Oct 16

Oct 16 Food On The Go

I find myself unexpectedly on a plane.

No really. 24 hours before I had no intention of going anywhere. But here I am on a plane hading to Corfu. Expect a few Greek related posts in the coming days.

Anyway so … I suppose these days, after years of writing about it, I am very conscious of food in all its fabulous forms, and in all the places it is found.

Possibly my least favourite foody situation is travelling - and I don’t mean final destination, I mean going from A-B. Mainly because in recent years and certainly in the UK it has become such a let down.

Being generous, I shall concede that times for food producers are hard, margins are narrow, and it’s a question of making ends meet. Though … I feel where you have a captive audience - motorway service stations, or on trains - there really is very little excuse to skimp, or charge the earth. Some journeys are long, some are boring, and food seems to be a pretty good way to pass the time.

Only it seldom is.

I often cite a trip I made with Her Ladyship AMM to Postdam where I was astounded at the array of tasty morsels available on the station concourse. Had we had more time, or the bravery to stay where we were rather than explore Potsdam itself, we could have eaten royally for several hours.

For some reason in the UK we don’t have the tradition of eating food ‘on the go.’ And I mean Good Food on the go. Pru Leith (with whom we shared a Pizza in the Alps) was in the news again recently highlighting the wonders of train food. She has been a dogged campaigner for better food on the go for more than 25 years. She was the first woman appointed to the British Railways Board, as late as 1980, and made it her mission to get train food on the right track.

But I digress … here are the following observations as I headed from North Wales to Corfu.

Train 1 - This was supposed to go to Llanelly (which the guard pronounced so that it rhymed with Welly) but only got as far as Chester due to flooding. As a rule I always get something from the marvellous Snowdon Buffet on the station at Bangor. The trolley service is often withdrawn at short notice, or gets stuck due to sheer numbers of passengers, in my experience. There was a trolley, but you had to wait for the trolley operator to pass through the carriage and memorise what people want. They then bring it, and go away again to get the card reader.

While in Chester, and lingering around the little shop, I overheard the staff complaining they’d run out of milk, but they were finishing their shift soon, so it would be someone else’s problem.

Train 2 - Was unexpectedly short and coping with passengers trying to get to London and diverted to Warrington. Several unexplained delays. A lot of food consumed by passengers, pre-bought. A lot of jealousy by those who’d not thought ahead. Spot the lingering looks.

Waiting to go through security at Manchester Airport, overheard a lady asking where all the shops are. All they wanted was a coffee. It’s not easy to find.

Airside - I opted for a baguette and packet of crisps which came to £15. It was a case of ‘Hunt the Filling.’ So, where is the money going? If you are paying nigh on £10 for a baguette, and the ingredients I reckoned only totalled £1.50 … where’s the rest of the money going? (Mental note, make sandwiches before departure.)

Onto the plane. Sat roughly over-wing, which means the trolley doesn’t reach you for a while. When it did arrive I had a little bottle of wine and a chocolate bar. I sensed that the couple sharing my row were disapproving. Tee-Totallers, I thought. However, halfway through the flight they opened up an absolute treasure trove of contraband - cans of beer (prohibited if not bought on the flight) crackers and cheese, ham buns and crisps.

Behind me were three kids who were making their way through a stash of gummy sweets, crisps, cans of coke, all while juggling their phones, and taking pictures of the vast blackness outside the window.

The row in front succumbed to a meal deal of cheezy melt, crisps and latte.

Luckily not too long a flight, but arrived after midnight so no food shops open.

Opened a packet of fizzy chews on arrival. Probably the best ‘meal’ of the trip.