The Story of Railway Lamb Curry

Some dishes carry a whole era in their name. Railway Lamb Curry is one of them, a mild, fragrant curry born on the trains of British India and still on our menu today. It is a small piece of history you can eat, and one of the most quietly rewarding things we serve at Saffron Soho.

Where It Came From

The dish was created in the first-class dining carriages of the railways during the British Raj. Cooks needed a curry that would suit British palates, travel well across long journeys, and not be so fierce that it ruined a passenger's afternoon.

Their answer was a gentle mutton curry, softened with yoghurt and coconut milk, fragrant rather than fiery. It became a fixture of railway dining, and it has outlived the carriages that gave it its name.

What It Tastes Like

Railway Lamb Curry is mild and flavourful, the lamb slow-cooked until tender in a sauce mellowed by yoghurt and coconut milk. It is comforting and aromatic, with warmth and depth but very little heat.

If you find some curries too rich or too hot, this is the one for you. It sits in a sweet spot of its own, gentle enough for anyone, interesting enough to keep a curry lover happy.

Why We Keep It on the Menu

We could fill the menu with crowd-pleasers and leave it at that. We keep dishes like this because they tell a story, and because they taste wonderful. A good menu has range, and a curry with a hundred years of history behind it earns its place.

It also sits beautifully alongside our other slow-cooked lamb dishes, the pasanda, the rogan, the Iranian lamb, each a different expression of what patience and good spicing can do to a humble piece of meat.

How to Eat It

Railway lamb is gentle, so let it lead. Pair it with plain or pilau rice and a soft naan, and keep the sides simple so the fragrance of the curry comes through. A tarka dall on the side rounds the meal out nicely.

Order it once and you will understand why a dish from another century has never left the table.

Come and Eat With Us

We serve the full menu straight through from midday, late into the night: until midnight, every night.

You will find us at 63 Old Compton Street, W1D 6HT, two minutes from the West End and close to Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road.

Book a table online or call us on 020 3941 9935.