanding of where our food comes from and how it is produced,^ said Mitch. ^This initiative by Paul is a simple yet fun and effective way of teaching these children those vital skills.

"While working with First Great Western to refresh their three course Pullman Dining menu, Paul asked if I would help judge the competition. I feel privileged to be involved in the project." 

Judges looked at presentation, locally-sourced ingredients and creativity in the design of the menu. 

Another group of students was schooled in the art of silver service waiting by FGW customer host Sarah Major so that they could serve the competing menus in a professional manner to the judges on the day.

[JayMac]

Yesterday, 20th March 2013, I and bobm again ate on one of the Pullmans from Plymouth. The usual high standard was maintained. I went for the fish dishes this time. I'll post some photos of the dishes in due course.

Following on from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) press release quoted above, the local BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News programme for the south west, Spotlight, covered the competition in a broadcast earlier this week.

The item can be viewed on BBC Spotlight's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=113023425556006&set=vb.150467675018739&type=3&theater

[Chris from Nailsea]

Team Hind cooked up: Cornish mussels with rock sapphire, sweet scrumpy and chilli and mushroom souffl^; lamb cutlets with crushed new potatoes and seasonal vegetables with rosemary sauce, stuffed beef tomatoes with Somerset goats cheese; followed by Plymouth gin and tonic tarts with strawberry macaroon cake.

Yes, that gets my vote. 

[bobm]

One interesting note about the new menus which have not been running, in rotation, for the last two months is that the fillet steak is no longer the top choice.  The steak has always featured on each menu and has usually been the most expensive option.  In the past the crews reckoned they served three steaks for every one of the other selections.  Now it seems steak is no longer the front runner.

On both of my last trips when between six and ten have been dining I was the only one having steak.  Talking to the staff it seems this is quite typical.  So either the menu has greater all round appeal or as a nation we have fallen out of love with steak!  I don't think it is the price because, as I mentioned above, it has always tended to be the dearest.

[broadgage]

IME^▸ ('in my experience'), on previous menus the steak was usually the best qaulity item, with the other choices being a bit cheepencheeful.
On the new menu, a top qaulity freshly cooked fish dish is offered which competes well with steak.
On the old menu, the "non steak" choice was often some variety of pie, casserole or other made up dish, that even if prepared on board looked a bit like virgin microwaved airline mush.

I am not that keen on most fish dishes and much prefer the steak, virtualy allways ordering this.
I certainly enjoy the smoked salmon starter, but am less keen on most other fish.

Rumours continue regarding the reintroduction of another pullman, but nothing has happened as yet.