Scottish Splendour

The best of company – and the best food and wine – on the Royal Scotsman

Article by Jonathan Phang

MONDAY

I arrive in Edinburgh at the crack of dawn, excited, to start filming for my new (or second) series of Jonathan Phang’s Gourmet Trains, for the Travel Channel.

My first stop is the Balmoral Hotel to meet Michelin starred chef Jeff Bland for a master class in Scottish seafood and game. His kitchen is immaculate and I watch in awe as he prepares me a Scottish fruit de mer and perfectly cooked grouse.

Before I have time to savour the moment I am whisked off to the Royal Yacht Brittania to enjoy a champagne cream tea whilst interviewing Robert Moran, the yacht’s manager. I am amazed by the understatement of the interiors and the single beds.

Time is flying by, and I am late for my tour around the Shortbread House, a family run bakery that makes shortbread by Royal appointment and supplies the likes of Fortnum & Mason. With a different flavour of shortbread for almost everyday of the year, I’d happily move in.

As the day ends, I interview my favourite Scottish singer /songwriter Horse MacDonald, over cocktails at The Balmoral Hotel bar, skip dinner and collapse into bed, full as an egg.

 

TUESDAY

I get up early, because we are filming at Kinlock Anderson (the family run, and renowned Kilt and Tartan experts since 1868, and kilt makers to the Queen and Royal family). We need to be wrapped, before the shop opens, to the public. I choose a low key, modern sophisticated, tartan, called midnight shadow, in anticipation of the gala dinner that I am to attend, aboard the Belmond Royal Scotsman.

On the way to Waverley station, I film walking shots and general views of Edinburgh’s many beauty spots. As I am ushered up the red carpet and on to the Royal Scotsman, accompanied by strains of a highland piper, I sense that I have much to look forward to…..

I find a comfortable seat in the observation car and with a glass of champagne in hand; I set about interviewing the guests, about why they are on this train and what their first impressions are. The scenery surrounding us is beautiful and the changing autumn hues are diverse and dramatic.

After dinner, we all retire to the bar, drink far too much and have lots of laughs with two comedians, who have been brought aboard for tonight’s entertainment.

 

WEDNESDAY

I wake up disorientated and slightly the worse for wear. Certain I am not the only one though. My cabin is very comfortable and I feel like I am in a Victorian country house. My fellow 36 passengers and the train’s staff are all delightful, but the combination of this stately, yet homely train, mixed with an open bar, is a lethal one. I must remember that I am working and not on holiday. Having eaten a delicious full Scottish breakfast, which includes whisky porridge, tattie scones and haggis I am ready for action.

 

The train stops right in the very heart of the Cairngorms Mountains, where a coach is waiting to take me to the Rothiemurchus Estate. I meet Alf who is to teach me how to fly fish. Together, we take a small boat out in to the loch. The landscape could not be more Scottish - or more beautiful. Alf regales me with stories from the estate and has me in fits of laughter. We don’t catch anything, but thankfully, Alf (after taking one look at me) brought a salmon trout with him, so we gut it and barbeque it for a midday snack, before reconvening at the “Big Hice” for a cuppa.

Back on the train and it’s time for lunch. I do more interviewing, and enjoy a whisky tasting with the barman. I stagger in to the kitchen and film with chef Mark Tamburrini as he preps for tonight’s, gala dinner. After so much whisky, I am not sure how much help that I am being….

As the sun sets, it’s time to slip into my Midnight Shadow, for the Gala dinner.

The food is sensational, the wine is flowing, everyone is in evening dress and spirits are high. After dinner, we sing folk songs in the bar and upon our midnight arrival into Dundee; we spontaneously dance the Gay Gordon on the platform and join hands for Aude Lang Syne.

THURSDAY

I never envisaged ever having to sleep on a Dundee platform but I did - and like a log! My Midnight Shadow is strewn around my cabin, so I miss breakfast, tidy up and pack before anybody realises how much of a mess I have made. The atmosphere on the train is rather sombre today. The weather has taken a turn for the worse, and mist is obstructing the vista. We have only one activity left before our journey ends, and no one is in the mood for being filmed.

We are taken to the battlefield of Culloden, which seems particularly poignant, as today is the day of the referendum and Britain’s future with Scotland hangs in the balance. I cannot help being moved, whilst standing on the very ground where 1,200 people lost their lives. During filming an interview with our passionate guide (who is dressed as a Jacobite soldier) I learn that the Scots from the area were exported as slaves to the West Indies, which explains more than I bargained for about my Caribbean heritage.

As we arrive back into Waverley station, I feel very sad to be leaving this glorious train. As usual, just as I am settling in and making friends, it’s time to leave. The Belmond Royal Scotsman’s rituals of farewell, are as celebratory as it’s warm welcome. Auld acquaintance will be brought to mind, and be not forgotten. Not by me, anyway. riddle_stop 2

 

Jonathan Phang’s Gourmet Trains Series 2 premiere’s on the Travel Channel tonight at 8pm (Freeview 42; Sky 249; Virgin 288). Trailer for the show here.