It's a 'quick review' of each item/encounter and I do not think it qualifies as a TR, so I am putting it here.

Route: Not mentioned to protect the "guilty" , but it was a very long, WW route.

F Check-in/CS Desk
Did not use it. I went to the Zone E as I wanted to pay to upgrade from CW to F (£399 on this flight), and the agent offered to check me and my bag in, so I took him up on it. In case some of you say I missed out on using F check-in, I could use the F check-in any time, so I did not want to trek out there.

He was a lovely, friendly chap, and was rather impressed with the terrific deal I got when I booked my ticket and the upgrade price.

No priority tag placed on my bag, but it was no big deal, as my bag came out fairly quickly at the other end anyway.

He did forget to tick something for the passport/visa check and I got bleeped off at security and had to walk back to check-in. There was a bunch of people at CW desk which was the closest and they appeared to be having problems, so I walked up to the F check in 'entry' and they sorted it out for me very quickly (no "Are you travelling First today, madam?", because I just said "Good morning, I'm wondering if you could help me with something" as soon as I caught his eye).

Security
Just the usual fast track, which was 'same track' - neither fast nor slow in comparison to the standard queue.

CCR entry by the security
Smiling lounge guardian, and a quick glance at my boarding pass and I was in.
I went through this process twice because I went out to do some shopping and returned on that floor.
No problem the second time with a different lounge guardian either.

Boarding pass registration just behind the entrance door
Dopily I forgot to present my boarding pass (I genuinely did, because I already presented it once at the entrance) and said hello to her but kept walking. She asked me for my boarding pass ever so politely.

Bag store man
I dropped off my bag and he referred to me by my name the rest of the time when I was going back and forth, which I thought was really lovely.

Elemis Spa
Due to holidays they were operating a limited opening hours from 10am to 6pm. They were unable to start taking a booking until they opened at 10am, but gave me a card for You First in case I wanted to call them to make an arrangement. I decided to just turn up at 10am to make a booking, which I did. I was offered a few options for the time.

The therapist was very good at her job (I had an arm and hand massage) and we also had a good giggle and a chat.

I know some of you do not like the massage chair, but I find it really good, although somewhat ticklish at times.

Dining room
As it was at breakfast time, I decided to give the Eggs Benedict a go due to its 'ill-repute'. This was probably the only thing that disappointed me at CCR in terms of service etc.

Problems: not enough ham (I'm a greedy cow), far too much sauce which wasn't very good anyway, and while the eggs were cooked enough for me, I think some, if not most, people would find it far too runny.

The salt and pepper mills on the table could have been a bit cleaner, but I am extra fussy when it comes to things like this, so it could well be just me

However, the lovely waitress made up for it. We had quite a bit of chat as it was quite quiet, but she was always still paying attention to other passengers' needs, without making me feel 'suddenly dumped mid-conversation'. Pretty good, I'd say!

Hanging around in CCR
There was a manager-looking guy with a clipboard who was walking around asking if anyone needed anything, which I thought was a nice touch, although the clipboard was a bit 'err' in that I felt like I might be asked to complete a survey. I would have done so happily if I had been asked though.

The unfortunate thing was a very noisy family with unruly children with noisy handheld game which still failed to keep them quiet, but I chose not to say anything in case it made them feel negative about their time there, in case it was their once-in-a-lifetime holiday. In hindsight, I should have gone out and sat in the terrace to avoid the noise.

Boarding
It was from a C gate, where I had never been before, so just in case I get lost, I went there fairly early.
It did not feel very different from the B gate, except for the lack of the Club lounge.

Separate queue for premium class as expected for long haul. I have no idea if the boarding was generally smooth because I boarded fairly early as I was there early.

Cabin
I did not check in advance whether it would be an NF or OF, but it was indeed an NF. I won't go into detail because there are many reports on the cabin already, except to say I like it because it feels quite private, and it's also still rather new. The foot rest seemed a bit worn (quite a lot of fluff balls) already though, which may be a bit of a concern to BA.

The whole F cabin felt very quiet as there were only 4 passengers. A real bonus, as I really love my peace and quiet - probably the biggest thing I value when I am travelling, along with a comfortable seat/bed.

Equipment
I generally really like the NF. There are many ways of controlling the lighting levels from my seat - one of them is on a dimmer, which I really like.

One minor problem though - I was in 3A (intentionally chosen to be away from the galley to avoid the light/noise), and the television screen of the seat 2D (? the one across the aisle, about half the seat forward) was in my field of vision a little too much for my liking. But I can put up with that.

I later moved to 4A to do some work as I did not want to potentially disturb the passenger in 2D (?) with my keyboard noise or the light because she was sleeping. The table at 4A was sliding a little too easily and could not make a fine adjustment as I could in 3A. I am not sure if 3A was stiff or 4A was too loose, but I preferred the stiffer version so as to be able to position the table exactly where I wanted.

A tip: the table, when opened fully, has a shiny surface and some mice has issues operating properly on it. No problem when folded, although it ended up being a little high for my height, so I sat on a cushion to raise my height (I am fairly short).

A random rubbish comment: the under-blanket looks like a sanitary pad.

Service
Greetings, introduction and a quick chat from the purser, the CSD and the captain. All much appreciated and they made me feel more welcome than I would have done without them. Cabin crew always referred to me by my name after establishing what I wanted, which was also really lovely - personal touch really counts!

There was one chap whom I thought might be a bit on the grumpy side, but he too turned out to be friendly. I think I may have had my first encounter with him when he was deep in thought. Lesson - don't decide too quickly whether someone is friendly or not.

They were attentive throughout without being too in my face - just how I like it. The CSD popped around a number of times during flight to ask if I needed anything, as well as other cabin crew members.

Meals
Despite my slight concerns about the catering due to the last minute nature of my airport upgrade, I got my choice of all the courses. No questions about the second choice, so clearly the catering worked out quite well on this flight.

Amuse bouche was beautifully presented, and the appetisers were also quite well-presented, but I am not sure if Beef Pudding for the main course has a very 'premium' feel to it. Everything tasted better than expected, and I am not complaining, but it was almost like a well-cooked pub fare. I did choose the dish which had such a potential, so it was my choice but maybe the main course selection needs more premium ingredients and further 'refinement' so that it can be classified as 'fine dining'. Just my observation.

Again the salt and pepper mills could have been cleaner - call me OCD Not messy enough to complain, it's just my being fussy.


Overall

I was overall very happy with the whole package of experience.

I believe the food is still the weak point with BA, both on the ground and in the air, and it needs to be worked on, although it is by no means bad. It just needs a more refined menu and more premium ingredients.

However, I have no major complaint about the service or the hard product.
There were some minor issues such as incomplete visa/passport check etc, but they were not enough to affect me in any substantial way, and they were quickly rectified. I don't expect everything to be perfect, although it's great when it works out well. I think overall, things worked out well for this flight.