Travelling chef - First Great Western

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'd love to know more about the Travelling Chef service FGW had until a couple of years before the rebrand to GWR. I remember seeing the symbol in timetables, though I was rather young, about ten or eleven or so, but never experienced it myself and when I think of the current IET's with their trolleys going up and down, it is quite odd to think of nowadays (I did, of course, use the HST Express Cafe, latterly the GWR Larder, many a time, but that's just a bog-standard buffet)

Does anyone have any photos they'd please share, especially of the meals served to standard class customers in boxes (which I don't think sounds the most appetising)

 

[dk1]

Used to use it most times going to Newton Abbott from Paddington. Would order say a cheese & pickle sandwich or Cajun chicken baguette & they’d announce when your order was ready over the PA or if not to busy just wait. It was often hit & miss on whether this service was actually provided as you can imagine.

 

[basfordlad]

No photos but really liked the breakfast

 

[Cantab26]

Some examples:
Cheese and tomato toastie
Salmon salad

And a typical timetable from 2012

 

[jimm]

Omelette in a box

Omelette - Shed83a

Sausage, Onion & Spicy Tomato Omelette, served with warm baguette. £6. Served onboard First Great Western's Travelling Chef service 19/06/12

shed83a.smugmug.com

Bacon baguette in a box

Bacon Baguette

Bacon Baguette from the First Great Western Travelling Chef 27/01/07

shed83a.smugmug.com

Small picture of a breakfast club sandwich plated up for first class with this article

Karen’s an expert in the question of taste | Railnews | Today's news for Tomorrow's railway

www.railnews.co.uk

 

[Essexman]

It was excellent.
Especially if sat in first class where the meal was served on a chine plate - like a restaurant car.
It wasn't marketed as well as it could have been. Even on trains there often weren't announcements. And if someone ordered a reheated buffet burger why weren't they offered a freshly chef-cooked alternative which wasn't much more expensive.
Such a shame it went.

 

[Mojo]

I had a full breakfast from the Travelling Chef which in First class was served on a proper plate and brought to your seat by either the First class host or the chef himself (can’t remember who).

Unfortunately it didn’t have the best reputation amongst those who didn’t know because a Welsh comedian at the time (I think it was Rhod Gilbert but I don’t remember fully) had a regular joke about how cheeky it was that the train company called someone who put food in a microwave was called a “travelling chef” [of course that was the normal customer host and not the chef]

 

[northernbelle]

It was a good offering when it was available - the omelettes were popular and bacon baguettes a really good quality.

What let it down was the inconsistency of its availability - the HST kitchens weren't dependable and you'd often see everything in place but no way of cooking it.

In the end FGW chose the use its Travelling Chef resources to expand the number of Pullman Restaurant services in about 2014/5, including putting them back on the South Wales route.

 

[RPI]

Travelling chef was great, steak baguette was always a favourite, or the omelettes served with buttered toast in a box.

 

[zwk500]

Unfortunately it didn’t have the best reputation amongst those who didn’t know because a Welsh comedian at the time (I think it was Rhod Gilbert but I don’t remember fully) had a regular joke about how cheeky it was that the train company called someone who put food in a microwave was called a “travelling chef” [of course that was the normal customer host and not the chef]

Yes, Rhod Gilbert did that joke as part of a whole story about how the travelling chef wouldn't sell him the last of a particular kind of sandwich for various reasons and then when he finally did sell him a different sandwich it turned out to be the last of those. He did it on Live at the Apollo, among others.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The Travelling Chef was an excellent idea in bringing hot , bistro type food at an affordable price. Used several times and not just for the breakfast items. A great shame it was not continued or even expanded a bit.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Travelling Chef was an excellent idea in bringing hot , bistro type food at an affordable price. Used several times and not just for the breakfast items. A great shame it was not continued or even expanded a bit.

I think it existed in a time when people only saw hot food as a proper meal (even though it was mostly sandwichy type stuff). The same with gristleburgers and the rather nice old CrossCountry sausage, egg and tomato roll.

M&S Food has rather changed that.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I had a bacon baguette once in 2015. It was the most bland thing I had ever eaten.

 

[Rescars]

I had a full breakfast from the Travelling Chef which in First class was served on a proper plate and brought to your seat by either the First class host or the chef himself (can’t remember who).

Unfortunately it didn’t have the best reputation amongst those who didn’t know because a Welsh comedian at the time (I think it was Rhod Gilbert but I don’t remember fully) had a regular joke about how cheeky it was that the train company called someone who put food in a microwave was called a “travelling chef” [of course that was the normal customer host and not the chef]

Picking up Essexman's comments about restaurant car style service, Rhod Gilbert had a point - even if he didn't know it. To be strictly correct, back in the days of Travellers Fare restaurant car kitchens were always staffed by cooks, not chefs. Chefs could only be found in some Pullman car kitchens.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thanks so much for the many detailed responses and pictures. Greatly appreciated.

I must say I think some of those dishes - omelettes, rolls, baguettes etc look absolutely putrid. I’m surprised you’re all so complimentary.

 

[TommyJ]

I used Travelling Chef in 1st class Paddington to Swansea. Absolutely delicious omelette. I was well impressed. Wish they could bring it back…

This is from 2010.

 

[Dr Hoo]

I had a bacon baguette once in 2015. It was the most bland thing I had ever eaten.

How many sachets of mustard, ketchup and brown sauce did you add?

Like the Duck Tape Solution, if it’s not working just add more until it does.

 

[43096]

Thanks so much for the many detailed responses and pictures. Greatly appreciated.

I must say I think some of those dishes - omelettes, rolls, baguettes etc look absolutely putrid. I’m surprised you’re all so complimentary.

My experience was that Travelling Chef was excellent, and consistently so.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

How many sachets of mustard, ketchup and brown sauce did you add?

Like the Duck Tape Solution, if it’s not working just add more until it does.

Hahaha, none.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if it was Travelling Chef. It was first class and free, but it didn't look like the bacon baguette posted further up the thread. It was a microwaved thing.

 

[hexagon789]

Hahaha, none.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if it was Travelling Chef. It was first class and free, but it didn't look like the bacon baguette posted further up the thread. It was a microwaved thing.

Wouldn't have been then for both those reasons.

 

[ainsworth74]

I only got to use it once (my location being something of a barrier!) but I boarded at Reading and was off at Westbury, in 1st class (heaven alone knows why for a journey as short as that, it was so long ago I have no idea what tickets I was using!). I didn't expect that they'd be able to serve on a shortish journey like that but the customer host came around as soon as we departed Reading and she was confident there was time. I think I had something like Ham, egg and chips (but that could be the memory playing tricks) certainly wasn't a sandwich it was a proper meal. Very very tasty and filling. Arrived in plenty of time to eat and get off at Westbury.

T'was very good. Very similar to the old pre-complimentary service on the ECML which was also, from memory, available to be boxed up for Standard Class passengers but plated for first class.

 

[stuu]

Wouldn't have been then for both those reasons.

No, the bacon was always freshly cooked, which was very tempting, but didn't help my waistline at all

 

[hexagon789]

No, the bacon was always freshly cooked, which was very tempting, but didn't help my waistline at all

It's bacon though, I mean what can you do when bacon is involved?