Belmond British Pullman Hush Heath Winery tour
An opulent train journey with splendid food and wine
The Belmond British Pullman is a far cry from most other trains, built in the 1920s and 30s these are carriages with serious style. Stepping on board is like walking onto a film set, especially as most of the passengers are dressed in their best and the commuters scurrying past looked somewhat bemused. After checking in at Victoria Station and boarding the train, the food and wine seems to flow all day, starting with a welcome bellini and moving on via brunch to more bubbles and then a four-course dinner, all ably served by the train staff (being able to serve anything on a swaying train is a skill set that should never be overlooked). Once you’ve sunk into its comfy armchairs (so large they had to be fitted into the carriages before the roofs went on) you’ll enjoy the journey as much as the destination. This sister train to the Venice
Simplon-orient-express is filled with beautiful details, from the brass luggage racks to the silver and linen on the tables. In the carriage, it’s hard not to keep marvelling at the comfort, and the scenery as the train moves through the Kent countryside, stopping for a transfer to Hush Heath for a tour of the estate and a wine tasting – the Balfour brut rosé and Nannette’s English rosé are excellent. Back on board, dinner arrives. We ate smoked haddock cakes with tomato butter sauce, wild mushroom soup with truffle cream, pork cooked three ways and Valrhona milk chocolate shortbread, British cheeses and coffee and petits fours, by which time you are lulled into a cocoon of happiness and it’s hard to step back into reality and public transport.
Lulu Grimes
It’s hard not to keep marvelling at the comfort, and the scenery from the train