THE owner of a Hagley deli is flying high after winning a prestigious contract to cater for passengers on an iconic train at Severn Valley Railway.

The Deli in the Village, owned and managed by Jodie Mondon-Lines, has been chosen to cater for up to 1,000 VIP passengers on the legendary Flying Scotsman on Wednesday (September 21).

The company will provide on-board hampers for passengers on the 16-mile route from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth and back, in a day designed to raise funds for the railway.

Ms Mondon-Lines said: “This is a huge break for the Deli in the Village, and a chance to really put ourselves on the map for high-end catering.

“The scale of the project is much bigger than anything I’ve done before and I’ll be pulling out all the stops to make sure we deliver a top quality service.

“We’ll start our prep the Friday before, then we'll be working through from the Sunday to the Tuesday, cooking the food and filling the hampers.

“I’ve roped in friends and family, and both current and former staff. No-one’s escaped!”

Amongst the delicacies on offer in the hampers will be locally-sourced turkey and ham pie, mini quiches, home-roasted ham, and individually-sized picnic loaves.

Shelagh Paterson, director of development for the SVR Charitable Trust, said: “It was important to offer our VIP guests a selection of wonderful things to eat during their journey.

“We choose the Deli in the Village because of its reputation as a provider of locally-sourced, high quality food.

“The fact that Jodie and her team hand-make most of the food in-house was another winning factor.

“We're delighted that local businesses like Jodie's are benefitting from Flying Scotsman's visit to the SVR, and that the railway continues to play an important role in boosting the local economy.”

The historic Flying Scotsman, which was built in 1923, received a £4.2 million renovation earlier this year and is currently touring the UK.