Food fans are expected to throng Newcastle Central station in October when Great British Bake Off favourite Prue Leith hosts a Taste Station for London North Eastern Railway.

On Friday, 4th and Saturday, 5th October, the Taste Station will aim to dispel the myth that train food is uninspiring with some unusual ‘off-board’ food creations from London North Eastern Railway’s local suppliers.

Inventive creations such as a Popping Jack Roll and BaNacon Sponge will set taste buds tingling and wanting more, to prove that by using good quality ingredients, there are endless possibilities when it comes to train food.

Prue Leith has been at the forefront of transforming train cuisine, having been recruited to the board of British Rail over forty years ago.

She is now working with London North Eastern Railway to help redefine perceptions of train food by encouraging travellers to try the latest additions to its menu.

Among the items on the Taste Station menu will be:

• Popping Jack Roll, which is a vegetarian ‘pork’ roll infused with explosive popping candy flavours and warming rum to set taste buds tingling.
• BaNacon Sponge is a deliciously moist banana and bacon cake infused and topped with crispy bacon.
• Crisp-y Chocolate Truffle is the ultimate sweet and savoury combination in which melt-in-your-mouth truffles are injected with tangy orange marmalade and encased with the crunch of a ready-salted crisp.
• Ale & Rarebit Shortbread is an updated version traditional Welsh Rarebit, where crunchy toast has been swapped with crumbly shortbread biscuit and a hearty ale.
• Katsu Chicken-and-Egg roll comes in a butterly delicious pastry encased with a mix of chicken and pork shoulder, Katsu flavouring and a perfectly cooked boiled egg.

By combining exciting flavours with fresh ingredients from local suppliers, London North Eastern Railway has changed the meaning of ‘train food’ with its unique on-board menu.

To give customers the chance to taste the new flavours, for a limited time one of the new creations will feature on selected London North Eastern Railway services.

There will also be the chance to taste the creations at Newcastle Central station from 10 am until stocks run out.

In April, London North Eastern Railway introduced new Dish and Brunch menus that included pancakes, bacon rolls, and plant-based sausage sandwiches, and for Christmas last year it produced a special menu with a Blood Orange Christmas Cosmo.

“Train food has come a long way since my campaigning days 25 years ago. It’s great to see train companies really pushing themselves to provide fresh, creative and local on-board menus… and I can’t wait to taste these unexpected creations made by LNER’s suppliers!”

Prue Leith, campaigner, cookery writer and Bake-off judge

“At LNER, we’re big believers that train food should be much more than a sad sandwich. Our menu is a key part of the travel experience, and we’re thrilled to showcase our commitment to quality and innovation with these unexpected food combinations. We offer a wide range of delicious dishes made from fresh, locally sourced produce, and we’re excited to see our customers’ reactions to these new culinary creations.”

Richard Judge, Head of Customer Experience at LNER