Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith hosts tasting session at Newcastle Central Station

The Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith has hosted LNER’s Taste Station at Newcastle Central Station as the rail operator aimed to dispel the myth that train food is “uninspiring”.

The tasting event featured a number of “unusual off-board” food creations that were created using LNER’s local suppliers.

Prue is well-known for being at the forefront of transforming train cuisine having been recruited to the board of British Rail more than 40 years ago.

Visitors to Taste Station at Newcastle Central Station during the event were be able to try:

• Popping Jack Roll: A surprising, vegetarian 'pork' roll with explosive popping candy flavours and warming rum.
• BaNacon Sponge: A deliciously moist banana and bacon cake infused and topped with crispy bacon.
• Crisp-y Chocolate Truffle: The ultimate sweet and savoury combination, melt in your mouth truffles injected with a tangy orange marmalade and encased with the crunch of a ready salted crisp.
• Ale & Rarebit Shortbread: A modern take on traditional Welsh Rarebit, swapping crunchy toast for crumbly shortbread biscuit and a hearty ale.
• Katsu Chicken-and-Egg roll: A delicious pastry encasing a mix of chicken and pork shoulder, Katsu flavouring and a perfectly cooked boiled egg.

Prue has praised LNER for their collaboration with local suppliers to bring a “creative” menu to its customers on board its trains.

She said: “Train food has come a long way since my campaigning days 25 years ago.

“It’s great to see train companies really pushing themselves to provide fresh, creative and local on-board menus and it’s fantastic to taste these unexpected creations from LNER’s talented suppliers.”

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The local suppliers used by LNER in the Taste Station event include:

• Reids
• The Original Baker
• On a Roll
• The Fruity Kitchen
• Taste Tradition
• Beckleberry’s
• Libations
• Masons
• Rudgate
• Gudness

Richard Judge, head of customer experience at LNER, has welcomed the positive feedback from customers to the train operator pushing the boundaries of train food.

He added: “At LNER, we’ve always believed that train food should be much more than just a sad sandwich.

“Our menu is a key part of the travel experience, and it was fantastic to be able to showcase our commitment to quality and innovation through these unexpected food combinations today.

“We were thrilled by the positive reactions from our customers who enjoyed the wide range of delicious dishes made from fresh, locally sourced produce, and we’re excited to continue redefining the perception of train food.”