I always found the food on seatruck pretty good. I used to do the Liverpool to Dublin going out then warrenpoint to heysham coming back. Decent evening meal and the breakfasts were pretty good as well. 2 cans of beer or cider thrown in with the evening meal was always welcome!
TheUncaringCowboy:
mrginge:
I have been happy with any irish ferries boats whether holyhead - Dublin or Pembroke - rosslare. Dover - calais dfds was not great and normally just eat with normal passengers downstairs.Didn’t think a lot of dfds because you can only have a set number of things with the breakfast unlike Irish ferries that just load up what ever you ask for.
Remember that Dover Calais is rammed full with Taliban so the food is guff and you get a set tiny amount otherwise they would empty the place.
DFDS is better than P&O on Dover Calais, at least it’s free and P&Os stuff is inedible at best.
Went on Dover to Dunkirk DFDS a few month back and i was the only Brit amongst the EastEuropean drivers. Very bland fish and chips and the decor in cafe and other rooms is in need of a makeover
Brittany are still pretty good. Not a dedicated Driver’s menu but a 50% discount on anything, except alcohol.
“Back in the day” it was all free including wine, and waiter service, but those days ain’t about to return.
I thought the Bari and Brindisi boats pretty poor on average. Same with the Italian boats doing Sicily and Sardinia fron Genoa.
TransMediterranea boats on the Balearic runs were good.
Edit to add.
Currently I think the rack of lamb is good, and the ratatouille is always aromatic.
And good choice of desserts.
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Sally Line out of Ramsgate was good back in the day.
Dave…
Talk of the Irish sea crossings reminds me of Pole on Stena Hollyhead-Dublin pouring custard all over his roast dinner and scoffing the lot! A few of us noticed and couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Matter of taste I suppose.
Franglais:
Brittany are still pretty good. Not a dedicated Driver’s menu but a 50% discount on anything, except alcohol.
“Back in the day” it was all free including wine, and waiter service, but those days ain’t about to return.
I thought the Bari and Brindisi boats pretty poor on average. Same with the Italian boats doing Sicily and Sardinia fron Genoa.
TransMediterranea boats on the Balearic runs were good.Edit to add.
Currently I think the rack of lamb is good, and the ratatouille is always aromatic.
And good choice of desserts.Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
Ah yes, going further afield I always loved the food on the Superfast boats to Greece. Often really delicious, their Greek salads were so nice. Not been on them many a year now though
switchlogic:
Franglais:
Brittany are still pretty good. Not a dedicated Driver’s menu but a 50% discount on anything, except alcohol.
“Back in the day” it was all free including wine, and waiter service, but those days ain’t about to return.
I thought the Bari and Brindisi boats pretty poor on average. Same with the Italian boats doing Sicily and Sardinia fron Genoa.
TransMediterranea boats on the Balearic runs were good.Edit to add.
Currently I think the rack of lamb is good, and the ratatouille is always aromatic.
And good choice of desserts.Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
Ah yes, going further afield I always loved the food on the Superfast boats to Greece. Often really delicious, their Greek salads were so nice. Not been on them many a year now though
Never did SuperFast myself but did hear good reports.
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The famous Steak Blue,as the French called it,on the freighter from Poole to Cherbourg,the meat was quickly pan fried leaving the inside raw and running with blood,or bien cuit which is well cooked but would still have blood,great in stormy seas.
LD lines Newhaven to Dieppe was good.
Stena line Southampton to Cherbourg,with evening disco and seeing the great Frankie Carson gig on New years eve,that’s a cracker, it’s the way I tell em.
Overall Brittany ferries when the meals were free,remember the seafood starters of fresh crab and lobster.
No longer free due to bread rolls,sliced meat and croissants being stolen for a goody bag .
The good old days of the bar in the old passenger terminal in Portsmouth.
Drivers knocking back pints before boarding,nobody batted an eyelid.
Then more beer on board til the disco stops,make a racket climbing up to the top bunk.
Get off the ferry,park up,have Pernod or whiskey coffees for a one hit to Malaga or Lisbon.
dave docwra:
Sally Line out of Ramsgate was good back in the day.Dave…
Yes, it was, but still I used to hear drivers moaning all the time “it’s always the same”.
Err, well hello? It’s a smorgasbord. You could always try something different instead of picking the same thing every time?
Food on the Cobelfret ferry from Rotterdam to Purfleet and vice-versa was always superb (and free), but then it only took half a dozen or so drivers so there was that personal touch.
Townsend Thoresen used to do a mean Pineapple Upside-down cake.
I too used to like the breakfasts on the Townsend boats on the Calais dover route. I never really had a bad meal until I sailed on a SNCF 
The evening meals on the Barfluer, heck… even on the Coutance on the Poole - Cherbourg were not bad at all especially the Steak Bleu as toby said;) And the same for the Irish ferries.
I agree with D dog on p&o being the better food now on the north channel boats, Stena always seem to run out of the better selection before we get up the stairs so you are left with fish or gammon. Breakfast are just about the same but at least you get grapefruit segments as a starter on the p&o. Stena has was a good feed when it was running
TT lines Travemunde - Trelleborg is the best I have had. Huge buffet with a wide variety of dishes to chose from (the same as the passengers) free for freight drivers.
Franglais:
“Back in the day” it was all free including wine, and waiter service, but those days ain’t about to return.
Indeed Franglais and what a pleasure it was when you got your ticket in Dover or Calais and discover you were on one of those French boats… A free very tasty 4 course meal, waiter service and a glass of rouge at good value if you fancied.
They were the SNCF boats iirc whereas no such luxury with Sealink or TT, just basic transport cafe standard they were even back then.
Today, Brittany Ferries, anything direct to Holland and some of the Irish Ferries Boats are good.
Stena are rubbish which I find surprising for Scandinavian company who have much higher standards back home. Do they only abuse food ingredients on UK routes because they know we will put up with it?
gallowaybull:
I agree with D dog on p&o being the better food now on the north channel boats, Stena always seem to run out of the better selection before we get up the stairs so you are left with fish or gammon. Breakfast are just about the same but at least you get grapefruit segments as a starter on the p&o. Stena has was a good feed when it was running
^^^^^^^^^^
well the grub on the hss wat ticketyboo and you could aways ask for whatever you wanted to a certain extent.
the only downside was getting it gulped down before you herd them tannoying looking for the red crew to the lower deck as there was always at least one of the engines going on fire.
apart from that it was all plain sailing.
Hurryup&wait:
Franglais:
“Back in the day” it was all free including wine, and waiter service, but those days ain’t about to return.
Indeed Franglais and what a pleasure it was when you got your ticket in Dover or Calais and discover you were on one of those French boats… A free very tasty 4 course meal, waiter service and a glass of rouge at good value if you fancied.
They were the SNCF boats iirc whereas no such luxury with Sealink or TT, just basic transport cafe standard they were even back then.
Today, Brittany Ferries, anything direct to Holland and some of the Irish Ferries Boats are good.
Stena are rubbish which I find surprising for Scandinavian company who have much higher standards back home. Do they only abuse food ingredients on UK routes because they know we will put up with it?
The Stena boat between Southampton and Cherbourg was quite good food. Not as good as Brittany however.
There was the option of a packed picnic lunch instead of a cooked breakfast too. Saw plastic boxes strewn all the way to Rennes.
Winter night crossings were slow…
More than a few romances happened on that boat.
A mate told me.
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The Stena Southampton to Cherbourg was nicknamed the Love Boat,apparently lonely and bored housewives took the trip without husbands.
I sent a love letter to a stunning waitress with long black curly hair called Gina.
At Cherbourg the freight office lasses were a good laugh,and those old Canadian guys who were marshals.
Sounds like quite a mixed bag.
Apart from fish and chips and steak, what other things have you had? I’ve heard there’s a selection of salads etc.
I’m planning on compiling a list of the best meal options on ferries for our blog.
toby1234abc:
The Stena Southampton to Cherbourg was nicknamed the Love Boat,apparently lonely and bored housewives took the trip without husbands.
I sent a love letter to a stunning waitress with long black curly hair called Gina.
At Cherbourg the freight office lasses were a good laugh,and those old Canadian guys who were marshals.
One marshal was Canadian and one American I thought. (Frank the Yank did some C&W cassette tapes)(that dates it)
The waitress you mention, and a few others went onto P&O later. Mostly on “SeaTime” agency. But some went shoreside in Pompey.
Dunno about lonely housewives. Crew, including the show dancers, we’re all…living, breathing, people too.
Happy days for sure.
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toby1234abc:
The Stena Southampton to Cherbourg was nicknamed the Love Boat,apparently lonely and bored housewives took the trip without husbands.
I sent a love letter to a stunning waitress with long black curly hair called Gina.
At Cherbourg the freight office lasses were a good laugh,and those old Canadian guys who were marshals.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
i wouldnt have thought they would have speculated the return ferry fare to cherbourg ?
they could just have chipped in for a taxi to take them down the docks every night along with the rest of southamptons finest…