EMT First Class Meals Service

[extendedpaul]

I travelled with East Midlands Trains from Derby to London earlier this week first class for just £15 thanks to a £10 discount code they sent me.

The hot meal was an extra £4.95 but what I chose was better than anything I've had on either East Coast or Virgin. A Yorkshire pudding that filled the plate, with lean beef in ale gravy plus onions and potato, all piping hot and served within 10 minutes of my order.

There was the usual free tea, coffee, juice, water and biscuits offered twice on a journey of 100 minutes, the carriage was clean and cool on a very hot day.

Maybe I was lucky or am easily pleased but I was seriously impressed all round.

 

[Essexman]

I often enjoy the yorkshire pudding or burger.
I'd far rather pay £5 for a choice of hot meal than have East Coast or Virgin's free offerings (other than breakfast).

 

[ashworth]

I find EMT meals very good value and quite good food too. A few weeks ago when traveling from Nottingham to London for just over £20. I enjoyed the East Midlands Ploughmans for only £4.95. Very nice Melton Mowbray Pork Pie, Red Leicester Cheese, very nice fresh bread and plenty of good fresh salad. All the meals I saw looked very good and seemed to be freshly prepared and served within 10 minutes.

With plenty of complimentary tea/coffee, fruit juice and bottled water. There was nothing I could complain about. Also very helpful friendly staff.

 

[Yew]

I agree with the above, its nice to have real food although mthe Thai curry let's the side down a bit.

 

[richa2002]

Here lies why paying for food is usually better than getting it 'free' with your first class ticket. Higher quality and more choice.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Virgin Breakfast is very nice but far too small

 

[WillPS]

I had the scrambled egg and cheese baguette on my last EMT first class trip, and it was bloody lovely. EMT do a lot of very well priced 1st Advances, so the fiver for a decent meal adds up to a great first class service.

 

[DarloRich]

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

I here is the generic food thread for standard class: Sh*t and expensive with poor service.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

I here is the generic food thread for standard class: Sh*t and expensive with poor service.

Reheated cheese burgers which are either cold in the middle or take the roof off your mouth

 

[WillPS]

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

I here is the generic food thread for standard class: Sh*t and expensive with poor service.

Posted directly above yours...

EMT do a lot of very well priced 1st Advances, so the fiver for a decent meal adds up to a great first class service.

No Priv here, just a 16-25 Railcard (which doesn't offer any discount on 1st tickets except Advances).

 

[ainsworth74]

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

In which case people who do not wish to discuss first class food do not have to look at this or any of the other threads. They are all well labelled so they are easy to avoid and you're not forced to open this one. I'm confused as to why you allow yourself to get so worked up about something which you could so easily avoid and then disrupt the thread to vent your annoyance?

This forum isn't just here to discuss what's popular or things that affect the majority. It's here to discuss just about anything to do with the railways and that would also include discussions around first class food.

 

[Harlesden]

I quite enjoy the first class food threads. It's like stepping into another world.
I have never knowingly travelled first class although the compartment stock on the mid-1970's overnighter from King's Cross felt like first class.
I'm with brother ainsworth74 on this one. If you don't like the sound of a thread title, move along. Plenty of fascinating threads to choose from.

 

[pjnathanail]

EMT were giving away free entire meals at the St Pancras FC lounge today, to test the new selection for launch in September. The burger survives, with wedges replaced by chips, there is spag bol, chilli, cheese and biscuits/ploughmans and various others.

The burger tasted great, although they had run out of chips. I had the last burger. People seemed very happy.

The only thing is, they were talking about increasing the price of the meals. The only other comment they made was that the low price put people off because they thought it was lower quality.

 

[Essexman]

I'm happy to pay a bit more than the currnet £4.95.

Is the filled yorkshire pudding on the new menu?

In general with regard to First Class - It is quite often only a few pounds more than Standard ( and occasionally less) on Advance tickets. If paying myself I'd typically pay about an extra £5 per hour of journey for the extra space and quiet of First Class. If work are paying and especially if it means I can get a meal while travelling, I'll pay a bit more, but never more than around £10 / hour of journey more than Standard.
Similarly I'll often use Weekend First, especially if the train is busy.

 

[trentside]

In general with regard to First Class - It is quite often only a few pounds more than Standard ( and occasionally less) on Advance tickets. If paying myself I'd typically pay about an extra £5 per hour of journey for the extra space and quiet of First Class. If work are paying and especially if it means I can get a meal while travelling, I'll pay a bit more, but never more than around £10 / hour of journey more than Standard.

I tend to use similar logic myself, it being approximately £40 for a PRIV return from where I am down to London, but I can often pick up a 16-25 discounted First Advance ticket for around the £45 mark - so it's a no brainer. I lose the flexibility, but gain a bigger seat, quieter carriage and some free food.

 

[Tomnick]

Deleted content as previous posts, without which this just sounded odd, removed!

 

[bb21]

I have always said that EMT provide very good value for money where their First Class offerings were mentioned.

I also note that standards on Virgin's services have been declining quite badly over the last year or so. I was only offered a light snack rather than a meal service yesterday afternoon. They are now worse than CrossCountry's dare I say it, if you get a good First Class host on XC, which I did yesterday. I was so ashamed of the Virgin offering I didn't even take a picture.

Some sample pictures of EMT offerings (the burger mentioned upthread, and thai curry), together with the pictures I took of EC brekkie and XC offering yesterday. I also have a picture of the beef and yorkshire pudd somewhere but can't find it atm.

 

[causton]

Mmm! Some of those pictures and these descriptions make me want to travel 1st class somewhere soon good thing I'm travelling to Inverness and back at the end of the month! (Please don't break down, EC fridges!)

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

You did understand what the thread title was didn't you?

 

[rmt4ever]

Christ another first class food thread - some of you need to realise most of us dont travel in first class as we dont benefit from a priv/half/railcard fare so dont care.

I here is the generic food thread for standard class: Sh*t and expensive with poor service.

I don't see why you're bringing Christ in to it. In fact he himself said

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6 35

There was nothing saying First Class passengers only- everyone else can starve.

And on another note, that macaroni pasta thingy in a cardboard box looks disgusting. Haven't XC heard of plates?

 

[Blindtraveler]

My favourite FC Offerings are Virgin, EMT and FGW. The loungecar on the Caly takes a bit of beating too. I hope if EMT Prices do go up then its only by a £ or 2 as what impresses me most there is the meals service is accessible to anybody, not just those on expenses and given that my EMT milage is almost entirely Leisure or Bashing trips then that matters.↲

 

[Skymonster]

The EMT first class "full English" breakfast is absolutely excellent - its also served on a few trains on a Saturday morning when first advances are available, although it can get full up (both the buffet car and the next first class carriage on HSTs are often used for breakfast on Saturday morning)...

Juice - Tea / coffee - serial or fresh fruit (starter) - bacon, sausage, egg on a muffin, hash browns, tomato, mushroom, black pudding (main) - toast and preserves... All served "silver service" from a platter at seat onto warmed plates... A tenner... Marvellous!

 

[Essexman]

The EMT first class "full English" breakfast is absolutely excellent - its also served on a few trains on a Saturday morning when first advances are available, although it can get full up (both the buffet car and the next first class carriage on HSTs are often used for breakfast on Saturday morning)...

Juice - Tea / coffee - serial or fresh fruit (starter) - bacon, sausage, egg on a muffin, hash browns, tomato, mushroom, black pudding (main) - toast and preserves... All served "silver service" from a platter at seat onto warmed plates... A tenner... Marvellous!

Unfortunately breakfast is no longer available on trains from London. May as well be though as the chef travels back north anyway.

 

[Skymonster]

Unfortunately breakfast is no longer available on trains from London. May as well be though as the chef travels back north anyway.

Shame - your loss! :roll:

 

[sheff1]

The only other comment they made was that the low price put people off because they thought it was lower quality.

Yes, I have had people tell me it is not going to be any good because it is 'cheap' and will not even try it. They prefer to pay more to get a lower quality offering from an outlet at St Pancras before boarding, on the basis that if it is expensive it must be good :roll:

These, of course, are the same people who are happy to pay £11.95 for fish & chips in a pub in Dore but turn their noses up at the same quality of food for £7.95 in a less pretentious area of the city.

 

[bb21]

And on another note, that macaroni pasta thingy in a cardboard box looks disgusting. Haven't XC heard of plates?

XC catering are not that good compared to some other TOCs, however they are quite a lot better than they were last year, in terms of presentation and taste.

The pasta thing isn't too bad, better than Virgin's so-called evening enhanced services.

My favourite FC Offerings are Virgin, EMT and FGW. The loungecar on the Caly takes a bit of beating too. I hope if EMT Prices do go up then its only by a £ or 2 as what impresses me most there is the meals service is accessible to anybody, not just those on expenses and given that my EMT milage is almost entirely Leisure or Bashing trips then that matters.↲

When the travelling chef is onboard, FGW offerings are pretty decent, if not then there is not much to write home about. Virgin's standards are poor nowadays full stop, except the drinks runs.

My favourites for the so-called "complimentary" offers are Hull Trains and the WAG Express. EMT and FGW require additional expenses, but quality is what you get.

Yes, I have had people tell me it is not going to be any good because it is 'cheap' and will not even try it. They prefer to pay more to get a lower quality offering from an outlet at St Pancras before boarding, on the basis that if it is expensive it must be good :roll:

More fool them.

 

[bengolding]

All this talk about the EMT light meals brings back very fond memories of the great restaurant-stle First Premier service offered in the good old days of MML.

A few weeks back, I was lucky enough not to part with £9.95 during a 2 week trial when complimentary full cooked breakfasts were offered to all First Class pax on the handful of AM breakfast services.

I have since been advised by several staff that depending on passenger feedback, EMT are likely to roll out complimentary breakfast for pax travelling from EMT stations to St Pancras, from Sept. lets hope the standard of breakfast is still as high as it is. For those services without a chef, complimentary breakfast rolls may be offered.

Unsure if EMT plan to offer any complimentary daytime food as per VT and EC. Quite difficult I'd have thought to implement, given the short stopping pattern between stations.

You heard it here first!