Short haul catering guide
Nov 3, 2016, 3:29 pm
#1337
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 870
@BHDATC - did you actually shell out hard cash for this sector ...? Not that it should make any difference whatsoever whether revenue or redemption ; and given the gap between CE and ET fare levels this really is indefensible.
I'm not the biggest fan of champers myself, but I know that many folk are.
You do have to wonder what the point of CE is when this sort of thing happens.
I'm not the biggest fan of champers myself, but I know that many folk are.
You do have to wonder what the point of CE is when this sort of thing happens.
A shambles.
Nov 3, 2016, 4:40 pm
#1338
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,402
That really is a shame.
I always think that any lapses in service standards - in whatever environment or context - are even more disappointing when you're trying to do something 'special' for someone else.
I always think that any lapses in service standards - in whatever environment or context - are even more disappointing when you're trying to do something 'special' for someone else.
Nov 7, 2016, 6:16 am
#1339
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: 30,611
Kosher. Muslim, and Gluten Free brunch
As discussed earlier, I'm by now really fed up of BA CE offerings for brunch (cured meat and cheese plate of mediocre quality which always feels the same) and afternoon tea (ghastly, petty-filled, dry little sandwiches sometimes joined by a pre-packed sweet slice depending on your travel band, which are again, always the same for all practical purposes especially as the filling is unnoticeable apart from occasional aftertastes). I am not the only one, so after years of accepting those in hope something would change, we are both trying to see if there is hope in the world of special meals.
I promise I'd report on offerings to help others who feel the same, and also invite others to do the same, order special meals and report on them. I believe that SPML for brunch and tea cost BA more than regular hot meals for lunch and dinner. We are not trying to punish BA but perhaps, if they start finding that they have more SPML requests for those two flight time periods they will need to start reconsidering what they are offering in hope that a normal proportion of people choose the standard offering. Maybe they won't but the good news if that if so, my initial take is that indeed, the SPML offerings are often better and worth exploring. Here are 4 recent examples:
- Band 3 Muslim brunch: this was the most disappointing of the lot I would say. A plate with salad and some cooked chicken, regular tiny fruit slice place. Unidentified dressing. All served with regular rolls. Frankly, maybe I was unlucky but whilst departing from the cured meats dictatorship, there was little or no interest in this one and I probably wouldn't try it again unless others tell me they have been luckier.
- Band 1 Gluten free brunch: this was a prawn salad and felt good quality and tasty compared to regular brunch. There was a generous serving of cooked and seasoned lentils, topped by various leaves and some vegetables, and 4 or 5 large prawns - larger than any I have had in BA J to date (short or long haul). This really was quite nice. Downside is there was nothing else, not even fruit, and the gluten free roll felt like a horror item that must have escaped from a Halloween party. Still, if more interested in the main dish than in any side, this is worth considering.
- Band 1 and Band 3 kosher brunches: The first thing that strikes about kosher meals is that they always feel a little more generous than the alternative. This maybe because the tray includes "everything" including a sachet of nescafe, a small jar of nice Hero Swiss jam, crackers, etc on the ground that kosher passengers may not consume anything else.
The band 1 version had a nice plate with pepper smoked mackerel, poached trout, a thick slice of Double Gloucester (more cheese than the regular longer CE and CW cheese duo!), and excellent whipped cream cheese (much better than the meat plate one, with the pleasant slightly sour taste of real cream cheese) and a vine with about 12 grapes. It also included a pot of nice drinkable strawberry yoghurt. I'd say it was a bit less less refined than the gluten free salad but also more varied and more generous with both savoury and sweet items.
The band 3 version included an even nicer plate with 3 large slices of smoked halibut, three different cheeses - again, enough to make up the cheese servings of 2 or 3 rows of regular CE on a dinner flight! - including a red Leicester, a Gorgonzola like, and a cheddar, vegetables, and lots of grape. A separate fruit plate was much better and way larger than the sad regular CE brunch offering: several slices of very tasty white, pink and red grapefruit, more grape, etc.
In both cases, Nescafe, Hero jam, crackers etc also on tray and I should add that the kosher rolls while not great are better than the regular rolls.
All in all, I would/will re-order either the gluten free or the kosher brunch without hesitation. I was less convinced by the Muslim brunch (which I think is more often the same as some other SPML so may vary more) but maybe was just unlucky.
Hope others add their contribution on their own experiences and I'll add mine on afternoon tea too!
I promise I'd report on offerings to help others who feel the same, and also invite others to do the same, order special meals and report on them. I believe that SPML for brunch and tea cost BA more than regular hot meals for lunch and dinner. We are not trying to punish BA but perhaps, if they start finding that they have more SPML requests for those two flight time periods they will need to start reconsidering what they are offering in hope that a normal proportion of people choose the standard offering. Maybe they won't but the good news if that if so, my initial take is that indeed, the SPML offerings are often better and worth exploring. Here are 4 recent examples:
- Band 3 Muslim brunch: this was the most disappointing of the lot I would say. A plate with salad and some cooked chicken, regular tiny fruit slice place. Unidentified dressing. All served with regular rolls. Frankly, maybe I was unlucky but whilst departing from the cured meats dictatorship, there was little or no interest in this one and I probably wouldn't try it again unless others tell me they have been luckier.
- Band 1 Gluten free brunch: this was a prawn salad and felt good quality and tasty compared to regular brunch. There was a generous serving of cooked and seasoned lentils, topped by various leaves and some vegetables, and 4 or 5 large prawns - larger than any I have had in BA J to date (short or long haul). This really was quite nice. Downside is there was nothing else, not even fruit, and the gluten free roll felt like a horror item that must have escaped from a Halloween party. Still, if more interested in the main dish than in any side, this is worth considering.
- Band 1 and Band 3 kosher brunches: The first thing that strikes about kosher meals is that they always feel a little more generous than the alternative. This maybe because the tray includes "everything" including a sachet of nescafe, a small jar of nice Hero Swiss jam, crackers, etc on the ground that kosher passengers may not consume anything else.
The band 1 version had a nice plate with pepper smoked mackerel, poached trout, a thick slice of Double Gloucester (more cheese than the regular longer CE and CW cheese duo!), and excellent whipped cream cheese (much better than the meat plate one, with the pleasant slightly sour taste of real cream cheese) and a vine with about 12 grapes. It also included a pot of nice drinkable strawberry yoghurt. I'd say it was a bit less less refined than the gluten free salad but also more varied and more generous with both savoury and sweet items.
The band 3 version included an even nicer plate with 3 large slices of smoked halibut, three different cheeses - again, enough to make up the cheese servings of 2 or 3 rows of regular CE on a dinner flight! - including a red Leicester, a Gorgonzola like, and a cheddar, vegetables, and lots of grape. A separate fruit plate was much better and way larger than the sad regular CE brunch offering: several slices of very tasty white, pink and red grapefruit, more grape, etc.
In both cases, Nescafe, Hero jam, crackers etc also on tray and I should add that the kosher rolls while not great are better than the regular rolls.
All in all, I would/will re-order either the gluten free or the kosher brunch without hesitation. I was less convinced by the Muslim brunch (which I think is more often the same as some other SPML so may vary more) but maybe was just unlucky.
Hope others add their contribution on their own experiences and I'll add mine on afternoon tea too!
Nov 7, 2016, 7:59 am
#1340
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 713
LCY-TXL is a Band 2 - I had a hot breakfast on an LCY-NCE in August in Euro Traveller. Is this still offered, or is it simply "crisp".
Nov 7, 2016, 8:01 am
#1341
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,692
Nov 7, 2016, 8:27 am
#1342
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,917
On a recent LCY-IBZ they were getting a hot brekky down the back...
Nov 7, 2016, 8:34 am
#1343
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bloomsbury
Programs: BA Silver, AF Ivory
Posts: 2,208
LCY different catering
Nov 7, 2016, 8:46 am
#1344
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,917
orbitmic, thank you greatly for your synopsis - I have shifted an upcoming Band 1 brunch to Kosher.
Nov 8, 2016, 8:02 am
#1345
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO, LON
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Bonvoy Tit, Hilton Dia etc etc
Posts: 2,354
I've not minded the Muslim offering, but the kosher does look a bit more creative and the chicken is on the plain side for the Muslim meal. Still better than tea if I am leaving Heathrow at 4:30 in the afternoon and need dinner 
Nov 8, 2016, 8:08 am
#1346
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LHR/ATH
Programs: Amex Platinum, LH SEN (Gold), BA Bronze
Posts: 4,489
Haha i did a kosher meal on Aegean once as I did not like their morning omlette and ended up getting salmon! Was very nice!
Nov 8, 2016, 10:37 am
#1347
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: 30,611
Pleasure. if I may, I'd like to encourage you and others to post your thoughts after trying those special meals as I think reports are still comparatively scarce and it seems to me many of us are fed up with brunch and afternoon tea and want to know about alternatives as clearly and comprehensively as possible.
Nov 8, 2016, 10:40 am
#1348
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,917
Pleasure. if I may, I'd like to encourage you and others to post your thoughts after trying those special meals as I think reports are still comparatively scarce and it seems to me many of us are fed up with brunch and afternoon tea and want to know about alternatives as clearly and comprehensively as possible.
Nov 13, 2016, 10:58 am
#1349
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, Skywards Silver
Posts: 102
ET BA480 LHR to BCN 13th Nov. Offered Irish sourced chicken roll and a salted caramel muffin. Chicken pretty awful, muffin ok, Tempranillo just about drinkable.
Nov 13, 2016, 11:07 am
#1350
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
As discussed earlier, I'm by now really fed up of BA CE offerings for brunch (cured meat and cheese plate of mediocre quality which always feels the same) and afternoon tea (ghastly, petty-filled, dry little sandwiches sometimes joined by a pre-packed sweet slice depending on your travel band, which are again, always the same for all practical purposes especially as the filling is unnoticeable apart from occasional aftertastes). I am not the only one, so after years of accepting those in hope something would change, we are both trying to see if there is hope in the world of special meals.
I promise I'd report on offerings to help others who feel the same, and also invite others to do the same, order special meals and report on them. I believe that SPML for brunch and tea cost BA more than regular hot meals for lunch and dinner. We are not trying to punish BA but perhaps, if they start finding that they have more SPML requests for those two flight time periods they will need to start reconsidering what they are offering in hope that a normal proportion of people choose the standard offering. Maybe they won't but the good news if that if so, my initial take is that indeed, the SPML offerings are often better and worth exploring. Here are 4 recent examples:
- Band 3 Muslim brunch: this was the most disappointing of the lot I would say. A plate with salad and some cooked chicken, regular tiny fruit slice place. Unidentified dressing. All served with regular rolls. Frankly, maybe I was unlucky but whilst departing from the cured meats dictatorship, there was little or no interest in this one and I probably wouldn't try it again unless others tell me they have been luckier.
- Band 1 Gluten free brunch: this was a prawn salad and felt good quality and tasty compared to regular brunch. There was a generous serving of cooked and seasoned lentils, topped by various leaves and some vegetables, and 4 or 5 large prawns - larger than any I have had in BA J to date (short or long haul). This really was quite nice. Downside is there was nothing else, not even fruit, and the gluten free roll felt like a horror item that must have escaped from a Halloween party. Still, if more interested in the main dish than in any side, this is worth considering.
- Band 1 and Band 3 kosher brunches: The first thing that strikes about kosher meals is that they always feel a little more generous than the alternative. This maybe because the tray includes "everything" including a sachet of nescafe, a small jar of nice Hero Swiss jam, crackers, etc on the ground that kosher passengers may not consume anything else.
The band 1 version had a nice plate with pepper smoked mackerel, poached trout, a thick slice of Double Gloucester (more cheese than the regular longer CE and CW cheese duo!), and excellent whipped cream cheese (much better than the meat plate one, with the pleasant slightly sour taste of real cream cheese) and a vine with about 12 grapes. It also included a pot of nice drinkable strawberry yoghurt. I'd say it was a bit less less refined than the gluten free salad but also more varied and more generous with both savoury and sweet items.
The band 3 version included an even nicer plate with 3 large slices of smoked halibut, three different cheeses - again, enough to make up the cheese servings of 2 or 3 rows of regular CE on a dinner flight! - including a red Leicester, a Gorgonzola like, and a cheddar, vegetables, and lots of grape. A separate fruit plate was much better and way larger than the sad regular CE brunch offering: several slices of very tasty white, pink and red grapefruit, more grape, etc.
In both cases, Nescafe, Hero jam, crackers etc also on tray and I should add that the kosher rolls while not great are better than the regular rolls.
All in all, I would/will re-order either the gluten free or the kosher brunch without hesitation. I was less convinced by the Muslim brunch (which I think is more often the same as some other SPML so may vary more) but maybe was just unlucky.
Hope others add their contribution on their own experiences and I'll add mine on afternoon tea too!
I promise I'd report on offerings to help others who feel the same, and also invite others to do the same, order special meals and report on them. I believe that SPML for brunch and tea cost BA more than regular hot meals for lunch and dinner. We are not trying to punish BA but perhaps, if they start finding that they have more SPML requests for those two flight time periods they will need to start reconsidering what they are offering in hope that a normal proportion of people choose the standard offering. Maybe they won't but the good news if that if so, my initial take is that indeed, the SPML offerings are often better and worth exploring. Here are 4 recent examples:
- Band 3 Muslim brunch: this was the most disappointing of the lot I would say. A plate with salad and some cooked chicken, regular tiny fruit slice place. Unidentified dressing. All served with regular rolls. Frankly, maybe I was unlucky but whilst departing from the cured meats dictatorship, there was little or no interest in this one and I probably wouldn't try it again unless others tell me they have been luckier.
- Band 1 Gluten free brunch: this was a prawn salad and felt good quality and tasty compared to regular brunch. There was a generous serving of cooked and seasoned lentils, topped by various leaves and some vegetables, and 4 or 5 large prawns - larger than any I have had in BA J to date (short or long haul). This really was quite nice. Downside is there was nothing else, not even fruit, and the gluten free roll felt like a horror item that must have escaped from a Halloween party. Still, if more interested in the main dish than in any side, this is worth considering.
- Band 1 and Band 3 kosher brunches: The first thing that strikes about kosher meals is that they always feel a little more generous than the alternative. This maybe because the tray includes "everything" including a sachet of nescafe, a small jar of nice Hero Swiss jam, crackers, etc on the ground that kosher passengers may not consume anything else.
The band 1 version had a nice plate with pepper smoked mackerel, poached trout, a thick slice of Double Gloucester (more cheese than the regular longer CE and CW cheese duo!), and excellent whipped cream cheese (much better than the meat plate one, with the pleasant slightly sour taste of real cream cheese) and a vine with about 12 grapes. It also included a pot of nice drinkable strawberry yoghurt. I'd say it was a bit less less refined than the gluten free salad but also more varied and more generous with both savoury and sweet items.
The band 3 version included an even nicer plate with 3 large slices of smoked halibut, three different cheeses - again, enough to make up the cheese servings of 2 or 3 rows of regular CE on a dinner flight! - including a red Leicester, a Gorgonzola like, and a cheddar, vegetables, and lots of grape. A separate fruit plate was much better and way larger than the sad regular CE brunch offering: several slices of very tasty white, pink and red grapefruit, more grape, etc.
In both cases, Nescafe, Hero jam, crackers etc also on tray and I should add that the kosher rolls while not great are better than the regular rolls.
All in all, I would/will re-order either the gluten free or the kosher brunch without hesitation. I was less convinced by the Muslim brunch (which I think is more often the same as some other SPML so may vary more) but maybe was just unlucky.
Hope others add their contribution on their own experiences and I'll add mine on afternoon tea too!
Also any idea whether these same options is what you would get in lieu of afternoon tea?