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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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?
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
A huge Oasis-themed bar and music venue has opened in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A new bar and gig venue that’s a shrine to all things Oasis is opening in Manchester city centre this week.
From memorabilia from the band’s history to artwork inspired by their work, Definitely Maybe is packed out with nods to the Gallagher brothers.
The bar has taken over the old Black Dog Ballroom site in the Northern Quarter, in the basement unit of Afflecks.
This huge Oasis bar splits into a few sections, from a live music stage to a mini gallery displaying memorabilia and posters.
There’s even a pair of Liam Gallagher’s Tommy Hilfiger pants suspended in one display unit.
Other items on display include one of Noel’s guitars (and a few more signed replicas), a pair of Liam’s maracas, early photography and sketches, and live gig photography.
Inside Definitely Maybe, a new Oasis themed bar in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
There are even Oasis lyrics scrawled along the wall of the bar, and globe-shaped light fixtures.
You can play pool, make use of the free photobooth, and sip on themed cocktails while feeling like a Rock n Roll Star.
Oasis-inspired cocktails include the Pina Columbia, the Strawberry Lemonade, and the She’s Electric.
Entry to the bar costs £5, but you’ll get a drinks token in return – or you can buy a membership for the rest of the year for just £6.
Definitely Maybe is already a well-loved name in Bolton and now it’s here in the city centre ready to help you live our your Rock n Roll Star dreams.
A tiny new train station pub has opened at Manchester Oxford Road
Daisy Jackson
A tiny craft beer pub has opened at Manchester Oxford Road, making all those inevitable train cancellations a little sweeter.
The new boozer comes from the same team behind some of the UK’s best train station pubs, who already have bars at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria.
The Oxford Road Tap has plenty of charming nods to its proximity to the great British rail network.
There’s the big red National Rail sign that they’ve restored and turned into a beer tap, an arch over the bar that mimics the shape of the station, and even a departures board so you can work out how many more pints you can squeeze in.
You’ll find plenty of British craft beers behind the bar as well as a great selection of European lagers, plus spirits and wines.
The bar from Bloomsbury Leisure Holdings Limited has taken over the former cycle hub at Manchester Oxford Road.
The small building is directly opposite the entrance to the busy train station on the southern side of the city centre.
The Oxford Road Tap pub is now open in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
This will be the third site for the pub group in Manchester.
They already operate the Piccadilly Tap, that two-storey beer bar on Piccadilly Approach with a heated rooftop space and outdoor patio.
The team are also responsible for the more recently-opened Victoria Tap, which took over the former bin store at Manchester Victoria.
That particular pub has a heated beer garden constructed just inches away from where the trams tootle past and has a departures board where time is measured by pints (got 10 mins til your train leaves? That’s one pint, sir!)
Georgina Pellant -
28th January 2022 
