Press release -
Bryn Williams serves up surprise on board Virgin Trains
Chef Bryn Williams greeted customers on board a train to North Wales, serving them dishes from his latest menu in collaboration with Virgin Trains.
Bryn donned his chef whites to prepare dishes on a service from London Euston to Holyhead before making his way through the First Class carriage to meet and greet customers.
This is the first time Bryn has travelled on board a Virgin Trains Voyager to hear thoughts about his menu. He regularly travels on the North Wales route, whilst working between Odette’s in Primrose Hill and his restaurant at Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay.
The First Class Menu is the third Bryn has created since he began working in partnership with Virgin Trains in January 2015. Available exclusively to customers travelling in First Class on the North Wales route on Monday – Friday evenings, it offers a choice of three mains (Coq-au-Vin with Roasted Potatoes; Chargrilled Asparagus and Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes; Ham Hock Terrine with Shallot Chutney) and two desserts (Chocolate, Hazelnut and Raisin Pot; or Cheese and Biscuits).
Bryn Williams, who is from Denbigh, said: “Being local to the North Wales route, I’m passionate about producing tasty, seasonal dishes for Virgin Trains customers travelling between Holyhead and London. I’m proud of my latest menu, so I was really pleased to join the Virgin Trains crew in preparing and serving food on board the train to North Wales. It was great to experience the journey in the kitchen galley and see the dishes come to life. Meeting customers and hearing their comments about the food was definitely the highlight - it makes our months of hard work all the more worthwhile.”
Gaynor Stewart, Customer Experience Manager at Virgin Trains on the west coast, said: “At Virgin Trains we care about our customers and are always looking at ways to surprise and delight them. We’re proud of the menu we have created in collaboration with Bryn and wanted to surprise our customers travelling on the North Wales route and make their experience of the menu that little more special. Having Bryn on board certainly did that and gave them a journey to remember.”
The latest menu is available until September 2016.
ENDS
Topics
- Food, Drink
Categories
- west coast
- events & launches
- fun stuff
- regional news
Editors’ Notes
Main courses:
- Coq-au-Vin with Roasted Potatoes
- Chargrilled Asparagus and Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes
- Ham Hock Terrine and Shallot Chutney
Desserts:
- Chocolate, Hazelnut and Raisin Pot
- Cheese and Biscuits
The Bryn Williams Menu is exclusive to First Class customers on the North Wales route and is available between 17:00 and 18:59 Monday – Friday. It is available on the following services: 17:10; 18:10 from London Euston.
Bryn Williams is Chef Patron at Odette’s in Primrose Hill, London. He opened his restaurant, Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay in July 2015.
About Virgin Trains
Stagecoach and Virgin are working in partnership to operate the East Coast and West Coast inter-city routes under the Virgin Trains brand. Together, they are on track to revolutionise rail travel across the UK.
The combined network connects some of the nation’s most iconic destinations including Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, York and London.
Virgin Trains is committed to delivering a high speed, high frequency service, offering shorter journey times, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. Customers consistently rate Virgin Trains as one of the top long-distance rail franchise operators in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) commissioned by industry watchdog, Transport Focus.
On the East Coast route, £140m is being invested to create a more personalised travel experience. This includes a major fleet revamp, smarter stations and exciting new routes. From May 2016, there will be 42 additional services (22,000 extra seats) per week between Edinburgh and London. 2018 will see the introduction of completely new Azuma trains being built in the UK by Hitachi.
The West Coast route has a proud record of challenging the status quo - from introducing tilting Pendolino trains, to a pioneering automated delay repay scheme and becoming the first franchised rail operator to offer m-Tickets for all ticket types.
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