Review: Churnet Valley Railway Sunday Lunch Train*

Churnet Railway Sunday Lunch Train

[Ad-gifted] Hope everyone had a fabulous Father’s Day weekend at Churnet Valley Railway !

We wanted to make our Father’s Day Weekend memorable so we decided to celebrate it on Churnet Valley Railway’s dining train experience.  We picked their Sunday Lunch Train where we went on a two hour train ride journey departing from Froghall Station in Leek, travelling through picturesque Churnet Valle on their heritage steam train.

During our journey, we not only had the opportunity to enjoy the scenic view, but also enjoyed a delicious 3-course classic British Sunday Roast Lunch freshly prepared for us onboard the train.

Keep on reading to find out what we ate and what we thought of our experience onboard the Sunday Lunch Train.

What did we think of the Sunday Lunch Experience?

We love Churnet Valley Railway and have done a few experience with them over the years, our favourite bring their Santa & Steam Train which we booked a couple of times when our children were younger as well as their The Mad Hatters Tea Party Train.  This time we wanted a new experience and decided to dine in style and enjoy a delicious 3-course meal onboard their Sunday Lunch Train to coincide with this year’s Father’s Day celebration.

Being a family of four, we were told that children were allowed onboard, as long as they are 8 years-old and well behaved.  The non-stop train journey takes a minimum of 2-long and although the train stops along the way a couple of times, it is just for the normal paying passengers to embark/disembark.  It was a beautiful sunny day, so the scenery along the route was beautiful. The train felt bumpy at some bits but generally smooth otherwise and we got used to the rhythm of the train soon enough.

The staff were pleasant and came to take our drinks order almost immediately. We pre-ordered our meal and were given 2 options for starters ie Chicken Liver Pate served with chutney and Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Soup served with a wedge of bread. Each of the table was also provided with a bottle of still water.  Our starters tasted lovely and our plates were clean. I am guessing due to the limited space onboard, there are only a limited selection of starters offered to the guest.

Our servers, came to check on us and made sure we were comfortable, had enough drinks and cleared our table quickly. There was a slight delay to our lunch, due to engine issues (on our journey), so we were stopped for a while longer. But the view was magnificent, so we enjoyed chatting with each other.  We had 3 options for mains, which was  Traditional Roast Beef and Roast Chicken Breast served with Yorkshire pudding , seasonal vegetables, & roast potatoes and Mushroom Stroganoff served with creamy mash.

My son ordered the Roast Beef, my daughter the Mushroom Stroganoff whilst both my husband and I ordered the Roast Chicken. The meals were hot, well cooked and the portion size. We were also offered additional sauces to go with our dishes. We continued to enjoy the view as we chatted amongst each other as we enjoyed the delicious meal which went down well.  A fully licensed bar is open (drinks sold separately if not pre-ordered) on every train, offering a range of local ales, wines, spirits, and soft drinks.

For our final course we had a choice of Bread and Butter Pudding served with custard, Apple Crumble served with custard or Fruit Salad served with pouring cream. We opted for the crumble and bread pudding. A lovely finish to our meal.

Passengers could also order an extra course of cheese and biscuit if they wanted to, but that would have been too much for us. Don’t worry if you are vegetarian or gluten-free, the kitchen will be able to cater to your requirements, but just let them know in advance when the booking is made.

For us, this felt like a very special meal especially since it was Father’s Day, it also gave us a chance, as a family, to not rush and leave the table after the meal, like we do but to sit, chat and enjoy the journey in a beautifully restored heritage dining carriage.

Looking around us, there were many people on the day with their parents and it was wonderful to see them enjoy their day and create memories to cherish. The Sunday Lunch Train departs every Sunday, hence a perfect way to celebrate a birthday, special occasion or spend quality time as a family.  So although the cost of the meal came up to £62.50 per person (this included the still water), it was more of an experience and a chance to create wonderful memories for years to come.

When is the Sunday Lunch Train?

There are many different trains which you can book with Churnet Railway such as Wine Tasting Experience, Breakfast Train, Staffordshire Cream Tea as well as Murder Mystery and these run on different days/times. We booked the Sunday Lunch Train and this takes place every Sunday leaving Froghall Station at 1.30pm.

How long will the train journey take?

The train journey will take about two hours, non-stop (ours took a little longer). Passengers will not be able disembark the train mid-way.

How much does it cost and how can I book tickets for this?

The prices are £62.50 per person for a 3-course meal. Drinks are priced individually and are not included in the ticket price. You can pre-order your drinks or purchased at the bar. Do note only well-behaved children over the age of 8 are allowed on all their dining train.

Where does the train depart from?

The train departs from both Froghall Station, ST10 2HA at 1.30pm every Sunday

Some tips to read up on before you book your tickets:

• Booking – You must pre-book your seats and an e-ticket is sent to you
• Seating – The table on the train is for 4 people, so if you book for 2 people, you might be sitting with another couple. Only those with the correct exclusive voucher will be guaranteed a table of 2.
• Parking – There is ample free parking available at Froghall Station so don’t worry about parking. if at all this is full, an overflow carpark is just 5 minutes walk away
• Tea Room – If you arrive early, you can always pop over to their tearoom for a cuppa
• Memorabilia – There is also a souvenir shop at Froghall Station where you can purchase a small memorabilia to remind you of your train journey
• Meal Options – Gluten Free and Vegetarian options are available, please let the team know when booking
• Walking Around – Customers are advised to refrain from walking around the dining coaches during meal service. It is not possible to alight from the dining train other than at Froghall Station.
• Wheelchairs  Access – The coaches does not allow for access on board for wheelchairs or walking frames. Please do discuss your specific needs with their office and they will always do their best to accommodate to your needs
• Dress Code – This is a smart casual dining experience
• Toilets – There are customer toilets on board the dining train
• Children – They welcome well-behaved children over the age of 8 on their dining trains
• Dogs – Dogs are NOT permitted on the dining coach with the exception of Service Dogs.

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**We were given tickets to the event in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.