London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service

[voyagerdude220]

Quick question, see if you're on the same service from morning on the breakfast till the lunchtime menu for example leaving London at 8am and arriving at 2pm in Aberdeen is it possible to get 2 complementary meals like breakfast and lunch or are you still limited to 1 per journey?

Whenever I did Inverness to London in East Coast days the crew happily offered both Breakfast leaving Inverness and the full daytime menu to all passengers after leaving Edinburgh.

 

[HBP]

Quick question, see if you're on the same service from morning on the breakfast till the lunchtime menu for example leaving London at 8am and arriving at 2pm in Aberdeen is it possible to get 2 complementary meals like breakfast and lunch or are you still limited to 1 per journey?

My experience from last year Leeds to Aberdeen is yes. Full breakfast served from York & lunch from Edinburgh.

 

[VT 390]

Quick question, see if you're on the same service from morning on the breakfast till the lunchtime menu for example leaving London at 8am and arriving at 2pm in Aberdeen is it possible to get 2 complementary meals like breakfast and lunch or are you still limited to 1 per journey?

Every time I have used the north of Edinburgh LNER services I have received 2 full food services, not just on services that switch from Breakfast to Rest of Day but also on services with the same menu throughout. Basically any service which crosses Edinburgh will offer 2 full food services.
It is usually just the Aberdeen and Inverness services where this applies to though as even on Edinburgh to London services I have only ever been offered another full food service on 2 occasions.

 

[eoff]

I was also on a service from Edinburgh but the people who already had Breakfast after joining at Aberdeen still got a second meal - which makes sense.

 

[takno]

New menus look decent overall

"Earl Grey and lemon choux bun 92 kcal" either the calories are a typo or that's tiny bun. Sad to see the current desert pot gone, it was my favourite

I certainly wouldn't say it's big. Pictured next to s G&T for size comparison.

I think I actually preferred it to the mousse, and it felt more substantial than it looked.

 

[ainsworth74]

Quick question, see if you're on the same service from morning on the breakfast till the lunchtime menu for example leaving London at 8am and arriving at 2pm in Aberdeen is it possible to get 2 complementary meals like breakfast and lunch or are you still limited to 1 per journey?

Unless it's changed recently I believe journeys crossing Edinburgh will get two bites of the cherry. So Aberdeen to York for example would get food from Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Back before the cuts that have steadily eroded things and there were multiple menu rotations changing every weekend they'd even use the opposite menu north of Edinburgh to give a bit of variety. So if LNER was serving rotation A south of Edinburgh they'd be serving rotation B north. So you'd have a different menu when you got your second round of food. Of course now it's the same rotation for months at a time so that doesn't apply anymore.

 

[Vexed]

Once when coming down from Inverness or Aberdeen (can't remember which) the new crew at Edinburgh refused to give a meal to anyone from north of Edinburgh, but the third crew at the London end did and said the middle crew were wrong and should have given a second meal. Every other time it's been one meal each side of Edinburgh.

 

[Justin Time]

On 1S11 Doncaster to Newcastle. Currently wimbling along on the fast line at 20mph near Thirsk, neck and neck with Lumo.
The pulled ham and cheese sandwich is generously filled and very tasty, with a warning on the packaging that it might contain fish! Of course, any sandwich with pulled whatever is going to seem well filled.
Had the devils own job opening the earl grey and lemon choux bun. It’s ok ish. Nothing special.
Friendly service from the international crew, there’s an American accent and an Eastern European one, but nothing to fault with em.

 

[speedy1]

I certainly wouldn't say it's big. Pictured next to s G&T for size comparison.

I think I actually preferred it to the mousse, and it felt more substantial than it looked.

Ohh profiterole sized? Looks nice. How did it taste?

And to be honest, with LNER you can do /very well/ calorie wise with drinks, main, crisps, biscuits, dessert and fruit so a smaller dessert isn't that bad

 

[takno]

Ohh profiterole sized? Looks nice. How did it taste?

And to be honest, with LNER you can do /very well/ calorie wise with drinks, main, crisps, biscuits, dessert and fruit so a smaller dessert isn't that bad

It was good. Very like a profiterole for the cake bit. Maybe the cream was early grey flavoured but if so certainly not overwhelming, and then a small layer of thick white chocolatey sauce in the bottom. Needs eating with a spoon.

Sadly I don't think I have a future in restaurant reviews. Sorry

 

[styles]

It was good. Very like a profiterole for the cake bit. Maybe the cream was early grey flavoured but if so certainly not overwhelming, and then a small layer of thick white chocolatey sauce in the bottom. Needs eating with a spoon.

Sadly I don't think I have a future in restaurant reviews. Sorry

I dunno, I think they should change their menu description to that.

 

[takno]

I dunno, I think they should change their menu description to that.

Sadly they stopped taking my calls after I suggested that they described the much loved sausage roll as "Gregg's-grade oily meat parcel"

 

[D1537]

Arrived at Doncaster this morning to travel to Northallerton on 1N03, upon opening the LNER app the FC tickets (for 2 of us with a 2T railcard) were a whole £2.50 each more expensive than standard (£35.90 vs £30.90).

For our £2.50 we each got a coffee, some biscuits, a cheese and pulled ham sandwich and a packet of crisps, which I think is value There was only one other person in our carriage.

Since we'd eaten a full English breakfast in our hotel only a couple of hours beforehand, apart from the coffee the whole lot will be going to work for lunch tomorrow!

(Incidentally, I've just looked at tickets for next Sunday, and First Class is £35.90 again vs £63.60 for every other train. The Standard fare is just £20.10 though, so you'd need to decide if the food and the comfy seat is worth £7.90 each)

 

[WesternLancer]

Arrived at Doncaster this morning to travel to Northallerton on 1N03, upon opening the LNER app the FC tickets (for 2 of us with a 2T railcard) were a whole £2.50 each more expensive than standard (£35.90 vs £30.90).

For our £2.50 we each got a coffee, some biscuits, a cheese and pulled ham sandwich and a packet of crisps, which I think is value There was only one other person in our carriage.

Since we'd eaten a full English breakfast in our hotel only a couple of hours beforehand, apart from the coffee the whole lot will be going to work for lunch tomorrow!

(Incidentally, I've just looked at tickets for next Sunday, and First Class is £35.90 again vs £63.60 for every other train. The Standard fare is just £20.10 though, so you'd need to decide if the food and the comfy seat is worth £7.90 each)

I think I’d pay £8 for the comfy seats. So the refreshments would be a bonus.

 

[ajrm]

Unless it's changed recently I believe journeys crossing Edinburgh will get two bites of the cherry. So Aberdeen to York for example would get food from Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Back before the cuts that have steadily eroded things and there were multiple menu rotations changing every weekend they'd even use the opposite menu north of Edinburgh to give a bit of variety. So if LNER was serving rotation A south of Edinburgh they'd be serving rotation B north. So you'd have a different menu when you got your second round of food. Of course now it's the same rotation for months at a time so that doesn't apply anymore.

Yes, you'll definitely get a second service on any of the Aberdeen trains.

Good luck to the OP finding one that serves breakfast and lunch though! Pre pandemic the 1000 King's Cross to Aberdeen offered the full breakfast from London or a hot lunch from Newcastle, then another lunch option from Edinburgh. It's now the 'all day' menu which in fact is the dish menu with the hot lunch option removed. So if you want a hot meal you can treat yourself to two bacon rolls, one on departure from London and one on departure from Edinburgh in the middle of the afternoon...

 

[eoff]

I'm pretty sure I had Chicken Supreme on a 1230 service from Edinburgh to Kings Cross on 4/9/26. I think that service was providing brekfast choices earlier in the journey but am not 100% sure.

 

[Clansman]

All Aberdeen and Inverness services do a second round of food after Edinburgh in each direction for everybody. Ie if it starts as breakfast, it’ll be lunch/evening from Edinburgh - otherwise it’s a second offering of lunch/evening menu as before.

Edinburgh is the only changeover point midway through a service from AM to PM menus, and the only point on the network where everyone gets served a second time. Any other stations then it’s just those who get on, or those who have chosen not to order after Edinburgh and make a point to remind staff of this.

 

[Clansman]

What are you blabbering on about mate - total word salad lol.

Word salad? It's just English vocabulary, mate.

You keep trying to distract and divert - T&Cs, fare conditions etc. A company is responsible for its marketing too, because people make decisions based on the marketing eg prominent "Signature" wording in the journey list.

I'm not deflecting or diverting. If you could explain how, then I'd be happy to respectfully clarify.

I agree, a company is responsible for its marketing. However, I don't think it is responsible for how consumers interpret their marketing so long as their marketing is not malicious or misleading. If you interpret "Signature" to mean bottomless amounts of whatever stock there is, and with china plates and steel cutlery on an on-demand basis - that's on you. If the company promise this, and not deliver, that's on them. In LNER's case, it's clear that it's the case of the former. Clever marketing, yes. But that does not absolve people who think that that means they get the earth just because they have not read into the detail that is easily accessable before they purchase.

LNER did not promise the former, yet they still provide a level of service that makes you think that you are entitled to always receive it in every case to that standard as a matter of course with your ticket. That's why I made the point that LNER are the victims of their own downfall, since they create inflated expectations from consumers who feel aggrieved whenever the catering offer changes or is downgraded, simply because they are used to a standard that was never promised to begin with as a paid up entitlement. Expecting otherwise is just wishful thinking in an idealist world that doesn't exist nor is feasible without drastic price increases to guarantee it.

I wish - probably like yourself - that you'd receive the highest level of service every time. I am merely stating that the situation as it is now, does not guarantee that. And there is no point in pretending that it does or reasonably should given how it currently works.

And the attempt to blame the customers is a delightful piece of PR: the luxurious use of metal cutlery has created snobs and lofty expectations of certain food...? Riiiiight.

PR from whom? I don't speak for LNER, represent them, or work for them. And I am not simply or solely blaming customers for LNER's inconsistent offering. If you re-read my post, I was referring to the impression that providing certain amenities makes towards consumer perception of what they are entitled to and what they are not, regardless what the company officially states it will promise. That is not an unreasonable point to make.

Definitely not the prominent "Signature" menu displayed on services in the journey planner?

Google the definition of 'heuristics'. You have proved my original point just by this sentence alone.

If you were sitting strategically they used to give you one on the way out with the trolley and one on the way back

Ah I understand. Yeah that still happens, but it's only on request from the passenger.

The Azumas are only equipped with enough storage for 2 full cold-drinks carts, and each cart is designed for the average demand of a full first class in one run. If it's a full train, then serving on the way back to the kitchen means depleting the stock for another drinks run later on. In most cases when first class is full, crews go into around half of the second cart just to satisfy the demand for one drinks run offering (ie 3/4 of the total provision combined from both cold-drinks carts). Re-stocking isn't so easy in case of this, since priority is given to replenishing plates, cutlerly, cups and glasses at major stations - there isn't the space on the supplier trolleys to accomodate enough stock. Hence why you are seeing more rationing being done strategically these days. Pre-Azumas there was ample padding in diagrams plus greater capacity for drinks stock. Nowadays the new 'Velocity' timetable reducing dwell times, and the DfT's conservative approach to the onboard storage provision on the IETs has changed the catering situation drastrically compared to what came before.

The Azumas capacity plays a major part in it all sadly, they are not at all suitable to match the kind of service that was previously provided on the HSTs and 225s. It influences what crews are able to consistently offer, even on the 225s. As much as people want to give the Azumas the benefit of the doubt from a passenger perspective, from an operational perspective they are a nightmare for any staff member who is not driving them.

 

[Butts]

Ah I understand. Yeah that still happens, but it's only on request from the passenger.

The Azumas are only equipped with enough storage for 2 full cold-drinks carts, and each cart is designed for the average demand of a full first class in one run. If it's a full train, then serving on the way back to the kitchen means depleting the stock for another drinks run later on. In most cases when first class is full, crews go into around half of the second cart just to satisfy the demand for one drinks run offering (ie 3/4 of the total provision combined from both cold-drinks carts). Re-stocking isn't so easy in case of this, since priority is given to replenishing plates, cutlerly, cups and glasses at major stations - there isn't the space on the supplier trolleys to accomodate enough stock. Hence why you are seeing more rationing being done strategically these days. Pre-Azumas there was ample padding in diagrams plus greater capacity for drinks stock. Nowadays the new 'Velocity' timetable reducing dwell times, and the DfT's conservative approach to the onboard storage provision on the IETs has changed the catering situation drastrically compared to what came before.

The Azumas capacity plays a major part in it all sadly, they are not at all suitable to match the kind of service that was previously provided on the HSTs and 225s. It influences what crews are able to consistently offer, even on the 225s. As much as people want to give the Azumas the benefit of the doubt from a passenger perspective, from an operational perspective they are a nightmare for any staff member who is not driving them.

If the spirits were interchangeable with the Café Bar the facility could be there to do an internal transfer to top up the stock to enable top ups as and when required

 

[takno]

If the spirits were interchangeable with the Café Bar the facility could be there to do an internal transfer to top up the stock to enable top ups as and when required

They do fetch stuff from the buffet where necessary. They offered to fetch me oat milk last time for example (although with the best will in the world switching to tiny sachets of oat milk was an absolutely stupid move - wasteful and crap customer service). The trouble is that if anything the buffet has even less storage space, and they can make a lot of money from selling that stock

 

[Butts]

Got good service Edinburgh to Leuchars 1031 and return 1624

Coffee Biscuits Crisps Pulled Ham and Cheese Sandwich and Profiterole thingy plus Whisky both ways.

They actively sought people out in K on return to deliver full service.

One point of note fare ex EDINBURGH is still £8.95 with dodgers card but exLeuchars now £12.85 they used to be the same- What's that all about?

 

[Haywain]

One point of note fare ex EDINBURGH is still £8.95 with dodgers card but exLeuchars now £12.85 they used to be the same- What's that all about?

They are Advance fares, availability and price may vary.

 

[Butts]

They are Advance fares, availability and price may vary.

My daughter makes the journey regularly and reported the disparity which has only just become prevalent.

The floor for LEU to EDB is higher than that for EDB-LEU.

Both used to be £8.95 with a Railcard but LEU to EDB is not available for under £12 now.

 

[Porty]

Got good service Edinburgh to Leuchars 1031 and return 1624

Coffee Biscuits Crisps Pulled Ham and Cheese Sandwich and Profiterole thingy plus Whisky both ways.

They actively sought people out in K on return to deliver full service.

One point of note fare ex EDINBURGH is still £8.95 with dodgers card but exLeuchars now £12.85 they used to be the same- What's that all about?

I travelled from Edinburgh to Leuchars on the 1031 on two occasions in July. Both times the first class fare was £4.85 with railcard and only booked a day or two in advance. Not bad for the length of journey and including a coffee, biscuits, a wrap and crisps (eaten later for lunch) and a whisky for the evening. I'd happily have paid £8.95.

The onward bus connection on Stagecoach to St. Andrews would cost almost as much if I didn't have a Scottish over 60s card.