No doubt you’ve heard all about the Belmond British Pullman, the ornate, bucket-list-topping 1920s train which whisks riders from Victoria through the English countryside in the utmost glamour. Onboard, travellers who’ve splurged (translation: get saving) on the experience can enjoy grand, cushty period carriages restored from various eras or designed by filmmaker extraordinaire Wes Anderson, decadent meals accompanied by coupes of Veuve Clicquot, and now the thrilling taste of… (impending doom voice, please) murder.
No, its sister train the Orient Express hasn’t had a rebrand. This is a fresh new immersive theatrical experience brought to you by the clever clogs at Private Drama Events, who’ve spent years masterminding the locomotive’s Murder Mystery Lunch, a story ‘woven from the train’s history, the memories of people who worked or travelled onboard, and even each carriage’s unique personality,’ says the company’s founder, Adam Blackwood.
Over the course of five hours and a five course meal dreamt up by chef Jon Freeman, passengers encounter a range of eccentric characters who transport you all the way back to 1951. The task? Figure out who killed off their acquaintance by deciphering the stories they tell you while they travel up and down the carriages. Unlike your annual Crimbo game of Cluedo, it’s not exactly a breeze, which makes it all the more engaging. And Freeman’s traditional British food, served on elaborate William Edwards china by multiple generations of waiters, is a delicious distraction from the matter at hand, with peppery beetroot soup, roast lamb and a rhubarb Swiss roll stealing the show. All in all, expect a, ahem, killer time. Tickets from £540 per person (belmond.com)
