Apr 16, 2017, 1:12 pm
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
Club Europe Catering Guide 2017.
This thread outlines the new arrangements for Club Europe catering, introduced on Sunday 26 March 2017 and due to end on Tuesday 11 September 2018, based on 3 zones. A new Club Europe catering product is due to be launch on Wednesday 12 September 2018, and this is based on 4 bands. The main information piece - in terms of timings and the distance zones for the meals can be found in post 1. The following cross references the photos below against the matrix of options. In addition to the photos, some FTers have written extensively on their experiences so there is more to this thread than the pictures. Also note that there was an increase in food offered on some combinations shortly after the start-up, so the more recent photos may be the best place to start.The previous shorthaul catering guide, now locked but which had the previous 4 band system, is to be found here.
Numbers relate to the post number. Vegetarian means the alternative option provided as standard rather than the pre-ordered versions - which are VLML (Lacto-ovo), AVML (Asia) and VGML (Vegan) . There are differences between the offering in/out of LHR, LGW, LCY+STN. Last update: 833
-------------------------
Note posts before 1-832 are typically the April 2017 menu. 833 and above is from the menu for May 2017.
----
Chef's Chat sheets for:
CE LHR Summer 2017 - Rotation A
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28338151-post954.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28339641-post958.html
-----.
Short Band (UK, France, Ireland, BeNeLux, Germany)
Breakfast: 279, 570 (vegetarian), 629, 674, 821 (Express breakfast for MAN and LBA), 1343 (Vegan), 2285 (Express for LBA and MAN), 2445
Brunch: 180, 289, 469, 563, 685, 716, 2625 (AVML)
Lunch: 207, 545 (diabetic), 644 (first photo), 680 (VLML), 802, 928, 1322 (Kosher), 2284
Afternoon tea: 339, 404 (vegetarian), 480, 600 (VLML), 710 (including low lactose), 800, 882 (gluten free), 1281, 1322 (Kosher), 1673, 2679 (Kosher), 2792
Dinner: 563, 630 (VGML), 669 (Kosher Passover), 771 (VGML LCY) 799, 819 (AVML), 833 (May 2017 menu), 1283, 1287, 1674, 2446, 2616 (Kosher), 2793
Comments on difference between AVML and VLML here.
-----
Medium Band (e.g. Madrid, Nice, Prague, Copenhagen)
Breakfast: 645 (vegetarian), 724 (vegetarian), 1003
Brunch: 199 (VLML), 600 (VLML), 659 (Kosher Passover)
Lunch: 239 (child), 251, 425, 641, 733
Afternoon tea: 332 (also includes vegetarian), 426 (GFML), 813 (Muslim)
Dinner: 456, 551 (also includes VLML), 666, 1004,
1278
-----
Long Band (e.g. Lisbon, Rome, Warsaw, Stockholm).
Breakfast: 195 (vegetarian)
Rest of the day: 306 (LFML), 345, 427, 443, 468, 597, 676, 687, 695, 783 (VLML)
======
NOT MAINTAINED AND OUT OF DATE: The complete Short Haul meal structure for the longer flights as of October 2017 is:
LHR
Meal 1: Chicken / red pepper risotto
Meal 2: Beef cheek
Meal 3: Chicken supreme / gnocchi
Meal 4: Miso glazed cod
Meal 5: Chicken khao soi
Meal 6: Hot smoked salmon linguine
LGW
Meal 1: Thyme roasted chicken
Meal 2: Spicy corn and paneer masala
Meal 3: Thai Penang chicken curry
Meal 4: Roasted red pepper tortellini
Meal 5: Beef and mushroom caserole
Meal 6: Tomato and four cheeses tortellini
Structured into:
Rotation A
LHR outbound
Meal 3
Meal 4
inbound to LHR
Meal 5
Meal 6
Rotation B
LHR outbound
Meal 5
Meal 6
inbound to LHR
Meal 1
Meal 2
Rotation C
LHR outbound
Meal 1
Meal 2
inbound to LHR
Meal 3
Meal 4
===
October 2017 = Rotation C
November 2017 = Rotation A
December 2017 = Rotation B
January 2018 = Rotation C
etc
This thread outlines the new arrangements for Club Europe catering, introduced on Sunday 26 March 2017 and due to end on Tuesday 11 September 2018, based on 3 zones. A new Club Europe catering product is due to be launch on Wednesday 12 September 2018, and this is based on 4 bands. The main information piece - in terms of timings and the distance zones for the meals can be found in post 1. The following cross references the photos below against the matrix of options. In addition to the photos, some FTers have written extensively on their experiences so there is more to this thread than the pictures. Also note that there was an increase in food offered on some combinations shortly after the start-up, so the more recent photos may be the best place to start.The previous shorthaul catering guide, now locked but which had the previous 4 band system, is to be found here.
Numbers relate to the post number. Vegetarian means the alternative option provided as standard rather than the pre-ordered versions - which are VLML (Lacto-ovo), AVML (Asia) and VGML (Vegan) . There are differences between the offering in/out of LHR, LGW, LCY+STN. Last update: 833
-------------------------
Note posts before 1-832 are typically the April 2017 menu. 833 and above is from the menu for May 2017.
----
Chef's Chat sheets for:
CE LHR Summer 2017 - Rotation A
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28338151-post954.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28339641-post958.html
-----.
Short Band (UK, France, Ireland, BeNeLux, Germany)
Breakfast: 279, 570 (vegetarian), 629, 674, 821 (Express breakfast for MAN and LBA), 1343 (Vegan), 2285 (Express for LBA and MAN), 2445
Brunch: 180, 289, 469, 563, 685, 716, 2625 (AVML)
Lunch: 207, 545 (diabetic), 644 (first photo), 680 (VLML), 802, 928, 1322 (Kosher), 2284
Afternoon tea: 339, 404 (vegetarian), 480, 600 (VLML), 710 (including low lactose), 800, 882 (gluten free), 1281, 1322 (Kosher), 1673, 2679 (Kosher), 2792
Dinner: 563, 630 (VGML), 669 (Kosher Passover), 771 (VGML LCY) 799, 819 (AVML), 833 (May 2017 menu), 1283, 1287, 1674, 2446, 2616 (Kosher), 2793
Comments on difference between AVML and VLML here.
-----
Medium Band (e.g. Madrid, Nice, Prague, Copenhagen)
Breakfast: 645 (vegetarian), 724 (vegetarian), 1003
Brunch: 199 (VLML), 600 (VLML), 659 (Kosher Passover)
Lunch: 239 (child), 251, 425, 641, 733
Afternoon tea: 332 (also includes vegetarian), 426 (GFML), 813 (Muslim)
Dinner: 456, 551 (also includes VLML), 666, 1004,
1278
-----
Long Band (e.g. Lisbon, Rome, Warsaw, Stockholm).
Breakfast: 195 (vegetarian)
Rest of the day: 306 (LFML), 345, 427, 443, 468, 597, 676, 687, 695, 783 (VLML)
======
NOT MAINTAINED AND OUT OF DATE: The complete Short Haul meal structure for the longer flights as of October 2017 is:
LHR
Meal 1: Chicken / red pepper risotto
Meal 2: Beef cheek
Meal 3: Chicken supreme / gnocchi
Meal 4: Miso glazed cod
Meal 5: Chicken khao soi
Meal 6: Hot smoked salmon linguine
LGW
Meal 1: Thyme roasted chicken
Meal 2: Spicy corn and paneer masala
Meal 3: Thai Penang chicken curry
Meal 4: Roasted red pepper tortellini
Meal 5: Beef and mushroom caserole
Meal 6: Tomato and four cheeses tortellini
Structured into:
Rotation A
LHR outbound
Meal 3
Meal 4
inbound to LHR
Meal 5
Meal 6
Rotation B
LHR outbound
Meal 5
Meal 6
inbound to LHR
Meal 1
Meal 2
Rotation C
LHR outbound
Meal 1
Meal 2
inbound to LHR
Meal 3
Meal 4
===
October 2017 = Rotation C
November 2017 = Rotation A
December 2017 = Rotation B
January 2018 = Rotation C
etc
Club Europe catering guide
Aug 24, 2018, 3:38 am
#2761
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,164
As Him Indoors says (and thank God it is not often served on our flights) two burps and the "meal" is gone.
Aug 24, 2018, 3:39 am
#2762
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: 30,499
You might. We don't. Three tiny sandwiches, and a couple of scones with a lump of what thinks it's cake is not a meal - and afternoon tea is meant to be a meal. It may pass for a delicacy in the Public Schools in the UK, but it is not even worthy of being called a snack.
As Him Indoors says (and thank God it is not often served on our flights) two burps and the "meal" is gone.
As Him Indoors says (and thank God it is not often served on our flights) two burps and the "meal" is gone.
^PS: it is somewhat a shame that none of us is in a position to honour PUCCI the way she honours us, or else, someone with more power than me ought to confer upon her a MUCCI GUEVARA of the Afternoon Tea Revolution!
Last edited by orbitmic; Aug 24, 2018 at 3:47 am
Aug 24, 2018, 4:39 am
#2763
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,750
BLL-LHR, BA805 11.15-12.10
Kosher brunch (again). Different recipe, much less salty smoked salmon with quinoa, dried cranberries, and herbs. Sesame seeded challah was actually soft this time around. Dessert was custard-like in top with a seasoned apple puree something in the bottom. All in all, delicious.
So my hopes of getting the above for breakfast and avoiding something eggy were thoroughly dashed this morning on OTP-LHR. This was the kosher breakfast (note: veg sausage as it was a ‘milky’ dish). The bagel was actually the worst I’ve ever tasted - v disappointed no salmon and challah!
Last edited by Ldnn1; Aug 24, 2018 at 4:45 am
Aug 24, 2018, 5:17 am
#2764
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL, WoH Lifetime Globalist, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 711
My dear Pucci, tea (as opposed to high tea) is intended to fill the gap between lunch and dinner. BA's version of tea offering three delicately cut finger sandwiches plus a slice of the Dundee-style fruit cake is perfect.
Doc Copper
Doc Copper
Aug 24, 2018, 6:01 am
#2765
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: 30,499
But that's the thing: how do you "fill the gap" between two meals on a medium flight inbound when you need to arrive at the airport at 3pm for a flight leaveing at 16.30 which arrives into LHR at 20.00 and you likely to arrive home (or to your hotel or whatever) around 21.00-21.30? I don't care that much when it's on LHR-MAN (as long as it avoids the nasty current offering) but I do care when I'm on "medium" which make the majority of my European flights.
Aug 24, 2018, 7:04 am
#2766
Join Date: May 2018
Location: BHX
Programs: BAEC, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 6
I really hope LHR-ARN manages to keep the full afternoon/'rest of the day' service post-September, as repetitive as the menu may be it's still quite nice to get a 3 course meal on a 3 hour flight.
Aug 24, 2018, 7:04 am
#2767
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,014
Aug 24, 2018, 8:01 am
#2768
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA, U2+, SK, AF/KL, IHG, Hilton, others gathering dust...
Posts: 2,552
A tale of two Ploughman's Lunches...
I do my best to avoid Medium routes during afternoon tea service, but when I do, the Ploughman's is my usual choice (a few special meal experiments aside) to avoid the sandwiches. I've generally found it to be reasonably decent, if repetitive when it's the only thing you want to have on such flights. However, I hadn't had one on an LGW route until recently. Below are the last two Ploughman's I had on BA, both on Medium routes. The top one was an LHR route and was quite palatable, the lower one was from LGW (several weeks later). It looked cheap and pallid to me, and didn't taste as good as it looked...
Is the LHR version still like the top picture, or has it been enhanced to the rather unpleasant (to me) LGW version? The LGW flight was operated by Titan, but my understanding is that the catering ex-LGW is provided by the same caterers as for BA's own metal?
LHR Ploughman's
LGW Ploughman's
Is the LHR version still like the top picture, or has it been enhanced to the rather unpleasant (to me) LGW version? The LGW flight was operated by Titan, but my understanding is that the catering ex-LGW is provided by the same caterers as for BA's own metal?
LHR Ploughman's
LGW Ploughman's
Aug 24, 2018, 8:15 am
#2769
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 1,573
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30077382-post2640.html
Aug 24, 2018, 8:17 am
#2770
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL, WoH Lifetime Globalist, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 711
But that's the thing: how do you "fill the gap" between two meals on a medium flight inbound when you need to arrive at the airport at 3pm for a flight leaveing at 16.30 which arrives into LHR at 20.00 and you likely to arrive home (or to your hotel or whatever) around 21.00-21.30? I don't care that much when it's on LHR-MAN (as long as it avoids the nasty current offering) but I do care when I'm on "medium" which make the majority of my European flights.
Doc Copper
Aug 24, 2018, 8:32 am
#2771
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,226
I do sometimes like an afternoon tea but I do totally get the point it’s not really a meal substitute.
I hope they bring the cold cuts breakfast option back!
Aug 24, 2018, 8:43 am
#2772
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: 30,499
PS: and sure, all airplane food is a first world problem, but at that rate one could argue in favour of just serving free tap water and no food or other drinks in C. Ultimately, business class is still supposed to bring "some" privilege which by definition will be first world privilege as the offer addresses a tiny segment of the population.
Last edited by orbitmic; Aug 24, 2018 at 8:49 am
Aug 24, 2018, 8:49 am
#2773
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL, WoH Lifetime Globalist, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 711
Except that from outstations - as per my example - some do not have any lounge access at all, and many of the others will only give you peanuts, cookies or the likes. It's true that if you go from, say, MAD, you'll have fine lounge offerings, but in many other cases that will simply not be the case at all.
Doc Copper