Hi Roger. Have always wanted to do that journey, looks good. I don't like travelling backwards however. The seat looks comfy enough! Breakfast seemed OK, but I like my toast and marmalade as well! Could've given you bigger portions at dinner! As you say, a bit expensive, but worth the experience! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Alan! I’m not too keen on travelling backwards either - but this was the only seat available when I booked. The portion size at dinner and the lack of toast suggests that LNER are cost cutting and trying to create an image of high quality whilst doing the minimum possible. Still an enjoyable journey though! 😀
Posh food deserved posh clothes 😂! Actually, I had an event to go to in London otherwise it would have been jeans and a T-Shirt☺️. Thanks for watching!
Thank you. Walk on prices are ridiculous but you can get some decent advance fares. It’s worth it because the seats are much more comfortable than the concrete ironing boards in Standard! 😀
Hi Roger, Having traveled First from Aberdeen to London yesterday I can only agree. The staff worked hard but a broken fridge and cancelled previous train, together with the heat meant the experience wasn't great. Thanks for explaining the three menu options and where to find out which one you will get. I had the "Dish" menu and descriptions such as "Hog Roast Sausage Roll with Mango Ketchup" try and big up what you might get from Greggs. Coupled with the Century of LNER celebrations where they say "For a century, our passengers have enjoyed excellence in LNER’s onboard catering." the offering really doesn't measure up.
Thanks Mike. I often laugh at the way menus try and big up the items for sale. I guess, “An ice cold combination of hydrogen and oxygen served in a crystal clear cylindrical vessel of fused silicon” sounds posher than, “A glass of water.” 😀
Great video! I recently did London Kings Cross to Newcastle on the LNER Dine Menu and I have to say the Roast Chicken was amazing and the Sticky Toffee Pudding was just as great!
I usually travel on trains with the Dish menu but on Thursday when I'll be going Edinburgh to York I'll be getting the Dine menu, food looked really good to me
They've expanded the number of trains with the Dine Menu now. I'm travelling from London to Edinburgh next Monday on the 11am train, and that has it. Also, in October I'm booked on the 8am London to York train, and that now has it, where as previously (post Covid) it didn't. The latter is a welcome change, as I'd caught that train a couple of times prior to Covid when the breakfast was on all the trains, and I missed it.
The Dine menu is definitely worth it for a breakfast service, full English totally beats a bacon roll, but for an evening service, it's only worth getting the Dish menu. You can still get a nice hot meal (I had a lamb rogan josh last time) but the trains are substantially cheaper than the Dine services.
It's a brave man who films at Waverley Station :D Hey Roger this was beautifully filmed, new camera? I tend to agree, the food in First is really just a bonus, it's the other stuff you pay for. Really enjoyed this video, so well put together!
Hi there Roger, did you know that as well as no longer serving Toast with Butter, LNER no longer have Black Pudding on the Full LNER Breakfast? When the franchise was owned by Virgin Trains and was known as Virgin Trains East Coast, they did offer Toast with Butter and the Great British Breakfast came with Black Pudding. Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
Thanks so much for your reply, Peter. I just had a look back at my earliest LNER video from 2019, which must have been after Virgin lost the franchise. That breakfast didn't have black pudding but it did have mushrooms! I hadn't notiecd the mushrooms have disappeared as well. Hope it doesn't shrink any more! 😂
What no toast?. There's no bread shortage. Some stuffing with the chicken would have been nice. It all looked well presented though. Thanks for sharing your culinary experience. Cheers Paul.
Heya Rog. I kinda agree with you except on 1 thing: I can have a better posh meal at Wetherspoons. I'd say first class travel on LNER, and the UK in general, can be summed up in 1 way: it's just not good enough. The seat is better than standard class and although it's not bad, it used to be a lot better and it still feels like you'd expect more. The service is good, but you just expect that little bit more personal care. The food is overal nice, but again you'd expect more. The overal experience and the individual service on which you'd rate your first class journey are all lacking of something. It's all nice, but you get the feeling you didn't get what you expected and paid for. I think only Avanti gives you a journey that comes really close to first class. But that's just my opinion. I hope you'll be reviewing them as well soon (and maybe TfW as well, they're doing a nice job too) regarding their menu.
Hey - thanks so much for watching and commenting. I agree - I think LNER FC catering is just acceptable. They could push the boat out a bit more and make it much more special. I haven’t done Avanti FC since before the Pandemic so I’m well overdue a return. Actually, I have an idea for different kind of video for an Avanti journey… 🤔 Need to get it done soon.😀
A poor effort if you ask me. Gone are the glory days of British Rail Catering - the breakfast mewnu on the Boat Train from Harwich to London Liverpool Street used to include several choices: a FULL english (eggs, sausages, bacon, beans, tomato, black pudding and saute potatoes - none of this nonsense of a hash brown - together with as much toast, butter and marmelade as your heart could desire); a pair of kippers with optional poached egg and, of course, REAL porridge. There was, for the fainter of stomach, the option of cereal. Served via Silver Service with as much tea of cofeee as you could drink. Back in 1982 I was one of the very few regular travellers on that service, working as I then did in the City and often got a free meal as the train staff got to know me. In those days breakfast (and dinner) were egalitarian offerings and served in the Buffet Car to both First and Secoond Class passengers. Dinner on the return trip was a joy but that is a tale for another day,.
Thanks for such a great comment, Eric. I think they are pretending to be honest. Give as little as they can as cheaply as they can to create the illusion of a premium service. But the bar keeps getting lower as evidenced by the loss of toast from a full breakfast. 🙄
Microwave, convection oven and boil in bag food made in fly over country factories is “not” fine dining. Better to save the fare and pack your own sandwich
I've done LNER First Class four times always with Dish menu. Booking well in advance First can be a pretty good deal. The seat (especially single) is the main benefit. Onboard food was ok but not amazing. LNER seem to think a lot of snacks (crisps and cookies) will soften the blow of getting a fairly small meal. Drinks service was fine. Staff were excellent. The lounges are ok - again more of the same snacks. Looking at your Dine experience - breakfast looked good, dinner a bit disappointing - certainly not worth a big hike in price! One other aspect is I found the LNER Azuma ride was very bumpy. Enjoyed your video - nicely presented.
Thanks for sharing your experience and also for the feedback - much appreciated. I was on a Dine service on Wednesday (didn't film it) and had gammon, mash and cabbage in cider sauce. Very tasty but only a few bites big so needed a few bags of crisps too! The "Hop on Board" beer as good too! 🍺
Ah yes, the good old pandemic get-out clause, its a load of tosh! If I reduced the quality of service to my clients and played the COVID card, I'd be out of business, it's time the free loaders and sandbaggers parked their bus and got back to normal, rational and productive life instead of taking the generic "get out clause" when it suits them.
I think LNER has improved the service since I made the video and increased the number of trains with the Dine menu. But yes Covid keeps getting the blame for poor service in many industries! 🤔
Please watch this video next for LNER Standard vs First: ua-cam.com/video/LvHkoREHrlk/v-deo.html
Hi Roger. Have always wanted to do that journey, looks good. I don't like travelling backwards however. The seat looks comfy enough! Breakfast seemed OK, but I like my toast and marmalade as well! Could've given you bigger portions at dinner! As you say, a bit expensive, but worth the experience! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Alan! I’m not too keen on travelling backwards either - but this was the only seat available when I booked. The portion size at dinner and the lack of toast suggests that LNER are cost cutting and trying to create an image of high quality whilst doing the minimum possible. Still an enjoyable journey though! 😀
Loving you put a suit on for the journey 😂. Amazing review, keep it up!
Posh food deserved posh clothes 😂! Actually, I had an event to go to in London otherwise it would have been jeans and a T-Shirt☺️. Thanks for watching!
I've never been on First Class on an LNER Azuma before, but after watching this, I'd be willing to try it out sometime!
Thank you. Walk on prices are ridiculous but you can get some decent advance fares. It’s worth it because the seats are much more comfortable than the concrete ironing boards in Standard! 😀
Thanks as always for an objective review of LNER's onboard catering, Roger.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Alex. 😀
Hi Roger, Having traveled First from Aberdeen to London yesterday I can only agree. The staff worked hard but a broken fridge and cancelled previous train, together with the heat meant the experience wasn't great. Thanks for explaining the three menu options and where to find out which one you will get. I had the "Dish" menu and descriptions such as "Hog Roast Sausage Roll with Mango Ketchup" try and big up what you might get from Greggs. Coupled with the Century of LNER celebrations where they say "For a century, our passengers have enjoyed excellence in LNER’s onboard catering." the offering really doesn't measure up.
Thanks Mike. I often laugh at the way menus try and big up the items for sale. I guess, “An ice cold combination of hydrogen and oxygen served in a crystal clear cylindrical vessel of fused silicon” sounds posher than, “A glass of water.” 😀
Great video! I recently did London Kings Cross to Newcastle on the LNER Dine Menu and I have to say the Roast Chicken was amazing and the Sticky Toffee Pudding was just as great!
The Sticky Toffee Pud was epic. Thanks Daniel! 😀
I usually travel on trains with the Dish menu but on Thursday when I'll be going Edinburgh to York I'll be getting the Dine menu, food looked really good to me
The Dine menu is pretty decent and I think more trains have it now, especially at breakfast time. 😀
Hi Roger!! I really enjoyed the video! thanks very much!!
Cheers Laura! Appreciate the feedback as always! ❤️
They've expanded the number of trains with the Dine Menu now. I'm travelling from London to Edinburgh next Monday on the 11am train, and that has it. Also, in October I'm booked on the 8am London to York train, and that now has it, where as previously (post Covid) it didn't. The latter is a welcome change, as I'd caught that train a couple of times prior to Covid when the breakfast was on all the trains, and I missed it.
Thanks for that great news! It’s nice to see improvements in service rather than cuts, isn’t it? 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV Indeed.
Amazing vlog.
Thanks Manmeet. Glad you enjoyed it
The Dine menu is definitely worth it for a breakfast service, full English totally beats a bacon roll, but for an evening service, it's only worth getting the Dish menu. You can still get a nice hot meal (I had a lamb rogan josh last time) but the trains are substantially cheaper than the Dine services.
That's great advice and I agree. The Dish evening meal is not a big enough step up above the dish for the money. Thanks for watching. 😀
It's a brave man who films at Waverley Station :D Hey Roger this was beautifully filmed, new camera? I tend to agree, the food in First is really just a bonus, it's the other stuff you pay for. Really enjoyed this video, so well put together!
Thanks Steve - I was nervous at Waverley - how sad that it should come to that. Fortunately no Hi-Viz people on the prowl.
It is a great pity why they did not use seats like those used in the Shinkansen Nozomi green car.
👍
I quite like LNER and I do like their Azuma trains.
Thanks Andrew! 😀
No problem. Have you been on Lumo. I have and it's really good.
Not tried Lumo yet - but I’d like to! 😀
Hi Roger, loving the videos! I just wondered, what camera do you use?
Hi Ollie - thanks so much! I mainly use a DJI Pocket 2, and my iPhone for B Roll. I also use a GoPro whenever there’s water! 📹
Nice how much all in
Talked about price in the last section of the video at around 09:48. 😀
Hi there Roger, did you know that as well as no longer serving Toast with Butter, LNER no longer have Black Pudding on the Full LNER Breakfast?
When the franchise was owned by Virgin Trains and was known as Virgin Trains East Coast, they did offer Toast with Butter and the Great British Breakfast came with Black Pudding.
Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
Thanks so much for your reply, Peter. I just had a look back at my earliest LNER video from 2019, which must have been after Virgin lost the franchise. That breakfast didn't have black pudding but it did have mushrooms! I hadn't notiecd the mushrooms have disappeared as well. Hope it doesn't shrink any more! 😂
@@RogEdwardsTV The breakfast now features black pudding AND mushrooms! 😍
@@Bungle2010 FAB! Any toast? 😂😂
@@RogEdwardsTV Stil not on the menu unfortunately. 😥
it's 5 hours to King's Cross mate
Depends which service you get. The 05:40 takes exactly 4 hours. Some take 4hrs 20min. Some do take 5 hours! ☺️
Did you not buy that fare very far in advance?
It’s was an advance fare - so not anywhere near full price - but could have been cheaper if I’d booked it even earlier. 😀
What no toast?. There's no bread shortage. Some stuffing with the chicken would have been nice. It all looked well presented though. Thanks for sharing your culinary experience. Cheers Paul.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Paul. Hopefully they'll reinstate the toast soon! 😀
Mmmmmm,lovelly😊😊
😀🍲
As you said it's not fine dining it's Weather spoons
However our expectations are you feel lucky to be fed at all
even in first class
Very true! 😀
Heya Rog. I kinda agree with you except on 1 thing: I can have a better posh meal at Wetherspoons. I'd say first class travel on LNER, and the UK in general, can be summed up in 1 way: it's just not good enough. The seat is better than standard class and although it's not bad, it used to be a lot better and it still feels like you'd expect more. The service is good, but you just expect that little bit more personal care. The food is overal nice, but again you'd expect more. The overal experience and the individual service on which you'd rate your first class journey are all lacking of something. It's all nice, but you get the feeling you didn't get what you expected and paid for. I think only Avanti gives you a journey that comes really close to first class. But that's just my opinion. I hope you'll be reviewing them as well soon (and maybe TfW as well, they're doing a nice job too) regarding their menu.
Hey - thanks so much for watching and commenting. I agree - I think LNER FC catering is just acceptable. They could push the boat out a bit more and make it much more special.
I haven’t done Avanti FC since before the Pandemic so I’m well overdue a return. Actually, I have an idea for different kind of video for an Avanti journey… 🤔 Need to get it done soon.😀
GWR first doesn’t offer complementary meals at all - presumably because unlike LNER they are not competing with airlines
I guess that’s why. Though there are a few trains each day that have the Pullman Dining Service. That looks pretty good. 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV but you have to pay for that,even in first class…
Omg it's steve mershes brother hahahah
🤔
A poor effort if you ask me. Gone are the glory days of British Rail Catering - the breakfast mewnu on the Boat Train from Harwich to London Liverpool Street used to include several choices: a FULL english (eggs, sausages, bacon, beans, tomato, black pudding and saute potatoes - none of this nonsense of a hash brown - together with as much toast, butter and marmelade as your heart could desire); a pair of kippers with optional poached egg and, of course, REAL porridge. There was, for the fainter of stomach, the option of cereal. Served via Silver Service with as much tea of cofeee as you could drink.
Back in 1982 I was one of the very few regular travellers on that service, working as I then did in the City and often got a free meal as the train staff got to know me. In those days breakfast (and dinner) were egalitarian offerings and served in the Buffet Car to both First and Secoond Class passengers. Dinner on the return trip was a joy but that is a tale for another day,.
Thanks for such a great comment, Eric. I think they are pretending to be honest. Give as little as they can as cheaply as they can to create the illusion of a premium service. But the bar keeps getting lower as evidenced by the loss of toast from a full breakfast. 🙄
Yes I thought toast have made it.
Not a complete brekkie without toast! 😀
Must have toast. Toast is cheap too so they don't save much!
Thanks John. Agree that it can't be saving much. I'm a big kid I like dipping toast into egg! 😂
Microwave, convection oven and boil in bag food made in fly over country factories is “not” fine dining.
Better to save the fare and pack your own sandwich
It does feel like it’s just paying lip service to tick the complimentary food box! Thanks for watching! 😀
I've done LNER First Class four times always with Dish menu. Booking well in advance First can be a pretty good deal. The seat (especially single) is the main benefit. Onboard food was ok but not amazing. LNER seem to think a lot of snacks (crisps and cookies) will soften the blow of getting a fairly small meal. Drinks service was fine. Staff were excellent. The lounges are ok - again more of the same snacks. Looking at your Dine experience - breakfast looked good, dinner a bit disappointing - certainly not worth a big hike in price! One other aspect is I found the LNER Azuma ride was very bumpy. Enjoyed your video - nicely presented.
Thanks for sharing your experience and also for the feedback - much appreciated. I was on a Dine service on Wednesday (didn't film it) and had gammon, mash and cabbage in cider sauce. Very tasty but only a few bites big so needed a few bags of crisps too! The "Hop on Board" beer as good too! 🍺
Ah yes, the good old pandemic get-out clause, its a load of tosh! If I reduced the quality of service to my clients and played the COVID card, I'd be out of business, it's time the free loaders and sandbaggers parked their bus and got back to normal, rational and productive life instead of taking the generic "get out clause" when it suits them.
I think LNER has improved the service since I made the video and increased the number of trains with the Dine menu. But yes Covid keeps getting the blame for poor service in many industries! 🤔
Well said. The Furloughed Freeloaders should be told business as usual or your sacked!