Tell us about the crew.
There’s something Wind and the Willows about the uniforms of sage and butter-yellow vests and salmon-pink ties, and their wearers are just as charming – no matter how many times we pass each other in the narrow corridors each day, I marvel at the cheeriness with which I’m greeted and the constant patter they keep up on excursions. Everyone feels as excited as we are to be here for the debut voyage, and other guests tell me that the staff have made their trip feel special. I’m also ceaselessly impressed with the smoothness with which suitcases are whisked away and reappear when needed, beds are flipped and rooms reset during breakfast, and umbrellas and jackets materialise out of thin air when the weather throws a tantrum.
What food and drink options are available on board?
The farm-to-fork menus have been created by pioneering chef Simon Rogan, known for his three Michelin-starred restaurant L’Enclume – many of the ingredients come from his farm in Cartmel, and future guests on the Lake District route will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes there. Eighty per cent of the menu is already locally sourced, with the rest coming from trusted suppliers, and it’s all inspired by the destination (for coastal Cornwall, that means lots of seafood).
Breakfast is a continental spread of sourdough crumpets, yoghurt with currants and granola, farmhouse cheeses and eggs any which way. For lunch, we have John Dory with crispy kale one day, and a full Sunday lunch of either beef fillet or a mushroom and squash mini wellington the next (all delicious, but future plans to host some lunches off board, such as Cornish beach barbecues or Welsh country picnics, might add some welcome variety). A seven-course tasting menu takes in blue lobster atop a hedgerow-green hogweed puree, brill stuffed with hazelnuts, and a pretty crab and seaweed savoury custard studded with sweetcorn and garlanded with tiny flowers.