Apr 16, 2017, 1:12 pm
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
Club Europe Catering Guide 2017.
This thread outlines the new arrangements for Club Europe catering, introduced on Sunday 26 March 2017 and due to end on Tuesday 11 September 2018, based on 3 zones. A new Club Europe catering product is due to be launch on Wednesday 12 September 2018, and this is based on 4 bands. The main information piece - in terms of timings and the distance zones for the meals can be found in post 1. The following cross references the photos below against the matrix of options. In addition to the photos, some FTers have written extensively on their experiences so there is more to this thread than the pictures. Also note that there was an increase in food offered on some combinations shortly after the start-up, so the more recent photos may be the best place to start.The previous shorthaul catering guide, now locked but which had the previous 4 band system, is to be found here.
Numbers relate to the post number. Vegetarian means the alternative option provided as standard rather than the pre-ordered versions - which are VLML (Lacto-ovo), AVML (Asia) and VGML (Vegan) . There are differences between the offering in/out of LHR, LGW, LCY+STN. Last update: 833
-------------------------
Note posts before 1-832 are typically the April 2017 menu. 833 and above is from the menu for May 2017.
----
Chef's Chat sheets for:
CE LHR Summer 2017 - Rotation A
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28338151-post954.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28339641-post958.html
-----.
Short Band (UK, France, Ireland, BeNeLux, Germany)
Breakfast: 279, 570 (vegetarian), 629, 674, 821 (Express breakfast for MAN and LBA), 1343 (Vegan), 2285 (Express for LBA and MAN), 2445
Brunch: 180, 289, 469, 563, 685, 716, 2625 (AVML)
Lunch: 207, 545 (diabetic), 644 (first photo), 680 (VLML), 802, 928, 1322 (Kosher), 2284
Afternoon tea: 339, 404 (vegetarian), 480, 600 (VLML), 710 (including low lactose), 800, 882 (gluten free), 1281, 1322 (Kosher), 1673, 2679 (Kosher), 2792
Dinner: 563, 630 (VGML), 669 (Kosher Passover), 771 (VGML LCY) 799, 819 (AVML), 833 (May 2017 menu), 1283, 1287, 1674, 2446, 2616 (Kosher), 2793
Comments on difference between AVML and VLML here.
-----
Medium Band (e.g. Madrid, Nice, Prague, Copenhagen)
Breakfast: 645 (vegetarian), 724 (vegetarian), 1003
Brunch: 199 (VLML), 600 (VLML), 659 (Kosher Passover)
Lunch: 239 (child), 251, 425, 641, 733
Afternoon tea: 332 (also includes vegetarian), 426 (GFML), 813 (Muslim)
Dinner: 456, 551 (also includes VLML), 666, 1004,
1278
-----
Long Band (e.g. Lisbon, Rome, Warsaw, Stockholm).
Breakfast: 195 (vegetarian)
Rest of the day: 306 (LFML), 345, 427, 443, 468, 597, 676, 687, 695, 783 (VLML)
======
NOT MAINTAINED AND OUT OF DATE: The complete Short Haul meal structure for the longer flights as of October 2017 is:
LHR
Meal 1: Chicken / red pepper risotto
Meal 2: Beef cheek
Meal 3: Chicken supreme / gnocchi
Meal 4: Miso glazed cod
Meal 5: Chicken khao soi
Meal 6: Hot smoked salmon linguine
LGW
Meal 1: Thyme roasted chicken
Meal 2: Spicy corn and paneer masala
Meal 3: Thai Penang chicken curry
Meal 4: Roasted red pepper tortellini
Meal 5: Beef and mushroom caserole
Meal 6: Tomato and four cheeses tortellini
Structured into:
Rotation A
LHR outbound
Meal 3
Meal 4
inbound to LHR
Meal 5
Meal 6
Rotation B
LHR outbound
Meal 5
Meal 6
inbound to LHR
Meal 1
Meal 2
Rotation C
LHR outbound
Meal 1
Meal 2
inbound to LHR
Meal 3
Meal 4
===
October 2017 = Rotation C
November 2017 = Rotation A
December 2017 = Rotation B
January 2018 = Rotation C
etc
This thread outlines the new arrangements for Club Europe catering, introduced on Sunday 26 March 2017 and due to end on Tuesday 11 September 2018, based on 3 zones. A new Club Europe catering product is due to be launch on Wednesday 12 September 2018, and this is based on 4 bands. The main information piece - in terms of timings and the distance zones for the meals can be found in post 1. The following cross references the photos below against the matrix of options. In addition to the photos, some FTers have written extensively on their experiences so there is more to this thread than the pictures. Also note that there was an increase in food offered on some combinations shortly after the start-up, so the more recent photos may be the best place to start.The previous shorthaul catering guide, now locked but which had the previous 4 band system, is to be found here.
Numbers relate to the post number. Vegetarian means the alternative option provided as standard rather than the pre-ordered versions - which are VLML (Lacto-ovo), AVML (Asia) and VGML (Vegan) . There are differences between the offering in/out of LHR, LGW, LCY+STN. Last update: 833
-------------------------
Note posts before 1-832 are typically the April 2017 menu. 833 and above is from the menu for May 2017.
----
Chef's Chat sheets for:
CE LHR Summer 2017 - Rotation A
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28338151-post954.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28339641-post958.html
-----.
Short Band (UK, France, Ireland, BeNeLux, Germany)
Breakfast: 279, 570 (vegetarian), 629, 674, 821 (Express breakfast for MAN and LBA), 1343 (Vegan), 2285 (Express for LBA and MAN), 2445
Brunch: 180, 289, 469, 563, 685, 716, 2625 (AVML)
Lunch: 207, 545 (diabetic), 644 (first photo), 680 (VLML), 802, 928, 1322 (Kosher), 2284
Afternoon tea: 339, 404 (vegetarian), 480, 600 (VLML), 710 (including low lactose), 800, 882 (gluten free), 1281, 1322 (Kosher), 1673, 2679 (Kosher), 2792
Dinner: 563, 630 (VGML), 669 (Kosher Passover), 771 (VGML LCY) 799, 819 (AVML), 833 (May 2017 menu), 1283, 1287, 1674, 2446, 2616 (Kosher), 2793
Comments on difference between AVML and VLML here.
-----
Medium Band (e.g. Madrid, Nice, Prague, Copenhagen)
Breakfast: 645 (vegetarian), 724 (vegetarian), 1003
Brunch: 199 (VLML), 600 (VLML), 659 (Kosher Passover)
Lunch: 239 (child), 251, 425, 641, 733
Afternoon tea: 332 (also includes vegetarian), 426 (GFML), 813 (Muslim)
Dinner: 456, 551 (also includes VLML), 666, 1004,
1278
-----
Long Band (e.g. Lisbon, Rome, Warsaw, Stockholm).
Breakfast: 195 (vegetarian)
Rest of the day: 306 (LFML), 345, 427, 443, 468, 597, 676, 687, 695, 783 (VLML)
======
NOT MAINTAINED AND OUT OF DATE: The complete Short Haul meal structure for the longer flights as of October 2017 is:
LHR
Meal 1: Chicken / red pepper risotto
Meal 2: Beef cheek
Meal 3: Chicken supreme / gnocchi
Meal 4: Miso glazed cod
Meal 5: Chicken khao soi
Meal 6: Hot smoked salmon linguine
LGW
Meal 1: Thyme roasted chicken
Meal 2: Spicy corn and paneer masala
Meal 3: Thai Penang chicken curry
Meal 4: Roasted red pepper tortellini
Meal 5: Beef and mushroom caserole
Meal 6: Tomato and four cheeses tortellini
Structured into:
Rotation A
LHR outbound
Meal 3
Meal 4
inbound to LHR
Meal 5
Meal 6
Rotation B
LHR outbound
Meal 5
Meal 6
inbound to LHR
Meal 1
Meal 2
Rotation C
LHR outbound
Meal 1
Meal 2
inbound to LHR
Meal 3
Meal 4
===
October 2017 = Rotation C
November 2017 = Rotation A
December 2017 = Rotation B
January 2018 = Rotation C
etc
Club Europe catering guide
Apr 26, 2017, 11:34 am
#811
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,129
#Sealink How did you find the ciabatta? I've had that a few times, twice it was tasty and enjoyable and twice it was overdone and dried out.
Apr 26, 2017, 11:38 am
#812
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,129
#Sealink How did you find the ciabatta? I've had that a few times, twice it was tasty and enjoyable and twice it was overdone and dried out.
Apr 26, 2017, 12:39 pm
#813
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SAN, MIA, GOT
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 349
Afternoon tea flight. Medium band with Muslim meal. It was very tasty and will order again.
Apr 26, 2017, 12:49 pm
#814
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,741
In my opinion Gordon's export is by far the better gin. Bombay Sapphire is overpriced (presumably to pay for all the marketing that makes it so well known) and overrated...
)
Apr 26, 2017, 1:38 pm
#815
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,520
Apr 27, 2017, 6:23 am
#816
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SAN, MIA, GOT
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 349
The yellow stuff was couscous, brown was a lentil/bell pepper mix. The triangles were halloumi. And fruitcake for dessert. It sure beats the two tired looking finger sandwiches everyone else got.
Apr 27, 2017, 6:33 am
#817
Join Date: May 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 663
Interesting - I would have guessed the triangles were tofu, as they look very similar to the slices that used to appear regularly in the VGML/VLML salads. Halloumi is probably a lot more expensive to source and prepare, which seems to buck the penny-pinching trend!
Apr 27, 2017, 9:10 am
#818
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 388
Does that mean the Muslim meal will be vegetarian? Good to bear in mind for the future...
Apr 27, 2017, 4:21 pm
#819
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: BA Exec Club Gold, *G, EK Skywards Silver
Posts: 1,020
EDI-LHR evening AVML.
Apr 27, 2017, 7:17 pm
#820
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO, LON
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Bonvoy Tit, Hilton Dia etc etc
Posts: 2,354
It does not and shouldn't be relied upon to be so. You might be sorely disappointed. Chicken has made an appearance on many a Muslim meal. Of course they will try to consolidate this some so that they aren't preparing so many meals, so it may be vegetarian, but certainly not guaranteed so.
Apr 28, 2017, 7:44 am
#821
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,924
For the first time since Club Europe was introduced on domestic flights, I found myself aboard a morning flight from MAN that fell within the the Breakfast catering band.
BA1387 08:35 Manchester to Heathrow (Breakfast)
This is an early morning flight that falls within the 'Breakfast' catering band. This was an A320 service with 16 CE passengers spread across 6 rows. There were 3 crew in CE and 2 crew looking after the ET cabin.
Service
LHR flights to and from MAN and LBA are in the express catering category (service times of less than 22 minutes). Hot towels were offered on the ground. As is typical on these flights, the crew were on their feet within 60 seconds of takeoff. Meals and drinks were served together seat-side from a single trolley. Two crew offered the tray and asked if we wanted 'tea, coffee or juices' as mentioned in another topic. There was no champagne on top of the trolley, which appears (IIRC) to be a change from the previous CE breakfast SOP.
A champagne was ordered as was a G&T and the crew member went back through the curtain to order the same from the CSM. Drinks appeared at the same time as the food.
Food
The tray offered to all passengers contained a fruit plate, yoghurt with fruit compote, a bacon roll was offered together with warm bread, croissants and preserves. Once the meal service had been completed more drinks were offered and the bread basket was passed through the cabin again. Over all an excellent, happy service from this mixed fleet crew.
I found this breakfast offereing perfect for the time of day and length of flight. The bacon roll was loaded with two rashers of very good quality back bacon and a delicious sun-dried tomato relish. I did think it was a tad small at first sight, but the reality was that it was just about right. The fruit was fresh and sweet and the yougurt compote pleasant.
For the MAN/LBA flights this is just right, another well done to BA on this domestic CE product.
BA1387 08:35 Manchester to Heathrow (Breakfast)
This is an early morning flight that falls within the 'Breakfast' catering band. This was an A320 service with 16 CE passengers spread across 6 rows. There were 3 crew in CE and 2 crew looking after the ET cabin.
Service
LHR flights to and from MAN and LBA are in the express catering category (service times of less than 22 minutes). Hot towels were offered on the ground. As is typical on these flights, the crew were on their feet within 60 seconds of takeoff. Meals and drinks were served together seat-side from a single trolley. Two crew offered the tray and asked if we wanted 'tea, coffee or juices' as mentioned in another topic. There was no champagne on top of the trolley, which appears (IIRC) to be a change from the previous CE breakfast SOP.
A champagne was ordered as was a G&T and the crew member went back through the curtain to order the same from the CSM. Drinks appeared at the same time as the food.
Food
The tray offered to all passengers contained a fruit plate, yoghurt with fruit compote, a bacon roll was offered together with warm bread, croissants and preserves. Once the meal service had been completed more drinks were offered and the bread basket was passed through the cabin again. Over all an excellent, happy service from this mixed fleet crew.
I found this breakfast offereing perfect for the time of day and length of flight. The bacon roll was loaded with two rashers of very good quality back bacon and a delicious sun-dried tomato relish. I did think it was a tad small at first sight, but the reality was that it was just about right. The fruit was fresh and sweet and the yougurt compote pleasant.
For the MAN/LBA flights this is just right, another well done to BA on this domestic CE product.
Apr 28, 2017, 7:52 am
#822
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
The AVML (Asian vegetarian) and Muslim meal have the same core dish judging from the photo above. So that seems to be the way forward there for you, order AVML. I suppose it is ha'lal, nevertheless Muslims seem to have gotten the wrong end of the lowest-common-denominator game here.
Apr 28, 2017, 7:57 am
#823
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: EMA
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 78
Well by all means report back. As shown upthread and via the wiki, the supper options will more likely be the cold salad or the panino. I was under the impression that domestics do not get a special meal selection, the exception being LGW-JER where special meals can be selected. That's why it is greyed out accordingly on MMB. If you do get a special meal via the Contact Centre please let us know.
After the second call, myflights updated immediately with the meal request, and when I later managed to access MMB it was showing in there too.
On the flight I received the vegetarian sushi meal (the same as in post 710). Very tasty and perfect for such a short flight.
Apr 28, 2017, 8:06 am
#824
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
Thanks for the confirmation. It turns out that the "greying out" is an error which BA will be fixing shortly. I'll update the wiki over the weekend so that people know that domestic do in fact have special meals, but the current workaround is to set the BAEC preferences to the special meal and then it cascades over.
Apr 30, 2017, 4:00 pm
#825
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold; FB Silver; SPG; IHG Gold
Posts: 2,984
I was quite impressed with the CE offering on MAD-LHR, where the actual flying time was 1 hr 50 min. Consisted of a cold salad of 3 slices of chicken, a tablespoon of coronation chicken, 1 large prawn sitting on some sort of (? cucumber) coleslaw, a bit of lettuce and a half cherry tomato. The warm bread roll accompanied it well. The tray also contained a cheese plate that contained a single piece of Stilton, single oatmeal biscuit and some chutney. There was also a tiny but adequate dessert (cinnamon apple crumble).
Overall, i was not hungry afterwards and it was a lunchtime flight.
I do prefer the previous system of giving out individual 1/4 bottles of champagne rather than the current system of pouring from a large bottle. Under the old system, on a flight of around 2 hours, I would happily have enjoyed a couple of 1/4 bottles (and rarely a third one if my wife wasn't looking) but under the new system, with in excess of 50 passengers to serve on a 777 (both CW and F cabins used), I only managed 1 glass of champagne that was served just before my meal. No water was served nor were there any top ups of drinks. The crew were working hard so I think this was due to high volume of passengers. I did pop to the galley and get a second glass as the captain announced 40 min to landing.
Serving champagne from the full bottle may look more 'premium', but I think overall, BA will save more money this way as customers simply won't have the opportunity to drink as much as before.
Overall, i was not hungry afterwards and it was a lunchtime flight.
I do prefer the previous system of giving out individual 1/4 bottles of champagne rather than the current system of pouring from a large bottle. Under the old system, on a flight of around 2 hours, I would happily have enjoyed a couple of 1/4 bottles (and rarely a third one if my wife wasn't looking) but under the new system, with in excess of 50 passengers to serve on a 777 (both CW and F cabins used), I only managed 1 glass of champagne that was served just before my meal. No water was served nor were there any top ups of drinks. The crew were working hard so I think this was due to high volume of passengers. I did pop to the galley and get a second glass as the captain announced 40 min to landing.
Serving champagne from the full bottle may look more 'premium', but I think overall, BA will save more money this way as customers simply won't have the opportunity to drink as much as before.