Forget queuing for a pub roast. This winter, you can eat a seven-course Christmas lunch with a glass of fizz in hand while the British countryside slides past your window — aboard the Northern Belle, the restored 1930s-style luxury train voted one of the world's best rail journeys by Condé Nast Traveller readers, with a score of 93.13 out of 100.
The train itself is half the appeal. Seven carriages, each named after a British castle or stately home, have been restored to channel the Golden Age of rail: plush seating, starched tables, live music on board and the kind of service that involves a lot of champagne flutes. The Belle normally runs day trips across Wales, northern England and Scotland, departing from stations around the country, with steam-hauled trips running from Darlington, Liverpool and Manchester up to Carlisle in Cumbria.
But it's the festive itinerary that's being billed as the bucket-list trip for rail fans this season. It departs from Norwich — picking up more passengers at Ipswich — before winding through the countryside on a round trip. Once everyone has settled in, the chefs get going: caviar to open, then starters like chicken liver parfait and prawn cocktail, followed by a choice of slow-roasted Norfolk bronze turkey, honey-glazed gammon or a nut roast Wellington, all with roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and seasonal veg. Tables are dressed with Christmas crackers and waiting champagne, and there's live music to see the day along.
Drinks can be upgraded too. A Moët & Chandon package costs an extra £95 per person, while Krug is available for £195 on top. Tickets for the Christmas lunch journey start from £445 per passenger, which positions this firmly in special-occasion territory — a milestone birthday, an anniversary, or the year you finally stop hosting.
Who is it for? Train enthusiasts, obviously, but also anyone who wants the Christmas lunch without the washing-up, and fancies doing it somewhere more memorable than a restaurant. It works as a day trip from East Anglia if you board at Norwich or Ipswich, and it doubles as a low-effort festive group outing — the kind of thing families book together, since there's nothing to organise beyond showing up hungry. Book early: these festive departures tend to sell out well before December, and the premium champagne upgrades are limited by the number of seats at each table.
