Euston Dining Club Menu 1963

[Merle Haggard]

You may be right about the tea, but it seems odd not to group tea and coffee together. IIRC production of a duty pass in station buffets attracted a handsome discount on the price of tea, but no discount for coffee. So I wonder if the tea was simply "on tap". As Speedy1 highlights, sad to see that the coffee was instant, especially as BTH had a coffee roasting facility just next door in the vaults of St Pancras.

This is just speculation, but it seems possible that the GM and others entitled to a waitress served lunch might have to been required to place their orders in advance. So the lunch menu might appear in the office at coffee time for the recipient to make key executive decisions for onward transmission to the kitchen. Having been used for its initial purpose, the menu might then easily find its way into the GM's rough paper collection to await further use for casual jotting.

That's reminded me! I think that you could also get a reduction on tea on production of your travel identity card (not just duty pass) both on trains and at stations. As it was only 1p (I think) it was hardly worth the scowling looks implying 'cheapskate'. Or maybe the scowl on a train buffet was because you were upsetting the rhythm of 'one for me, one for the company'

The roasting coffee beans smell from the entrance to St Pancras Chambers was a feature of my lunchtime walk when I worked on the LM. Interesting that people on trains often complained about the coffee - probably used to the taste of 'Camp', which I have heard described as ';proper coffee'.

 

[D6130]

In the early 1980s the staff canteen for Euston House staff was located across the road on the 1st floor of the frontage of the station. Access via a staircase on the extreme east of the building.

Was that in the same space that is now occupied by the Avanti first class lounge?

 

[Rescars]

That's reminded me! I think that you could also get a reduction on tea on production of your travel identity card (not just duty pass) both on trains and at stations. As it was only 1p (I think) it was hardly worth the scowling looks implying 'cheapskate'. Or maybe the scowl on a train buffet was because you were upsetting the rhythm of 'one for me, one for the company'

My recollection is that the discount worked at station buffets, but not on trains. Regular uniformed staff might smile sweetly and get a free cuppa from the catering crew's teapot. There were special teabags provided for staff tea - nice tea for the home team, instant MaxPax for the paying passengers!

 

[stuving]

While real coffee was not part of the general national culture until later, in upmarket places it always had been. I had a student holiday job at J Lyons main factory in Greenford in 1969 (I think). We were still in a mezzanine office up in a corner of the warehouse, not in the office block or the new tea warehouse just built.

We had a tea trolley come round of course, and each got a tray with our choice of tea or coffee - freshly made in a pot in both cases - and biscuits. Well, Lyons had standards, didn't they? And rather superior ones at that!

My daily chore - rather surreal, this - was to go through a line printer output from Leo, sent from the London head office, giving shipments from the regional warehouses to retailers and Tea Houses, and update their stock levels in a big ledger (in pencil). Then we worked out what to put in the lorry going to each of these regional warehouses.

Andy - you say at the end of your transcript that the bottom of the menu was torn off. Does it look like it would have gone on to offer ... bread & butter ... tea ... other drinks?

 

[SargeNpton]

Was that in the same space that is now occupied by the Avanti first class lounge?

Whatever's above the current M&S store.

 

[Merle Haggard]

My recollection is that the discount worked at station buffets, but not on trains. Regular uniformed staff might smile sweetly and get a free cuppa from the catering crew's teapot. There were special teabags provided for staff tea - nice tea for the home team, instant MaxPax for the paying passengers!

You're very likely right in that recollection, I'm very hazy about the detail.

I am fairly certain of the reason for the tokens on MaxPax - you were encouraged to remove a tab from the cup and deposit in a collection bin, and BR would give 1/2p to charity. The underlying reason was that naughty members of catering staff used to scoot down a train and retrieve all the unwanted MaxPax cups so that they could be re-sold for personal gain. It would be difficult to justify why a cup already had a lump missing when presented to the customer ...

Another interesting one - the first MML TOC's practice of offering free tea and coffee to all passengers, served in standard Travellers' Fayre cups. Presumably seeing cartons of them being transferred from the TRFB of a MML train to another operator's train (where hot drinks, served in the same type of cup, were charged for) on an adjacent platform was just helping out mates in times of shortage

 

[Rescars]

The original MaxPax cups were made of waxed paper. The upgraded plastic ones were far more robust and survived being washed up multiple times. Ripping the tab spoiled the fun!

 

[Skiddaw]

School lunch staple for pudding, baked in big trays, sliced up 4x6 to give 24 pieces, served with custard. And following comparisons from various sports team visits to other schools, ours were the best !

Oh I remember it well! One of my favourite school puddings was that.

 

[Andy873]

Andy - you say at the end of your transcript that the bottom of the menu was torn off. Does it look like it would have gone on to offer ... bread & butter ... tea ... other drinks?

Yes, it does to me, the menu starts with starters, the mains etc then under a new section denoted by some "******" we have the coffee and bread rolls, so it probably did go on to say things like tea, bread, possibly snacks and other drinks.

What's just dawned on me is the fact the menu doesn't say lunch menu or evening menu? I don't know the opening hours of this dining club but because it mentions a cafeteria wouldn't there have been a breakfast menu?

If you a manager called down to London Euston for a meeting and used the dining club, would you pay for your meal out of your own pocket? and / or perhaps claim for the meal later? How do you think it would have worked?

 

[Gloster]

I think that it would probably have been a lunch menu as more senior management mostly only worked 9-5. There might have been breakfast and evening meals served, but if so the menu would probably be far more limited; quite possibly all the various levels of diners for these two would have to put up with using one dining room, possibly with areas marked off.

Depending on the circumstances, you might find yourself paying and possibly claiming back later, or your ’host’ might take you in and either pay himself or, more likely, get a chit for you to eat there. I don’t know about then, but often you could only claim a fixed subsistence allowance if you were away from your home station for the day: one day away and you could claim £x/y/z per day, or more likely just y/z. It was probably inadequate, at least for wages grade: in 1979 I was expected to lodge overnight and feed myself in London for £3 and some pence something a day.

 

[Springs Branch]

I wonder if the appearance of 'Club' in the various Dining and Luncheon Clubs mentioned is connected to the constraints of the British Licencing Laws back in the day?

That is, these establishments were operating as Private Members' Clubs (with sign-in options for bona fide guests), so able to serve alcohol with extended hours (presumably after 2:30 in the afternoon) and without too much oversight from pesky local magistrates and the like.

Of course, the long boozy lunches were only available in the Senior Management or Directors' dining rooms - 'other ranks' still had to make do with the tea urn or a sixpenny cup of Nescafe instant.

So they'd be somewhere on the spectrum between, at one end, Gentlemen's Clubs (the exclusive ones in St James's, not the modern manifestation of 'gentlemen's clubs') and The Winchester Club at the other extreme.

The best canteen food on the transport system was probably to be found on the LT at 55 Broadway, when the meals were prepared by Pullman Car Company chefs being trained in the LT training kitchen!

I've heard mention of this one before. Presumably it was restricted to LT staff only? I remember the character recounting the tale said he and his mate were not 'technically' allowed to dine there, but somehow they regularly blagged their way in, as the superior cuisine on offer was worth the effort.

 

[SargeNpton]

If you a manager called down to London Euston for a meeting and used the dining club, would you pay for your meal out of your own pocket? and / or perhaps claim for the meal later? How do you think it would have worked?

When working away from your own office, you were given a meal allowance. You paid for your meal and the allowance would have been in your next pay.

The allowance was a fixed amount. If your meal was less than that you were quids in. If you bought a more expensive meal than the allowance then tough.

 

[Rescars]

I've heard mention of this one before. Presumably it was restricted to LT staff only? I remember the character recounting the tale said he and his mate were not 'technically' allowed to dine there, but somehow they regularly blagged their way in, as the superior cuisine on offer was worth the effort.

Julian Morel gives details about the background to this arrangement in his book "Pullman" (It came about because Sir John Elliot was both head of LT and also chairman of Pullman). Morel was Catering Superintendent at Pullman for more than two decades, so should know his stuff.

 

[stuving]

There are ads and news items in the BNA about the Euston Dining Club from 1907 to 1958. No doubt it existed earlier, as well as later, just wasn't in the papers. There are some ads for waitresses, WW1 and 20s, with hours 9-6. From reports of careers at retirement, the EDC was run by a committee of employees led by a secretary like a social club (that might have a bar), and there was a manager(ess). There was also one steward who had worked at the "Euston Dining Club, Watford", however unlikely that sounds.

From the number of reports of formal dinners held there, the "dining hall" was often used for that. The organisations were mostly railway, including staff associations, or connected to the railway, but some less obviously so: e.g. military reunions. How often these happened, and whether they (or the occasional lunch event) meant closing the dining hall to normal service, is not clear.

In the Railway News, Saturday, 15 February 1908, there was a piece about the EDC itself. It was started in 1859 with 45 members, with the company providing the rooms, kitchen equipment, and their maintenance and the fuel. The club took on the running expenses including staff. Initially it served only dinner, for 9d each, rising to 1s by 1908. Lunches were started for 8d in 1876 "principally for the benefit of the junior staff", and appears to have served greater numbers.

By 1908 teas were also served in the 3-8 pm gap, with plans to widen that menu. You had to join the club, which cost 1s, and there were 200 members taking 1000 meals a week. A new dining hall was provided in 1908. How all that evolved up to the 1960s is of course impossible to work out without another useful source like that.

 

[Gloster]

There was also one steward who had worked at the "Euston Dining Club, Watford", however unlikely that sounds.

Presumably the Dining Club continued while the LMS had its headquarters at The Grove, Watford during World War II. I hope they enjoyed their Woolton Pie and snoek there.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

You're very likely right in that recollection, I'm very hazy about the detail.

I am fairly certain of the reason for the tokens on MaxPax - you were encouraged to remove a tab from the cup and deposit in a collection bin, and BR would give 1/2p to charity. The underlying reason was that naughty members of catering staff used to scoot down a train and retrieve all the unwanted MaxPax cups so that they could be re-sold for personal gain. It would be difficult to justify why a cup already had a lump missing when presented to the customer ...

Another interesting one - the first MML TOC's practice of offering free tea and coffee to all passengers, served in standard Travellers' Fayre cups. Presumably seeing cartons of them being transferred from the TRFB of a MML train to another operator's train (where hot drinks, served in the same type of cup, were charged for) on an adjacent platform was just helping out mates in times of shortage

One of my senior management bosses used to punch a hole in used Maxpack "drinks" to staunch buffet car stock recycling !

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What a splendid glimpse of the past. How lunch tastes have changed. Interesting to see a price for coffee but no mention of tea. Was this free perhaps, like the morning and afternoon visits of the tea trolley?

Graded dining was commonplace at the time, often with the same food served in both the Officers Mess and the canteen for lower grades. In some organisations the grading of lunching arrangements was even more finely layered. An insurance company I knew in the late 1980s had, amongst others, a Superintendent's Room for its middle managers and a special lunch room just for the secretaries of the senior executives and directors.

The best canteen food on the transport system was probably to be found on the LT at 55 Broadway, when the meals were prepared by Pullman Car Company chefs being trained in the LT training kitchen!

Several BR based managers were lunched at the 55 Broadway Officers Mess as part of joint meetings and commented very favourably on the excellent quality foods , especially their miniature Xmas Puddings , served with white sauce !

 

[Andy873]

There are ads and news items in the BNA about the Euston Dining Club from 1907 to 1958.

@stuving, That some work you've put in there searching the newspapers, tells us quite a few things of how it was run etc. Thanks!

I think that it would probably have been a lunch menu as more senior management mostly only worked 9-5. There might have been breakfast and evening meals served, but if so the menu would probably be far more limited; quite possibly all the various levels of diners for these two would have to put up with using one dining room, possibly with areas marked off.

Yes, me too going off the menu. Somethings on the menu would I suspect be seasonal such as lamb which could be swapped for say beef later, and probably the same goes for veal pie. Some things like the soup, steak pie and salads I think would remain constant. One thing this menu doesn't appear to be is a set one for Monday, then one for Tuesday etc.

One thing for me that does seem to be missing is sandwiches? plus some other likely items we might find in a cafeteria which is why I too suspect this menu was for more senior managers.

 

[Gloster]

One thing for me that does seem to be missing is sandwiches? plus some other likely items we might find in a cafeteria which is why I too suspect this menu was for more senior managers.

There might have been sandwiches in the ‘lower ranks’ canteen, but it is quite possible that those who choose sandwiches would bring them from home. Or, as this was the first era of the sandwich bar, they might have gone out into the Euston Road, where there were bound to be some, and buy there. Or, with some offices, somebody in the office would take an order early on and then nip out to the preferred sandwich bar to order for all: at midday somebody from the bar would turn up with a basket containing the ordered spam, spam, spam, egg, spam….

 

[Taunton]

Graded dining was commonplace at the time, often with the same food served in both the Officers Mess and the canteen for lower grades. In some organisations the grading of lunching arrangements was even more finely layered. An insurance company I knew in the late 1980s had, amongst others, a Superintendent's Room for its middle managers and a special lunch room just for the secretaries of the senior executives and directors.

Still around. At a major supplier to the railway, the common serving canteen counter leads to two dining areas, separated by a low divide. One side for "boots", the other side for "suits". Amazing details of trivia. Boots has plastic salt cellars on the table, suits has glass ones . New tables go into the suits area, when banged and chipped they are moved over.

 

[Rescars]

Still around. At a major supplier to the railway, the common serving canteen counter leads to two dining areas, separated by a low divide. One side for "boots", the other side for "suits". Amazing details of trivia. Boots has plastic salt cellars on the table, suits has glass ones . New tables go into the suits area, when banged and chipped they are moved over.

Amazing the damage that can be done to table tops with glass cruets!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2026 ==

Yes, me too going off the menu. Somethings on the menu would I suspect be seasonal such as lamb which could be swapped for say beef later, and probably the same goes for veal pie. Some things like the soup, steak pie and salads I think would remain constant. One thing this menu doesn't appear to be is a set one for Monday, then one for Tuesday etc.

Not a set menu I think. It displays the date. Different menus printed daily. Avoids disappointment if ingredients for certain regular dishes unavailable!

 

[Skiddaw]

There might have been sandwiches in the ‘lower ranks’ canteen, but it is quite possible that those who choose sandwiches would bring them from home. Or, as this was the first era of the sandwich bar, they might have gone out into the Euston Road, where there were bound to be some, and buy there. Or, with some offices, somebody in the office would take an order early on and then nip out to the preferred sandwich bar to order for all: at midday somebody from the bar would turn up with a basket containing the ordered spam, spam, spam, egg, spam….

It would have still been the era when there would most likely have been a wife/mum at home to prepare the sarnies (and most men in particular would have expected a proper dinner in those days. My dad would have been horrified at the thought of sandwiches for lunch )

 

[6Gman]

Still around. At a major supplier to the railway, the common serving canteen counter leads to two dining areas, separated by a low divide. One side for "boots", the other side for "suits". Amazing details of trivia. Boots has plastic salt cellars on the table, suits has glass ones . New tables go into the suits area, when banged and chipped they are moved over.

A friend of mine worked for a major pharmaceutical company which had such an arrangement. As a manager he was supposed to use the "suits" section but - being a principled, egalitarian type - he chose to use the "boots" section.

It didn't last long as his lunch was one long session of the staff moaning about (other) managers.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It would have still been the era when there would most likely have been a wife/mum at home to prepare the sarnies (and most men in particular would have expected a proper dinner in those days. My dad would have been horrified at the thought of sandwiches for lunch )

Bit tricky if you were working in a coalmine (as my father did for 44 years) - sandwiches in a tin box was de-rigeur........(always a challenge to vary the fillings !)

 

[Skiddaw]

Bit tricky if you were working in a coalmine (as my father did for 44 years) - sandwiches in a tin box was de-rigeur........(always a challenge to vary the fillings !)

I can well imagine!

Wasn't that how Cornish Pasties were invented? Miner's tucker? Worked on a practical level as well as being tasty.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Kidney Soup 5d


For me, there are a couple of strange things available, Kidney soup for instance, I had never heard of that but apparently it was quite popular in the 1960s. Heinz used to sell it in tins. A quick search around and it seems it was one of those love it or hate it foods, not for me thanks!

I had to look this one up, but yes it did exist: https://www.roamingbrit.com/p/kidney-soup and if you have enough adblockers, apparently someone donated a tin of the stuff to a Cardiff foodbank in 2017: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/someone-donated-50-year-old-13721614 or here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/50-years-old-can-of-soup-foodbank . The tin of soup originally cost 10d

 

[Gloster]

I can well imagine!

Wasn't that how Cornish Pasties were invented? Miner's tucker? Worked on a practical level as well as being tasty.

This is often claimed, but is doubtful as it is pretty well certain that the pasty is much older and was not invented for miners. However, there is a possibility that the style of crimping was developed for use by tin miners, but even that is far from certain: it is far more likely that they wrapped them in cloth or paper and ate the lot.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I can well imagine!

Wasn't that how Cornish Pasties were invented? Miner's tucker? Worked on a practical level as well as being tasty.

I think you are absolutetly correct about Cornish Pasties !

 

[Andy873]

I had to look this one up, but yes it did exist: https://www.roamingbrit.com/p/kidney-soup and if you have enough adblockers, apparently someone donated a tin of the stuff to a Cardiff foodbank in 2017: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/someone-donated-50-year-old-13721614 or here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/50-years-old-can-of-soup-foodbank . The tin of soup originally cost 10d

That's a superb find! What a great thing to do, donate it to a food bank, anyone there would probably have realised it was worth some money, sell it, and that's quite a lot of food for the food bank.

 

[Rescars]

I had to look this one up, but yes it did exist: https://www.roamingbrit.com/p/kidney-soup and if you have enough adblockers, apparently someone donated a tin of the stuff to a Cardiff foodbank in 2017: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/someone-donated-50-year-old-13721614 or here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/50-years-old-can-of-soup-foodbank . The tin of soup originally cost 10d

If anyone wants to have a go at making some, ox kidney seems to be the preferred ingredient.

 

[Alfie1014]

One of my senior management bosses used to punch a hole in used Maxpack "drinks" to staunch buffet car stock recycling !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2026 ==


Several BR based managers were lunched at the 55 Broadway Officers Mess as part of joint meetings and commented very favourably on the excellent quality foods , especially their miniature Xmas Puddings , served with white sauce !

We had access to the 55 Broadway canteen when we were at the SRA in Victoria Street. Whereas OPRAF had access to a Lloyd’s Bank canteen when we were in Golding’s House at London Bridge. When I started at BR in 1980 based at Euston House I do remember a small coffee shop snack bar on the 3rd or 4th floor though there was still an officers mess up top and still officers toilets! We used the Stephenson Room as a canteen which was on the first floor in the station opposite above where M&S is now.