If you are looking for a Sunday lunch with a difference… then look no further.
Swap the restaurant view for a nostalgic train ride through the Staffordshire Moorlands with views of the beautiful Staffordshire countryside.
*Press trip
Churnet Valley Railway offer a variety of dining trains including Saturday lunch train, breakfast trains, Sunday lunch trains and Staffordshire cream tea trains. We opted for the traditional Sunday lunch train, where we dined aboard a beautiful restored steam train for a 2 hour journey and enjoyed a classic 3 course menu, freshly prepared for us onboard the train. The dining train offers gluten free and vegetarian options.
Churnet Valley Railway review
We have enjoyed many a visit to Chutney Valley Railway with the children over the years and it is one of our favourite things to do in Staffordshire as a family. The Santa and Steam Train is a brilliant Christmas experience for kids in Staffordshire. Churnet Valley also offer an Afternoon Cream tea, and do look out for other events including the Mad Hatters Tea Party Train, Bombay Express train, and Murder Mystery trains throughout the year.
How long does the train journey take?
The train journey takes around 2 hours
Is there parking at Churnet Valley Railway?
At Froghall there is a car park at the station and there is no charge for parking here. If you park at Cheddleton there is a car park adjacent to the station and again there is no charge for parking. Please note there is no parking available at Consall.
How does the dining train work at Churnet Valley Railway?
Choose your preferred dining train and date to book your tickets. We preordered our meal. On arrival we parked in the car park at Froghall and arrived at the station entrance where we were then directed to our train. The dining trains carriages are Nicholas or Diana.
We were directed to our seats. As a family of five we sat in a three and a two and we ordered drinks. The staff were lovely, friendly and informative, the area clean and the meal absolutely delicious.
For the starter we could choose from chicken liver pate served with chutney or sweet potato and red pepper soup. The soup was delicious. For the main meal our options included traditional roast beef, roast chicken breast or mushroom stroganoff and between us all we sampled all of the meals. They were all delicious.
It was 30 degrees on the day of our dining train and it was incredibly hot. We just wanted to mention that the staff did incredibly well working in such extreme temperatures during the train ride.
Are dogs permitted on the Churnet Valley dining coach
No – unfortunately not. Our dogs had to sit out of this one (sorry boys) as dogs are NOT permitted on the dining coach (with the exception of Service Dogs).
Facilities on the dining train
There are toilets at the Froghall station and a tea room and small shop selling some lovely items and souvenirs. There are customer toilets on board the dining train.
Are children welcome on the Churnet Valley dining train?
Churnet Valley allow well-behaved children over the age of 8 on all their dining trains, with the exception of Murder Mystery services which accept ages 16+ only. Our children all absolutely loved the dining train, there was enough options on the menu and this unique dining experience is perfect for both adults and children.
Churnet Valley Railway dining train: Review
We absolutely love to explore Staffordshire and we also love a Sunday dinner, so this was the perfect family experience for us.
The Churnet Valley Railway Sunday dinner experience definitely did not disappoint and we would most definitely visit again. It was honestly an absolutely wonderful and unique dining experience, the food was delicious, staff really friendly and helpful, and the view of the Staffordshire countryside was absolutely perfect.
If you are looking for the perfect Sunday dinner in Staffordshire then definitely book the Sunday dinner dining train at Chutney Valley. The perfect Sunday!
Book your Churnet Valley Dining train here
Disclosure: We were invited to Churnet Valley for the dining experience in return for this honest review. All thoughts and photos are my own.