Deli sandwiches at the Parcel Yard

Bored of being taken for a ride by the train companies? They see you, sitting there, trapped. They know your stomach is rumbling and your brain is screaming to you “Why? Why did you not bring something delicious to make this journey easier?” But you didn’t. Then she comes, the smiling lady with the rickety trolley, glass and packets clanging and rustling as she makes her way down the train. And she’s friendly and polite and lovely, and well she might be, because she’s just charged you the earth for a Mars bar.

Or you wait and resist and veritably starve on the way to your destination because you just can’t bear the additional expense, on top of your already pricey train fare. And you sit and you mull about how unfair the universe is and how deeply profound your first world problems are.
Whilst reading Your Chicken magazine, I guess. On my birthday.

Train Bristol to Carmarthen £32. Bacon roll & coffee £7.10. Suffice to say Im going hungry. @FGW rip off merchants pic.twitter.com/eS2LCUGxVi

— Luke Vernon (@LukeVernon) May 9, 2015

But people of Leicester! It doesn’t have to be this way!
Those lovely folk at the Parcel Yard have come to our rescue. Yes, right next to the train station, in the pub which conveniently shows the train departure times live behind the bar, they now do deli sandwiches and salads. It’s like a little slice of fried gold. Or a little tub of caesar dressing, whichever you prefer.

NB I think the salads have gone down to £4 since I took this

I had the pleasure of winning one such delight, by simply retweeting one of the Parcel Yard’s messages. And the next time I had to get the train I popped in and picked it up. There were a whole range of sandwiches and salads, all freshly prepared to choose from. I opted for the chicken caesar. The lovely chap also offered me a little bottle of red, which I happily took with me and stashed away for the return journey when my meeting was over.

My fellow travellers looked at me in envy as I tucked in, with my complementary spork, to my lovely salad. Crisp lettuce with dressing served separately in a little pot, complemented soft chicken, freshly made bacon lardons, luxurious shavings of parmesan and the odd crouton. I was in heaven. Well, the homemade croutons were admittedly a little soft, but they were home made and they did taste good – I guess they were a casualty of the refridgerator.

I got to try a little cereal bar as well, also lovingly handmade by Chef. As you can see from the photo it was the last one available, so popular are they proving, and I’m not surprised – packed with fruit, nuts, oats and seeds this is quite a serious energy hit in one deliciously moist, but dense homemade package. And at 65p that really knocks the socks off any other cereal bar, or indeed chocolate bar that you can get from the newsagent, or off the train! I’m not usually a fan of apricots, but in this they are really tasty!

They even gave me a little plastic cup which I was later able to enjoy my wine from. What service, what pizzazz. What a great idea. So if you’re running late, you’ve forgetten your pack-up, nip into the Parcel Yard and grab yourself a treat. They have posh crisps and whatnot as well so you can make it a real feast.

Let me know how the sandwiches are…