The Britannic Explorer, A Belmond Train, U.K. announces culinary offering and appointment of Executive Head Chef

Ahead of its official launch this July, The Britannic Explorer, A Belmond Train, UK is delighted to reveal an exceptional dining experience curated by renowned chef Simon Rogan alongside the newly appointed Executive Head Chef, Sven-Hanson Britt.  

As a visionary leader in Britain’s farm-to-fork movement, Rogan’s menus will celebrate seasonal, sustainable ingredients, sourced locally to showcase the richness of Britain’s diverse regions. Each of the three routes will feature bespoke afternoon tea, lunch and dinner menus, highlighting the finest local specialties to ensure every meal is a true reflection of Britain’s culinary heritage. With a wealth of experience and passion for showcasing the finest seasonal ingredients, Sven will lead the culinary team on board, ensuring an extraordinary experience across the trains’ two dining cars.

As a visionary leader in Britain’s farm-to-fork movement, Rogan’s menus will celebrate seasonal, sustainable ingredients, sourced locally to showcase the richness of Britain’s diverse regions. Each of the three routes will feature bespoke afternoon tea, lunch and dinner menus, highlighting the finest local specialties to ensure every meal is a true reflection of Britain’s culinary heritage. With a wealth of experience and passion for showcasing the finest seasonal ingredients, Sven will lead the culinary team on board, ensuring an extraordinary experience across the trains’ two dining cars.

FARM-TO-TABLE, REGIONALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS

The menu aboard the Britannic Explorer has been designed to reflect the landscapes and flavours of the regions the train travels through. Each dish highlights the flavours of local ingredients, providing a true taste of the UK’s rich agricultural heritage.

From breakfast, the menu showcases organically and regeneratively grown native grains, with inventive dishes such as fermented barley crumpets topped with roasted ox marrow and cave-aged cheddar, and ancestral grain pikelets made with flax seed and grilled orchard fruits. Traditional British ingredients are celebrated throughout, including Lincolnshire smoked eel on toasted rye bread and savoury crop-rotation porridge featuring wild mushrooms and seasonal brassicas from local farms. Chef Simon comments:

“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.”

A CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH ENGLAND AND WALES

Each route offers a distinct dining experience. Highlights on the Wales route include a picnic-style lunch featuring delights like rarebit and leek tart. For those travelling on the Cornwall journey, a vibrant Cornish barbeque lunch is served, showcasing the region’s coastal bounty. Guests can indulge in refreshing salads, such as red lammas wheat berries with Spar’s golden ale and fermented cabbage, before moving on to grilled local delicacies like Roche village asparagus, St Austell mussels, clams, and jig-caught squid with seaweed, alongside Cornish red mullet. For dessert, classic Cornish summer berries are paired with meadowsweet and chamomile cream, offering a perfect finish.

The focus on sustainability and seasonal produce continues with signature dishes like the reimagined Corra Linn waffle, a nod to Simon Rogan’s culinary philosophy, served with birch sap-cured Tamworth pork chop. 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.

Each dining experience onboard will reflect the landscape outside the train’s windows, using the freshest local ingredients to create an immersive culinary journey that celebrates the diverse flavours and stories of England and Wales.

SVEN-HANSON BRITT JOINS AS EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF

Joining the train as Executive Head Chef, the Britannic Explorer is delighted to announce the appointment of Sven-Hanson Britt. With a career spanning Michelin-starred kitchens and luxury hospitality, including The Ritz London and Blue Hill Farm in New York, alongside his own acclaimed restaurant, Oxeye in London. With deep-rooted experience in the farming industry, Chef Sven combines his expertise in regenerative agriculture with a passion for seasonal British produce to create a dining experience that will bring a fresh environmentally conscious approach. He was chosen by Simon Rogan to lead the culinary team, bringing Rogan's pioneering farm-to-fork philosophy to life through a menu that perfectly embodies this vision aboard the Britannic Explorer. Chef Sven comments:

“I believe that the Britannic Explorer will change the game for luxury sustainable hospitality full stop, not just luxury travel. I feel very privileged to be the bridge between the UK’s best independent restaurant group working closely with chef Simon Rogan, Managing Director Sam Ward, and their team of world class talents; and the world’s finest luxury hotel and travel group. 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.”

The Britannic Explorer will debut in July 2025. Luxury accommodation onboard starts from £11,000 based on a double cabin. This includes a 3-night itinerary, excursions, meals, wine and alcoholic beverages on board. For reservations and more information, please contact reservations.bex@belmond.com or visit the web page here. Images can be download here.