Working with renowned restaurateur and chef Mitch Tonks, First Great Western is to host a Pop Up Pullman train dining experience on Saturday 10 May.
The partnership is to provide diners with the opportunity to sample a five course, silver service meal without the need to board a train. The pop up restaurant will be hidden under the arches at Bristol Temple Meads station.
Mitch said, “We have some of the finest produce in the world, but the food and farming community took a beating this winter, so this is the perfect opportunity to show that we are definitely ‘open for business’.
“There are few greater pleasures than a great meal on a great train journey, so I applaud First Great Western for keeping the Pullman alive. Likewise they are backing local business from Paddington to Penzance with the food they serve on-board, so let’s back them in return.”
The First Great Western Pullman Dining services are the UK’s only on-train fine dining services, with a menu devised by Mitch using wonderful west-country produce and with wines from the list of his award-winning Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth.
To book your place at the Pop Up Pullman experience, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-pullman-pop-up-with-mitch-tonks-tickets-10973045675?aff=es2.
Over the Bank Holiday weekend, First Great Western also sponsored the inaugural Bristol Food Connections Festival to show that it is fulfilling its promise to source and serve food produced near the doorsteps of its stations across the South West.
FGW hosted a marquee full of West Country food next door to the BBC’s broadcasting hub, to showcase the best of the South West. The sponsorship follows their commitment to replace 50 products on their on-board menu with those from specialist producers within 15 miles of the railway lines.
This includes awarding-winning items from a third generation family butcher, fourth generation family baker and fifth generation family cheese maker. Diners ate kippers smoked over oak on the Somerset Levels; enjoyed cheese from cows that graze the banks of Frenchman’s Creek; and tucked into pies hand-raised by the winners of Britain’s Best Pasty Award.
All these items were on display during the festival – and visitors were invited to make suggestions about other food they would like to see on board too.