Award-winning British chef and restaurateur Simon Rogan is collaborating with Sven-Hanson Britt, who has been appointed Executive Head Chef of the Britannic Explorer, to curate destination-led dining experiences on Belmond’s new luxury sleeper train in the UK.
Britt will lead the culinary team in the Britannic Explorer’s two dining cars, Malva and Samphire.
Rogan is regarded as a leader of Britain’s farm-to-fork movement and the menus will celebrate seasonal, sustainable ingredients.
The Britannic Explorer operates routes to Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales and each of these journeys will showcase local specialities in their lunch, afternoon tea and dinner menus.
Highlights on the Wales route include a picnic-style lunch featuring rarebit and leek tart.
The Cornwall journey includes a barbeque lunch featuring ingredients from the coast, including St Austell mussels, red mullet, clams and squid with seaweed. Red lammas wheat berries and fermented cabbage will feature in salads. For dessert, Cornish summer berries are paired with meadowsweet and chamomile cream.
Reimagined Corra Linn waffle served with birch sap-cured Tamworth pork chop is among the signature dishes onboard The Britannic Explorer.
Afternoon tea offers a regional twist, with scones made from traditional Cornish recipes or Welsh Bakestones, paired with dishes that include wild bilberries, roasted chicory root and Somerset-grown walnuts.
Breakfast showcases organically and regeneratively grown native grains. Fermented barley crumpets are topped with roasted ox marrow and cave-aged cheddar. Ancestral grain pikelets are made with flax seed and grilled orchard fruits.
Lincolnshire smoked eel is served on toasted rye bread and savoury crop-rotation porridge features wild mushrooms and seasonal brassicas from local farms.
Britt’s career spans Michelin-starred kitchens and luxury hospitality, including The Ritz London and Blue Hill Farm in New York. He also ran his own restaurant in London, Oxeye.
With expertise in regenerative agriculture and a passion for seasonal British produce, Britt has an environmentally conscious approach.
“I believe that the Britannic Explorer will change the game for luxury sustainable hospitality full stop, not just luxury travel…It feels new and avant-garde whilst also feeling embedded in heritage and traditional opulence. Most excitingly of all though, is that the Britannic Explorer sits in a category of its own. It is completely unique,” commented Britt.
Rogan said: “We’re in the final phase of refining our dishes for the Britannic Explorer menu and it’s been a hugely enjoyable process. Sven is a highly accomplished chef who shares our ethos and knowledge for produce, so his appointment as Exec Chef was the perfect solution. Guests will be in the best possible hands as they enjoy their dining experience on the train.”
Luxury accommodation on the Britannic Explorer starts from £11,000, based on a double cabin. The three-night itinerary includes excursions, meals, wine and alcoholic beverages onboard.
