Alresford itself is a handsome little country town with a two main streets joined in a "T". Broad street, as its name suggests, is wide enough for a substantial market, and the 17th and 18th century houses and shops look elegant and prosperous. There is a nice looking country style restaurant called Hunter's which also has three en-suite bedrooms for those who want to stay and explore this fascinating area. Winchester is close by with its Cathedral and College, not to mention the gastronomic delights of The Wickham Arms and the Hotel du Vin (reviewed by Sarah Marsh).
The station, trains and carriages of the Watercress Line have been restored more or less as they were after the axing of many English branch lines in the sixties. Don't expect the sophistication of the Brighton Belle or the Orient Express, rather the nostalgia of a first class British rail Pulman carriage of the late fifties. The deep arm chairs are comfortable, the tables very prettily decorated with flowers and individual lamps. Decorum and slightly faded gentility were a surprisingly welcome change. The black smuts blowing in through the open windows took me back instantly to my boyhood and the nervous excitement of the train journeys to boarding school in the fifties.
The whole enterprise is run by wildly enthusiastic volunteers, including the catering. Chefs Clive Howells and John Rowe have had some serious training, and they and their friends produced a four course meal for seventy diners with considerable professionalism. All the hot food was prepared and cooked on board. The galley is well equipped with ovens, grills and a large stainless steel fridge.
We began, appropriately enough, with watercress soup. The line takes its nickname from the days when it transported the watercress, grown in the beds surrounding the river Itchen, to the London markets. Since the single track line extends for only ten miles between Alresford and Alton, each course lasts one trip up the track. On the first return journey, in glorious evening sunshine, we enjoyed smoked salmon and mackerel paté whilst drinking a crisp Pouilly Fumé (12.50).
Each time we stopped at the terminal, people would get out to look at the steam locomotive, and take it in turns to get onto the footplate. The heat of the furnace is awesome. One can readily see what a useful implement a stainless steel shovel is for knocking up bacon, sausages and even pizzas for the crew. On day trips, the crew are forbidden from frying bacon unless there's plenty in the galley. Apparently the smell wafting back down the train can cause a riot if stocks are unavailable to satisfy demand.
The main course was chicken supreme in a tarragon and Pernod sauce. The sauce was good, so were the vegetables, particularly the spicy red cabbage and the carrots that were laced with garlic but with restraint. I give up on chicken these days; I'm sure this was admirably cooked, but apart from being a vehicle for the well made sauce, it really tasted of nothing in particular. After another jaunt up and down the platform at Alton, we sat down to a chice of three puddings. The Bread and Butter pudding was as good as Mosimann's, what more can I say!
There's rather a good wine list, starting at 7.60 for house wines, or 8.25 for a wine made from Ropley Court whose slopes are only a whistle blow from the railway. We enjoyed a decent bottle of 1991 Chateau Le Temple, a Cru Bourgeoise from the Medoc, for a very reasonable 14.90.
An evening spent travelling up and down this historic line which passes through quintessentially lovely unspoilt English scenery costs 32.50. This includes the four course meal and coffee but not wine. All proceeds go to help preserving this matchless little piece of English eccentricity.
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