When I'm offered a sausage roll the first thing that springs to mind is those sold for Ł1.25 in Greggs. I guess "Sausage Bap" doesn't sound like business fare but neither is this.

I enjoyed the poke “bowl” - fresh tasting and a good wasabi kick.

Dessert was naff - creamy/sloppy texture - no menu card so don’t know what it was supposed to be, tiramisu maybe? Would offend Italians if so.

Definitely worth a complaint - there is no reason why only having 3 crew means they can't serve the proper trays, particularly if 2 of the crew were working the CE cabin. Perhaps something else had gone wrong (was this a night-stopping aircraft?) and they were making excuses. Either way, you didn't get what you should have.

Breakfast menu, LGW-ACE 20/11/24

Breakfast LGW-ACE 20/11/24

Although the Frittata looks a little toasty on top, it was just quite well-cooked Spinach with no taste of burnt anything anywhere! The hash brown bites fell apart upon touching them but if you squished them together with some beans and tomato sauce for glue, they kept their shape!

Others in the cabin enjoyed the breakfast Charcuterie plate and said it was good to have something a little less breakfast based on the menu, after having a breakfast in the lounge already!

I got talking to another passenger on the way, who had pre-ordered a low calorie meal, and had a wonderful conversation. She recommended the low calorie breakfast - from memory it had some steamed Spinach, eggs, tomatoes and other vegetables and a melon bowl, and did look rather lovely!

Crew were very attentive, welcoming and proactive and a great experience for a band 4 flight…apart from 1D/F who spent all of the time in the air requesting champagne top ups, had 4 of the miniature vodka bottles each, were declined more drinks, and were rather volatile and shouty (and didn’t see how much the other passengers were rolling eyes at their loutish drunken behaviour). They struggled to get off the plane arm-in-arm as they were rather libated at this point and unable to walk in any kind of a line.

However, some just-desserts; the runway at ACE is short with a rather heavy brake application required. Upon landing and application of such braking, 1D/F champagne-in-plastic-cups flew forwards and up on a little bump of landing, so the remaining champagne ended up on 1D/F’s heads and in odd patches of their clothing looking like an accident had occurred. Whoops.



Rest of Day menu ACE-LGW 25/11/24


Paneer Tikka Masala option, ACE-LGW 25/11/24

I am not sure the correct starter was loaded here; it was a very Quinoa-heavy salad with a sour cream sauce underneath the quinoa, rather than the vegetable salad on the menu. Still very tasty!

the Paneer Tikka Masala was excellent, full of flavour and vegetables, with plenty of chillies throughout, definitely not for people looking for a less spicy curry option.

Delays to previous flights caused by Storm Bert, and a bit of a headwind meant the incoming flight was late. The airport experience was poor- Club Europe check in queue taking longer than Euro Flyer much to the chagrin of my two friends who are ex-Gold and are used to a much more superior experience!

The lounge had a 20 minute queue to get in, for the most unlucky. With more space in the terminal, it seemed more luxurious to sit in the terminal general seating than try the lounge! My friends visited the lounge, queued, but left early, and were not too impressed.

The gate experience was also unpleasant. Despite the usual announcement for boarding by group number, no such rule was enforced, with only one member of staff and one Passport Control officer at the gate. A large queue had formed, but various people arriving to the gate later, felt they were more important than a queue, and so were pushing in. 1A/C had a DYKWIA moment with people in the queue and managed to push in, making others rather miffed in the process.

The 16 rows of Club Europe kept the crew very busy (and getting their steps in for the day with refills and drinks orders) but were still polite and efficient in doing so.

If it’s a nightstopper, the crew have to make the trays up themselves - it might be that they didn’t think it achievable in the short flight time. Poor excuse, but I can see how it might happen.

The only thing that confuses me with this though is ‘3 crew on a LGW service’ - this wouldn’t be legal on A320, but I didn’t think LGW had any A319s left.

Except that, a few years ago, they managed to serve a full breakfast in CE…

I can’t find the thread but I asked this on here previously having had a similar experience (in my case only 2 cabin crew on an A319). If I remember, the answer from a BA crew member was that dispensation can be made if returning from an outstation and through necessity (e.g. one crew member down due to becoming sick whilst away from base), but the maximum passenger count would be reduced.

Interesting, I know this is the case on longhaul (or any flight that typically operates above legal minima) but I thought the legal minimum was still required (1 per 50 installed seats) with no exceptions.

MAD-LHR on Monday. Lamb was very good!

LGW-LPA the other day. This was the ravioli which was very nice. However, the white wine ran out during the first pre-meal bar round and the only red wine left was the Zinfandel which I’d rather forgo. Onto the gin…

LPA-LGW had the same problem… white wine ran out after row 3 during the first bar run. I had the trout (already pictured upthread) which was great. Fairly indifferent crew, except for a young lad working down in economy who was great; the best service of the flight was during the 30m he was up front covering for breaks. Golden ticket incoming.

Bless you. I really do not know what poh kay - but you will be poh-faced when I have finished with you. Dentures? They are my fangs and they always seems to extend in your presence.

It is so interesting to note that the Elderly apart () - no one cares for afternoon tea. A lot of passengers are not of UK origin and unlike the UK do not think that a great dolop of heart attack on or under flavourless goey jam is a culinary delight. If they actually made the caterers at Gatwick, who I do not think know a cream tea from a bull's foot ,actually spend the money that they are given, then we might have a product that everyone would want. Frankly the sandwiches were as fresh as last week's news, the scone would have substituted for a cricket ball, and the cake was something one might expect from a nine year old - save that my 9 year old great nephew can make an apple crumble that is one of the best that I have ever tasted ( I kid you not).

Yes - I have let my feelings known to Uncle Sean. Your caterers are letting you down even further than the dreadful Bruncuisine. Why can Iberia get it so right?

The afternoon tea is hardly similar to the brunchgate stuff.

many on here, myself included, are very happy with the afternoon tea.

Band 2 lunch ex-LHR:

Starter was half a mozzarella boconccino with a thin slice of grilled courgette, a tiny bit of grilled red pepper, half an olive (??? yes!) and a couple of leafs. Completely unseasonal but actually good if small.

Mains were a choice of "chicken curry" (unspecified), mushroom and leek pie, or trout salad.

I had the chicken curry as BA curries are more often good than not, but this was one of a weaker one. Smallish chunks of chicken (I prefer some of the CW and F curries with whole meat pieces), the sauce was neither very hot nor very flavoursome, the rice was good with saffron undertones and a few fried curry leaves, though it was also dressed with a few beetroot wedges which just felt strangely out of place (Ok, I know our Aussie friends tend to put beetroot on almost everything but I doubt the theme was an Australian curry).

Dessert was one of the chocolate mousse things but it didn't really taste of chocolate (full disclosure, I only like my chocolate ultra bitter, not that milky thing which just tastes of fat).

Not the worst CE meal, not the best either.

Good. I’m delighted. That is not the impression that I’ve had.

had the exact same today , lamb fell to pieces once the fork hit it