There’s always been something incredibly romantic and almost Wes Anderson-like about the idea of dinner on a steam train if you ask us.
Whilst dining cars have all but disappeared from today’s everyday train travel experience, it was once the norm to have a restaurant on board and to be wined and dined on the move.
As late as 1995, there were still 250 trains running daily with onboard cellars stocked with fine wines and menus serving up the likes of fillet steak.
Image: East Lancashire Railway
Unfortunately, the privatisation of the railways wasn’t particularly kind to England’s restaurant cars – and the days of cordon bleu dining on the move have all but disappeared from everyday travel.
But there are still places to go and enjoy the experience – if you know where to look.
Whilst steam train experiences have always been popular with a certain crowd, thanks to the human serotonin that is Tik Tok star Francis Bourgeois it’s safe to say they are now more popular than ever.
Closest to Manchester you’re looking at taking a trip on the charming East Lancashire Railway, which offers a range of different dining experiences throughout the year.
Image: East Lancashire Railway
This Valentine’s, they’re offering diners a four-course silver service meal – all whilst travelling through the stunning surrounding countryside.
Priced at £69.90 per person or £250 for a table of four, you’ll be treated to four lovingly-prepared courses including chicken ceasar salad with parmesan shavings, fire-roasted tomato and basil soup with fresh chives, and steak sauté with peppers, horseradish mash and a Diane sauce.
Vegetarians, meanwhile, will be served a tzatziki-dressed falafel and feta salad to start, with a Mediterranean vegetable Wellington as their main.
As for pudding, there’ll be strawberry and Champagne torte with marbled pencils to finish on a high.
Image: East Lancashire Railway
As you dine, you’ll enjoy a beautiful three-hour steam train ride through the Irwell Valley – drinking in twinkling lights from across the rolling countryside outside your window as you go.
As part of the price, you’ll also be treated to a sparkling wine drink as you’re welcomed on board, as well as a choice of tea or coffee alongside dinner chocolate at the end of your meal. What’s not to love?
The East Lancashire Valentine’s Dinner on a steam train takes place from 7.30pm on 12 February 2022, to book your ticket click here.
Further dining experiences taking place later this year include a St George’s Day dinner on 23 April and an Italian dinner on 17 June.
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Georgina Pellant -
28th January 2022 
