When I've flown long haul J I've had a special meal (veg lacto) a few times. In all fairness was not that great, it seemed to be the standard econ special meal for econ.

However I changed and opted for normal meal. It seems that there is always one veggie option on the plane. Actually I was able to PM someone on the board (can't remember who now, sorry) who was able to tell me what the meal options were for my flights so I could decide whether to order a special meal or not.

In any case how it worked out was to keep it at a normal meal, and when I boarded I would have a quick word with the FA who made sure a veggie option from the normal menu was kept aside for me.