BA’s catering in 2021 has been best described as “traditional British” although some may be more inclined to refer to it as school dinners. It’s obvious BA is trying to save money which is understandable in the current situation. To be fair the meals are generally very tasty with sausage and pash, chicken pie, and shepherd’s pie on the rotation at the moment in Club Europe. I actually am reasonably happy with it but I wish they would do something about the token few lettuce leaves they call a starter on Club Europe.
From September 2021, British Airways customers will be welcomed back on board with new ‘Best of British Menus’ with the September edition featuring a traditional British Roast dinner. The airline’s roast will be available in First and Club World and feature 21-day aged British beef, served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables, horseradish cream and gravy.
On flights to the Indian subcontinent, customers will be offered British roast chicken served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, bread sauce and gravy.
The chefs will also be creating themed deserts on its monthly menus, with September’s theme being ‘All Things Botanical’ including an elderflower and white chocolate dessert with compressed apple and elderflower sorbet.
In October, customers can expect to see roast chicken, as well as lamb hot pot and Welsh rarebit with chutney. The new dessert menu will celebrate the British apple season with an apple mousse, with granny smith sorbet or British apple compote with vanilla custard and crumble.
Other classic dishes that will feature on menus will include gastropub classics such as chicken pie with mash, pork pie with piccalilli, shepherd’s pie, sausage and mash, as well as chicken bacon leek and mushroom pie. The menu also features vegetarian options using British produce, such as butternut squash gnocchi with blue cheese sauce and wild cavolo nero, and handmade ricotta mezzaluna with truffle cream and grilled asparagus.
I think this all sounds tasty, although whether you would class it as First class, is a matter of personal opinion! However if pork pie is good enough for Berners Tavern, then I guess it’s good enough for BA First!
Sajida Ismail, Head of Inflight said: “As we look ahead to welcoming back customers who may not have flown for a while, we wanted to mark the occasion by offering a really special menu that celebrates the best of Britain.
Working with our catering partners, DO & CO and Newrest, we have created dishes using the best of British ingredients while they are in season. We are particularly excited to be offering a roast dinner on board. We know that Yorkshire puddings and crispy roast potatoes can be difficult to re-create at altitude, but our chefs have been working to make it happen, because we know that every British roast dinner should have them!”
What do you think of the sound of the new BA meals? School dinners or great British classics? Let us know in the comments below.
12 comments
I’ve always found the reference to school dinners as a interesting interpretation. Classic British fare does not equal school dinners, and for readers who disagree you must have had very posh school dinners indeed! I’ve always enjoyed food in Club World and most of the time in Club Europe. But for First I do think they should be offering fine dining rather than just a classic done well, they need to be doing classics with a twist that elevates, something that really is a gastronomic experience.
Looking forward to these dinners when we fly BA in October. YYZ-LHR then 9 days later LGW-TFS.
Yum, yum ! Who doesn’t like a roast dinner 🙂
definitely school dinner, like for first class – it’s a disaster, I am afraid..and for non British passengers it might be shock
I agree with Steven and Robert…not a good look for first class. And in any event how many of us want to eat all those carbs from mash or roasties or pastries when one wants to eat lighter food, with style!
There’s something slightly sad about the British psyche these days – yet more harping back to the past rather than embracing the future.
I’m not convinced First Class passengers in 2021 really want a Wetherspoons pub lunch menu and, as mentioned above, pies, sausages, roast dinner with all the trimmings won’t be particularly comfortable in the air, unless they’re handing out omeprazole with it.
Watneys Red Barrell anyone?
Sounds great. If they didn’t keep cancelling our flights we might actually be able to try one of these lovely roast dinners!!
I know the feeling!
I agree with previous comments that the British menu could work well in Club but in First probably a more selective type of dining would be more appropriate with a lighter touch and of course with several choices. There has always been an issue with BA menus in the past pre-pandemic, when it comes to menu balance as they tended to repeat items on most of their menus which is not correct when a Table d’hote, [rather than an a la carte] menu is being offered. I have often complained about this lack of menu planning by the caterers, but it has fallen on stony {gastronomic} ground!!!
Sounds fabulous to me. I would look forward to these meals..
Unfortunately airlines, including BA, don’t cater for celiac vegetarians, so although I travel Club class I am rarely guaranteed anything to eat, and this new menu sounds even more problematic as none of the vegetarian options mentioned are celiac friendly. I have mentioned the problem to BA several times over the years without satisfaction. I find it very unthinking of the catering policy to not allow for the fact that a passenger can be both vegetarian and celiac, especially when it seems that some cultural tastes are catered for. I have been vegetarian for several decades so it is not a decision taken lightly and easily dispensed with, while eating even a crumb on gluten has serious consequences for a celiac. Airlines seriously need to address this issue, just as it has begun to take nut allergies seriously.
Yes that must be very frustrating. Having a gluten free option that’s vegetarian would kill two birds with one stone as it were. Plenty of delicious dishes you could create with that.
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