Bring back dining cars, says TV chef who has cooked for Queen after he was served 'inedible' meal by Virgin Trains

Rail companies should bring back first class dining cars, a TV chef who has cooked for the Queen has said, after being served an “inedible” meal and refused a cup of tea on a train.

Richard Corrigan told The Telegraph he paid £125 for a single First Class ticket to Coventry on Monday evening, and was served a “brick solid” game pie as Virgin Trains staff refused to give him a cup of tea.

He said: "It was solid as a brick, the pastry was really cement-like, you think ‘why offer food at all?'

“Not only that but I asked for a cup of tea but I was told I couldn't have one - they were told me they were understaffed.

"Do you know what, you feel like someone's having a laugh here - they manage to do it in Europe, you get a dining car with something fresh and good to eat. In the UK there is no hospitality."

While trains of old compensated for the high ticket prices with glamour, linen table cloths, three course meals and gleaming silverware, Mr Corrigan, who has won a Michelin star for his cooking, said first class travelers are “treated like cattle class.”

The chef, who owns Mayfair restaurants Bentley’s and Corrigan’s, added: “It's very funny because traditionally trains have had really good food, a dining car of some description serving a plate of food made that day. Nothing special but something simple and fresh that shows they thought about it with care.

"Now, they are just packaging up stuff and reheating it. I don't want to come across a food snob but I do know when something is home made and made with care.”

Corrigan, who has cooked for the Queen twice, said that to make travel relaxing again, “we should bring back the dining car when you pay that price, or have a food trolley that is done with style and class and you think 'wow'.

"Food is so important when you travel, it makes you feel relaxed, you want to have nice lemonade, nice juices, when you have tea that someone can't even be bothered to make for you, you think: ‘First class ? More like cattle class.’”

When asked what would be on his dream train menu, he said: “Anything inspired by an afternoon tea is wonderful, a nice sandwich , a nice scone, a nice cup of tea - keep it delicious, keep it simple, put some care in, have some nice fresh fruit! When they bring down the tray it's quite a tight area you don't want something too hard to eat. Maybe a little tapas inspired train food that would be nice, that would be fantastic.

"Anything with a little bit of fruit and fresh meat, you'd think it would be fantastic, charcuterie, pickled pear, some artisan bread, with a tiny bottle of British artisan oil, and some red wine.

"Nowadays you're treated like rubbish, I didn't get the hospitality that you get for [paying] £125. How people do that every day is beyond me. I just couldn't do it.”

A Virgin Trains spokesperson said: "We are really proud of our on board catering options and work closely with our suppliers (many of them local to our route) to select the right products for our First Class menu.

"Our customer’s opinions are extremely important to us and we regularly receive positive feedback on the food we offer."