Dry turkey, Michael Bublé’s Christmas album on repeat and overly saccharine mulled wine: the classic ingredients of a festive lunch in the run-up to Christmas. Belmond wants to make festive feasts a bit more special than that – namely with its Christmas lunch on board the steam-powered British Pullman.
The vintage train departs from Victoria Station regularly between November and Christmas, chugging through the wintery countryside as a fleet of chefs prepare a five-course meal. Guests are greeted at Victoria with cups of mulled wine and a trio of singers crooning retro tunes, before boarding the train, which features a series of carriages abounding in art deco glamour. They include the Cygnus – a 1950s carriage that was redecorated by Wes Anderson into a cocoon of green hues and wood panelling – the golden-toned Ibis cabin and Ione, a carriage dating back to the 1920s.
Once on board and on the move, passengers are served Veuve Clicquot champagne, followed by a five-course lunch with paired wines, as the train moves at a leisurely clip through the bucolic landscape.
The menu includes house-cured salmon tartare followed by soup. Then there’s lunch proper: Dexter beef or Norfolk bronze turkey with all the trimmings – roasties, glazed carrots and brussels sprouts. It’s served with a pour of Veuve Clicquot’s La Grande Dame 2018, one of the champagne house’s most celebrated wines of recent years. “This special vintage complements the rich and warming flavours of the British Pullman festive lunch beautifully, with its subtle and complex profile and aromas of white fruit, honey, almond and citrus fruit,” Veuve Clicquot’s cellar master Didier Mariotti tells Broadsheet. The meal is rounded out with a snowflake-shaped black forest ganache with dark cherry compote, followed by Neal’s Yard cheeses and petits fours.
“Preparing a full Christmas lunch on board is quite a feat, given the compact galley kitchens and the moving train,” adds British Pullman’s general manager, Craig Moffat. “Everything is cooked and plated fresh as the train travels through the countryside.”
Beyond the food, there are Christmas crackers, visits from musical groups and a stop along the way at a regional train station to enjoy hot wine and another musical performance.
“While London has plenty of ways to celebrate, the British Pullman offers guests a chance to slow down, [and] enjoy exquisite food and service,” says Moffat.
