Murder and mystery on board the British Pullman

The train slips out of the station on a five-hour trip around the Kent countryside. As we sip Champagne, a character arrives at our table. It’s the same woman we met earlier, and we find out she was once Lord Deville’s mistress, and that he was poisoned with cyanide in his semolina.

Throughout the afternoon, we quiz each suspect. One of my friends has her suspicions.

After dessert, train manager Jeff gives us a tour and tells us a little about the history of each carriage. We also meet a lovely couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary before we submit our whodunit notes.

Over coffee, the killer is unmasked, and there are unexpected gifts for those who correctly guess the identity.

We donate ours to the anniversary couple, and I ask my friend how she narrowed it down.

“There’s always motive, method and opportunity. Once you work that out, it’s a piece of cake,” she replies. It seems it wasn’t just me who watched Poirot on Sunday evenings.

For more details and the dates of the next Murder Mystery Lunch aboard the British Pullman departing from London Victoria, see www.orient-express.com/uktrains. It costs from £310 (R4 900) with a five-course Champagne lunch. – Daily Mail