There've been a couple of ‘pinch me’ moments in my life, but my recent experience of being wined and dined aboard The Northern Belle - Britain’s best luxury train - has to be one of the best.
Stepping into Christmas in style, I boarded The Northern Belle, once part of the iconic Orient Express group, as it set out from Manchester on one of its final outings of the year. Harking back to the golden age of travel with its 1930-style Pullman carriages - each one named after a castle or stately home - there’s something innately special about this train, with its plush interiors, luxury armchairs and festive decorations.
Just a few years ago I would commute from Manchester Victoria to Hebden Bridge - and sometimes from Leeds along the Calder Valley Line. I was always struck by the beauty of the scenery around me as the train whizzed through Pennine mill towns - so to be given the opportunity to experience it all again, aboard the “Grand Dame of luxury travel”, as actor Bill Nighy coined it, was an early Christmas gift.
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The train, which was recently named Britain's top luxury train and one of the world's best 10, is quite the looker - a sentiment shared by myself, my fellow passengers in all their finery and the huddle of trains-potters gathered along the platform at Manchester Victoria. Sporting a dark red and cream livery, the doors swing open and a red carpet is rolled out as guests tentatively hold out their golden tickets for the team of conductors to check.
Heading into Belvoir, our carriage for the day, I am struck by the attention to detail. Tables immaculately laid out for the five-course meal ahead and a sprinkle of Christmas cheer courtesy of the crackers and pine cone wreaths above. After a failed attempt to elegantly slide along to my seat - not as easy as you might think with the tablecloth - we’re away, hauled by a diesel locomotive out front.
Our journey on the main line between Manchester and Leeds takes us first to Huddersfield, where we collect more well-heeled guests. From here we branch off the mainline to travel via Wakefield and Castleford through West Yorkshire to join the East Coast Main Line, taking us to the historic city of York.
Zig-zagging our way across to York, it’s hard to know what to focus on first. Taking in the views at a slightly more sedate speed than a usual train ensures there’s a lot less lurching around, meaning you can simply watch the world pass by outside your window - and on several occasions I find myself completely switching off - a rarity if you’re a commuter.
Walking through the carriages adorned with mosaics, gleaming brass fixtures, and exquisite ceiling murals there’s a real feeling of stepping back in time - and for all the right reasons. It is the ornate veneered marquetry though, which lines the walls and has been handcrafted by the same company that created and then restored the famed panels on the ‘then’ Orient Express, and who also worked on pieces for the Titanic, the Lusitania and the Queen Elizabeth, that really sets this train's interiors apart though.
Plus the food and entertainment really shines through too, with an assembly of lovingly prepared dishes brought out to guests, while you watch the hills, valleys and waterways roll past. The last time I ate food on a train was a few weeks back and it’s not something I feel compelled to relive.
What I can tell you is that what I consumed on my gruelling five-hour journey back from London Euston was far from haute cuisine - in fact it was whatever I could get my hands on before engaging in the inevitable ‘Euston races’- a chaotic scene of people sprinting for the first off-peak Manchester train. It’s not a pretty sight.
My meal aboard the Northern Belle is another story. Perfectly timed and well executed, the five-course menu begins with a welcome duo of appetisers including a duck and orange pate brioche and a prawn cocktail canape cup, washed back with a glass of their finest champagne.
What follows is an assembly of carefully considered plates, from the trio of smoked fish and cider and white onion soup, served with a bottle of Northern Belle ‘Rail Ale’, to a slap-up Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy. Served with Monmouthshire air-dried ham, cranberry and chestnut stuffing, confit carat, glazed parsnip, braised red cabbage and creamy potatoes, it’s astounding that something of such high quality has been cooked up in a tiny 1930s-style kitchen by a small team.
I am grateful for the entertainment interlude before dessert too, which includes a two-piece brass band who toured the carriages playing a series of Christmas classics and tunes reminiscent of the 1930s, and some close-up magic tricks courtesy of the on-board magician, who intrigued our carriage by making giant foam balls appear out of thin air.
As we head back passing through Leeds, before turning off once more along the Calder Line, through Hebden and Rochdale, our Christmas pudding with a twist is served. As someone who can take or leave this festive staple, I’m delighted to see that it's a cheesecake with brandy cream sauce in front of me - a welcome change. Despite a post-lunch snooze feeling very appealing, I hold out for the cheeseboard.
Straddling the walkway between our armchairs and the couple next to us, the board reads like a map of the British Isles. Hefty slabs of Isle of Mull Cheddar sit alongside some of Somerset’s finest Rachel Goats Cheese, while Yorkshire’s best Wensleydale with cranberries and a moreish Stilton - crumbly perfection - served with crackers, fruit cake and chutneys makes me feel like I’ve really arrived.
The Northern Belle isn’t cheap, in fact it will set you back £340 per person before your meandering trip through the wintry countryside, including a £25 ‘gratuity’ just about covering a bottle of the house wine. That said, this is truly a once-in-a-life experience - a feeling echoed by my fellow passengers who are soaking up every last second of this ‘pinch yourself’ experience - after all you don't book a trip on Britain’s most luxurious trains and expect a bargain.
Sadly, the arrival of the teas and coffees, though welcome and much-needed to prevent me slipping off into a nap, means we’re almost back at Manchester Victoria, after a festive five hours aboard one of the most luxurious trains in the world. Disembarking from the train I find myself joining a group of younger train-spotters at the end of the platform, as they line up their cameras. And after that I bid farewell to the Grand Dame, The Northern Belle.
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