Indian restaurant owner Mohammed Khaled
has a passion for railways. So much so that on his last visit to his family’s
home in Bangladesh he travelled from Dhaka to Chittagong by train. This wasn’t a
conventional train journey though, he decided to do it Indian style sitting on
the top of the carriage. “It was something I always wanted to do,” he explains.
How on earth did he get up there? “It was easy – everyone reaches over and
pulls you up,” he says. “The worst part was branches from the tree that kept
hitting the carriage as we travelled along. Luckily, everyone up there realised
I was from the UK and protected me!”
Having ridden the Indian railway (albeit
inside the carriage), I can identify with Khaled’s desire to travel on the
roof, experiencing the sense of freedom and romance afforded to those of us who
don’t need to do so from necessity.
The mighty Indian railway is held close
to the hearts of Indians and British alike. In India where more than three
million people travel thousands of miles every day, the railway network is
vital to connect such a vast country. Back in the UK however where trains are
less important, Khaled has found another outlet to feed his love of railways:
The Maharaja Express.
Named after the famous Maharajas’
Express, the world’s leading luxury and most expensive train that travels
through India on tours of splendour and opulence, the new version chugs from
Loughborough (no less worthy a location) to Leicester. During the course of
the journey it takes in the splendours of Quorn and Woodhouse and the Edwardian
Rothley Station, also passing beautiful countryside, picturesque reservoirs, quarries,
bemused sheep, and the imposing premises of Joseph Ellis and Sons, Coke, Corn
and Cake Merchants.
Khaled, who runs Salim’s Indian
restaurant in Loughborough has been bringing Eastern Flavour to the Great
Central Railway since 2009. The concept was created when the
director of Great Central Railway visited Khaled’s restaurant and showed him
some pictures of the train. At that time the service had on-board dining but served
only traditional British food. “I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if people could
have a curry on the train,” said Khaled. “I knew there was the train called the
Maharjas’ Express in India with five-star dining so I thought, why not do a
Maharaja Express in Loughborough?” He advertised online and in the railway office,
and had a special sign board made to put on the front of the train, and, hey
presto … the Maharaja Express on the Great Central Railway was born.
Now, a trip on the train, complete with
a five-course dining experience, runs twice a year and Khaled tells me that tickets
sell at least six months in advance.
Fortunately, he had two tickets left
for us. Our arrival at the ticket office at Loughborough Central Station had
connotations of platform 9 and ¾ where Harry Potter and his friends departed on
the Hogwarts Express. However, rather than being transported to a school for
wizards, we entered a time capsule which transported us back to a bygone age.
The Great Central Railway – a name that
conjures up dreams of travel, new places and far destinations - is Britain’s only double track mainline
heritage railway with eight miles of working track. It was once part of the line
from north to south, ending up at London’s Marylebone Station. Now, run
entirely by volunteers, four stations have so far been restored to their former
splendour: Loughborough Central, Quorn and Woodhouse, Rothley, and Leicester
North.
The departure point at Loughborough is
a fine example of a 1950s station complete with wooden panelled booking office,
a glass, metal and wood canopy, shop, buffet, coal fires in the waiting room.
There’s even an emporium selling bric-a-brac.
In the bar which could have doubled as
the set for Brief Encounter, we were served drinks feeling as if we had
stepped back in time to the glory days of the railway.
The star of the show, the engine puffed
into sight, hissing steam, with all the movement, bustle and flurry that
accompany the arrival of a royal guest. Railway buffs and travellers rushed to
the front to inspect the mighty locomotive, resplendent with its Maharaja
Express livery. Gaping into the hallowed cab we were invited up to meet the men
of the moment, the driver and fireman. As we braved the tremendous heat from
the fire which extended far into the footplate they told us a bit more about
the train. It travels every weekend, day and night and selected dates during
the week and is manned by volunteers numbering 40 firemen and 40 engineers,
plus many support workers.
Back to the train we boarded the
opulent Pullman style dining carriages with the smell of steam mingling with
aromas of spices and freshly cooked curries accompanied by Indian music. The royal
blue, padded seats were far more luxurious than those found on any modern
express train. Tables were laid with immaculate white table cloths with Villeroy
and Bosch cutlery, illuminated by the soft glow of Edwardian table lamps.
Rosewood surrounds were complete with service buttons. Curtained windows with
sliding tops brought back childhood memories of how you had to slam the windows
shut whenever a train entered a tunnel to avoid a sudden onslaught of soot. Happy
days!
Smartly turned out staff brought us out
poppadoms with an assortment of chutneys, lime pickles and fresh tasting
raitas. Then, with a blast of the whistle we were off, chugging past suburbs of
Loughborough, past factories, and into the countryside with distant views of
Charnwood Forest.
Starters arrived: a trio of crispy onion
bhaji, vegetable samosa and aloo pakora and were soon despatched. Khaled
arrived on the scene, chatting to diners, many of whom had been on the trip
several times. Khaled told us about his very first experience of catering on
the Maharaja Express in 2009. “It was a crazy night!” he remembered. “We had
booked three coaches of 42 people which meant that we had to serve 126
customers. The kitchen was different then with hardly any space and not
designed for producing Indian food which created some problems. Unfortunately,
by the time we got to serve the last coach we had to skimp on the portions as
we had underestimated the amount of ingredients required. Needless to say,
there was no way we could nip out to the supermarket to get more. Still,
everyone had a great time but ever since then we make sure we only do two
coaches!”
With five back-of-house staff working away
in the kitchen carriage, there were seven at front-of-house, some of whom were
employed by the railway itself. Service was remarkably efficient. Khaled told
us that his restaurant in Loughborough was also busy so with some of the staff
on the train, it’s a logistical nightmare, but well worth the effort. “People
love the experience. In fact, our fame has spread and we now have visitors
coming from Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and all over the world.”
On this night, there were no worries
about skimping on portions. Our main courses arrived. From a choice of four
menu options, the Lamb Rogan Josh was very tasty and tender topped with chilli,
lemon and coriander, and the Butter Chicken had just the right level of
sweetness, all served with a perfect mound of pilau rice and vegetables.
Outside the night darkened. Past Quorn and Woodhouse station we crossed
Swithland Reservoir. Some of the best views on the journey were sadly lost at
night, but during the day, the train pauses on the viaduct for passengers to take
in the spectacular scenery across the reservoir towards Brazil Island, a
popular location for birdwatching.
rattling along through embankment
and cuttings, before stopping at Rothley where passengers were able to stretch
their legs on the gas-lit platform. Indian desserts were served on the way back,
with authentic Chocolate barfi flavoured with coconut and cardamom, and
deliciously sweet, freshly fried, bright orange Jalebis. Coffee and tea with
mints provided a night cap with a good selection of wines and spirits along the
way. And just in case you were wondering … “These are the nicest train toilets
I have ever seen,” reported my companion, who having recently returned from
Cambodia was perhaps a little starry eyed. And indeed, they were.
The Maharaja Express at The Great
Central Railway in association with Salim’s Restaurant in Loughborough runs on
selected dates throughout the year. To book your tickets call 01509 632323
Mohammed Khaled in his restaurant Salim's in Loughborough |