T8191

Rolls ex-LHR ... semi-stale and all 3 types were fairly boring.
Rolls ex-IAD ... fresh and incredibly varied [I think there were 6 or 8 choices].

GetSetJetSet

You are seriously contesting that AA has better food than BA!? AA's food even in Int'l F is horrific, my last BA F flight (a short hop from EZE-GRU) featured a lovely meal service that was in a different league than the slop AA passes off as food.

henkybaby

I am actually a little shocked that you (and others from BA) feel this way too. Not so much because I assumed you had no taste but because I expected that BA would also have regular meetings with their CSDs to evaluate the customer feedback they get on board (and not just through the forms). If they did I am sure that you and the hairbrush would have explained the problems with the catering to them in no uncertain terms.

Is there such a process in BA?

Betteronacamel

You be the judge.

Here's a menu on BA 010 from 1984 - better? Who knows?

And here is the fare on offer in the low-numbered seats

First Class Service

Auckland-Sydney

Cocktails

Dinner

Mousse d'anguille en paillote
A delicate mousse of smoked eel wrapped in smoked salmon, garnished with tomato vinaigrette

Pate de canard en croute
Duck pate spiked with green peppercorns and baked in a crust of pastry, served with artichoke bottom filled with Oxford sauce
~
Carre d'agneau rotiaux epinards
Roast best-end of lamb stuffed with leaf pinach and lamb's tongue, served with piquant gravy flavoured with raspberry vinegar

Le filet de porc farci au fromage
Prime pork fillet filled with blue cheese and pan fried in butter, served with pink and green peppercorn sauce

St Pierre grenobloise
Pan fried John Dory with chopped parsley, capers and lemon slices, dressed with nut brown butter

Legumes
Buttered french beans, glazed root vegetables and cocotte potatoes
~
Salade panachee
Mixed seasonal salad with vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing
~
Poire poche au vin blanc avec coulis de rhubarbe
Pear poached in white wine, served with a puree of fresh rhubarb

Glace aux noisettes
Hazlenut ice cream
~
Choix de fromage
A selection of cheeses, served with crackers and butter
~
Corbeille de fruits
Basket of fresh fruits in season

Sydney-Perth

Light Meal

Creme cressoniere frappe
Chilled watercress and potato
~
Tournedos aux herbes
Pan fried tenderloin of beef flavoured with herbs and garnished with bacon, kidneys of lamb and watercress

Truite de riviere amandine
Pan fried fillet of river trout, finished with nut brown butter, lemon juice and toasted flaked almonds

Legumes
Provence style courgettes, buttered leaf spinach
~
Salade panache
Red lettuce, celery, broccoli and tomato served with a choice of Italian or Green Goddess dressing
~
Choix de fromage
~
Corbeille de fruits

Perth-Bombay

Champagne Supper

Creme de faisan
Cream of pheasant soup garnished with chicken liver quenelles and julienne of mixed vegetables
~
Medaillons de filet de veau a la creme de noix
Pan-fried pieces of veal served with a creamed walnut sauce

Cotelettes d'agneau grillee vert pre
Grilled lamb cutlets served with parsley butter, straw potatoes and watercress

Legumes
Buttered garden peas with carrots, baby marrow with herbs and forestiere potatoes
~
Salade en saison
~
Choix de fromage
~
Corbeille de fruits

Bombay-London

Breakfast

Fruits rafraichis
Fresh fruit appetizer

Yoghourt
Plain or fruit flavoured yoghurt
~
Oeufs brouilles ou a la cocque
Freshly scrambled or boiled eggs cooked to your choice

Bacon et petites saucisses grilles
Grilled bacon with English style sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes and pan fried potatoes

Files de hareng fume
Buttered kipper fillets
~
Toast, petits pains et croissants
Fresh toast, rolls and crescent rolls, served with a choice of marmalade, jam or honey

Light Meal

Consomme double aux xeres
Double consomme served with sherry
~
Lasagne
Italian pasta cooked with savoury minced beef and toamatoes, coated with mornay sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese and glazed

Supreme de volaille a la king
Tender breast of chicken cooked with supreme sauce and garnished with red peppers and served with rice pilaff
~
Salade composee
Katchumber salad
~
Choix de fromage
~
Corbeille de fruits

As you can see I haven't mastered the accents etc yet.

I think you would have been reeling from all the pan frying and butter sauces after this jaunt, but I think a rather better effort in many ways than what is on offer now. So, no it's not a British thing, as the food until relatively recently was actually quite acceptable; the quality collapse came about 3 or 4 years ago when someone decided that catering was going to get the treatment. Unfortunately for BA we all started noticing, and they don't seem to have found a way to turn things around yet.

For about the millionth time - I would rather they went ahead and surcharged me say £20 in F, £10in J and £5 elsewhere and served some decent nosebag and drinks. After all they don't have any trouble charging extra for fuel do they? Perhaps they could call it a 'Service Charge' so that no one twigged what it was for. On that note - why don't thet serve Twiglets as a snack?

stueys

Found myself agreeing with all of the post above. Overall I think the main issue is that BA spent the last 5 or so years focussing solely on cost. Its become the culture and is pervasive across the brand above all else.

adrianjc32

Me too, the noodles are a crime against food.....

There are changes coming but the new director for customer (from jumeirah group) felt we could do better and has passed some of it back to be further improved.

Banks_CA

Yep, I believe they do this on UA now. You can pay an extra $?? and get the business class food in economy. My colleague does it all the time now and then watches the faces of those arround as they wait for their equally delicious food, just to see the economy slop arriving as they didn't purchase the food upgrade.

Personally I too would happily pay another 10-20 quid on my ticket for edible food. I used to love waiting to eat on the plane, now I think about eating in terminal before boarding.

Stop all the ........ about we have the cheapest tickets and move to the "We aim to look after you in the air" model

R

UncleDude

Did you get your Vowels confused should it not be an ' i ' instead of an ' a '

stifle

The Heston Blumenthal show demonstrated that it is possible to make decent on-board food, although the obsession with nasal douching would probably be disconcerting.

HIDDY

At a cost though.

The long preparation time and cost of ingredients rendered it useless. The shepherds pie was a hit but that was nothing new.

ardboe

Well Heston's show did highlight that that head chef of gate gourmet who ever he was needs kicking, IMO.

vla

adrian -- bless, for that insight!

We can wait -- best to get the job done right.

Zamoyska

Just wash an Ambien or Xanax down with a big glass of red & you don't need to worry about the food served onboard. Works for me!

Flying Lawyer

What do you expect in a place enjoying chips with vinegar and not with mayonnaise ?

Betteronacamel

Or Curry Sauce on their Wurst.....