For the past ten years, Raymond Blanc has been at the helm of Eurostar’s onboard catering. But this November, the train company is entering a new culinary era, bringing in three of the buzziest figures in food and wine to shake up its offering.
First Look At Eurostar’s New Menu
From 4 November 2024, travellers using the Eurostar will be able to enjoy a bold new menu created by Ikoyi co-founder Jérémy Chan, French pastry chef Jessica Préalpato; and natural wine connoisseur Honey Spencer. Designed to reflect Eurostar’s international identity, the menu will consist of four courses: amuse-bouches, mains, cheeses and desserts.
Chan is known for his hyper-seasonal, spice-based style of cuisine, which he showcases at Ikoyi: an esteemed eatery on the Strand in London which featured in the most recent World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. For Eurostar’s new menu, Chan has created starters including a punchy curried cauliflower mousseline, and smacked kohlrabi with pine nut milk, ahead of mains such as baked salmon with coconut and black olive rice, braised lamb shoulder with pearl barley and carrots; and roasted pumpkin with honey and cashew miso.
Afterwards, diners can enjoy cheeses such as a Colston Bassett Stilton, paired with burnt honey and apple, or Montgomery cheddar with quince chutney.
Préalpato – the first woman to be named Pastry Chef of the Year – has crafted the sweet offering, focusing on natural flavours like unrefined sugars and ancient grains. High-speed desserts on offer will include a citrus pudding infused with cardamom, and a honey and hemp financier, followed by petits fours.
All this can be enjoyed alongside wines and champagnes selected by Spencer, co-owner of the restaurant Sune in Broadway Market. With experience working in some of London’s top venues, and a passion for organic wines, she’s one of the most exciting names in the wine world right now.
The drinks menu will include fizz from family-run winery Champagne Fleury, white from Château La Mothe Dubourg in Bordeaux, organic rosé from La Fleur de Julie, and Domaine De La Dourbie, a light red from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. The wine list will be refreshed every three months, keeping the offering interesting, alongside a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar, said: ‘By reinventing the onboard culinary experience, making it more innovative, daring, and environmentally friendly, Eurostar is presenting itself as a destination in its own right.
‘Our new gastronomic offer aims to transform each journey into a unique experience, where the indulgence begins as soon as you board, making the new Eurostar a reality for our customers. Eurostar is more than just a train: it’s a promise of new discoveries and unique moments. Our new chefs bring this vision to life and we’re delighted to work with them on this journey.’
Alongside the new catering offering, Eurostar is launching new service classes: Standard, Plus and Premier, which will replace the current classes throughout the network.
From 4 November 2024, eurostar.com