Celebrity Chefs Take to the Rails with Belmond in 2015

Following the success of last year's dinners, the ‘pop-ups' are now highly anticipated events on the trains' annual calendars. From award-winning ‘pub food' to ‘Cuisine Naturelle' with the Royal seal of approval; the pop-up dinners on board Belmond British Pullman and Belmond Northern Belle are exclusively for just 100 guests. Each evening promises to be a theatrical culinary experience, with guests meeting the chefs as they pass through the train's carriages.

The host of BBC One's Saturday Kitchen, James Martin boards both trains this year. He will showcase dishes from his career spanning over 20 years at the first ‘pop-up' event on board Belmond British Pullman, London on 12th March, before hosting a traditional Sunday Lunch on Belmond Northern Belle on 31st May 2015. James' show is a platform for many well-known and up and coming chefs, and a regular slot for many of the names coming aboard this year.

Tom Kerridge, Chef Patron of the UK's only two Michelin starred public house, The Hand & Flowers, is set to re-create the pub experience on board Belmond British Pullman- becoming ‘train publicans' for the night. He and his team will host the dinner on 12th July 2015.

Mosimann's, tucked away in Belgravia, London, is one of the most prestigious private dining clubs. Its gourmet expertise is a favourite with royalty. Cooking for guests on 9th October 2015, Anton Mosimann's ethos of ‘Cuisine Naturelle' is evident in each dish, using only fresh ingredients and avoiding the use of oils, fats and salt.

Raymond Blanc, OBE, is to return with his team, from the critically acclaimed Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire, to Belmond Northern Belle's Galley Kitchen as the train departs from York for dinner on 6th November 2015.
With Robbie's exceptional culinary talents, guests on board Belmond's luxury UK day trains enjoy the very best of creative British cuisine. Developed over a lifetime of experience as a chef at some of London's finest establishments such as The Dorchester and through running his own restaurant ‘Gleeson's' in Ireland – named ‘Restaurant of the Year' by Good Food Ireland. Robbie hosts a seasonal tasting menu on board Belmond British Pullman, paired with specially selected wines and Champagne on 11th June, 11th July and 10th September and will co-host an evening in association with Laurent Perrier, on 12th November 2015.

Dining on board either Belmond British Pullman or Belmond Northern Belle, sister trains to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, is one of the UK's most exclusive and luxurious dining experiences. With the 1920s and 1930s art deco carriages, passing scenery and exceptional personal service by liveried stewards, the trains evoke the golden age of travel; allowing guests the opportunity to engage with a period of time when travellers were elegantly dressed and had the time to slow down and enjoy the journey.

The Celebrity Chef Dinners are priced at £495 per person. To book call 0845 077 2222 or visit Belmond.com:

Belmond British Pullman and Belmond Northern Belle welcome the following celebrity chefs in 2015:

Raymond Blanc – 6th November 2015.

Raymond Blanc is a gastronomic icon, acknowledged as one of the finest chefs in the world. Yet his philosophy is endearingly simple: ‘My team and I aim to excel in what we do, but never to take ourselves too seriously.' He is chef-patron and chairman of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, the two-starred Michelin hotel-restaurant in the Oxfordshire village of Great Milton. His significant influence on British cuisine has brought scores of awards, as well as decades of critical praise and glowing admiration from fellow professionals and food lovers.

Tom Kerridge – 12th July 2015.

Tom Kerridge's first catering job was a stint as commis chef at Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire. He also worked for Stephen Bull and Gary Rhodes before joining Odette's in Primrose Hill. After a spell at Monsieur Max in Hampton he moved to Norwich to take over running the Michelin starred restaurant Adlards. He then decided it was time to find his own place taking over a run down pub in Marlow called the Hand and Flowers, which was awarded its second Michelin star in 2012.

James Martin – 12th March and 31st May 2015

James has made a great impact since he began to appear on television in November ‘96 and has rarely been off screen since. Currently presenter of BBC 1's hugely successful Saturday Kitchen; regularly attracting viewers in excess of 3.5 million (nearly triple the amount of viewers when James inherited the show). It is one of the most popular weekend shows with a phenomenal 32-35% audience share. James continues to have success with his restaurant at The Talbot Malton and his new restaurant James Martin Manchester at Manchester235 Casino. He also appears at food festivals internationally, always attracting vast crowds.

Mosimann's – 9th October 2015.

Mosimann's is an exclusive dining club situated in a converted Scottish Presbyterian church in London's Belgravia. It was established twenty-five years ago by celebrity chef, Anton Mosimann and now has an enviable reputation for its fine cuisine and the luxurious surroundings. A favourite with politicians, royals, celebrities and captains of industry who all enjoy the healthy cuisine that is synonymous with Anton Mosimann. Indeed such was the demand for his cooking, it extended to members' homes and Mosimann's Party Service was created. This has gone from strength to strength and was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales in 2000.

Executive Head Chef, Robbie Gleeson – 11th June, 11th July and 10th September 2015.

Robbie joined Belmond British Pullman and Belmond Northern Belle – sister trains to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, in 2011 from the five-star The Westbury Hotel, Dublin, where he was Executive Chef and led a team of 27, catering for two restaurants and many private dining rooms. Before working in Dublin, Robbie ran his own restaurant with wife Alex in County Cork for six years; Gleeson's Restaurant won numerous awards and accolades and in particular, won Restaurant of the Year, 2006, by Good Food Ireland.