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
Jun 6, 2017, 5:34 am
#1051
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
I think it is designed to use the fork and knife for your starter and main, the other knife then for your cheese and biscuits after your desert, AY just had one fork knife and teaspoon, ended up stirring my tea with the handle so as to not get a chocolate tea.
Having flown BA LHR-HEL and AY HEL-LHR (319 not the 350), BA definitely had the better catering on the route, my meal was delicious and the staggered service meaning the main is still hot is most welcome in comparison to AY (who had a rubbish starter and not a great desert either although thankfully their main tasted better than it looked).
Having flown BA LHR-HEL and AY HEL-LHR (319 not the 350), BA definitely had the better catering on the route, my meal was delicious and the staggered service meaning the main is still hot is most welcome in comparison to AY (who had a rubbish starter and not a great desert either although thankfully their main tasted better than it looked).
Jun 6, 2017, 5:40 am
#1052
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,532
I think it is designed to use the fork and knife for your starter and main, the other knife then for your cheese and biscuits after your desert, AY just had one fork knife and teaspoon, ended up stirring my tea with the handle so as to not get a chocolate tea.
Having flown BA LHR-HEL and AY HEL-LHR (319 not the 350), BA definitely had the better catering on the route, my meal was delicious and the staggered service meaning the main is still hot is most welcome in comparison to AY (who had a rubbish starter and not a great desert either although thankfully their main tasted better than it looked).
Having flown BA LHR-HEL and AY HEL-LHR (319 not the 350), BA definitely had the better catering on the route, my meal was delicious and the staggered service meaning the main is still hot is most welcome in comparison to AY (who had a rubbish starter and not a great desert either although thankfully their main tasted better than it looked).
So, compared to AY I prefer BA.
Jun 7, 2017, 4:09 pm
#1053
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: ba exec club
Posts: 126
CE EDI-LGW this evening.
Fabulous crew on an old GAT bird!
Fabulous crew on an old GAT bird!
Jun 10, 2017, 5:35 am
#1054
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
LHR-MAD (777), 10 June 2017
0720d
Well 5 days later same poached eggs breakfast but this time runny yolks
0720d
Well 5 days later same poached eggs breakfast but this time runny yolks
Jun 10, 2017, 5:39 am
#1055
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,930
That looks like a very good, light breakfast.
Jun 10, 2017, 7:36 am
#1056
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,264
Looks very good, KARFA - literally the first BA shorthaul hot breakfast I've ever seen that I actually want to eat! (Other than the 'croissant')
Jun 10, 2017, 8:26 am
#1057
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,916
KARFA, how/what was the bread on the right hand side?
Jun 10, 2017, 8:31 am
#1058
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
Jun 13, 2017, 1:47 am
#1059
Join Date: May 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 663
VLML Afternoon Tea - LGW-AMS
Thank you LGW for serving sandwiches for the SPML afternoon tea for a change - even if they did contain far too much (evil) cucumber!
VLML Dinner - AMS-LGW
Photo taken after Mr JtO had swapped me most of my cucumbers for most of his asparagus - I still maintain I got the better end of that deal...! Note the pathetic bag o' fruit for "dessert".
Thank you LGW for serving sandwiches for the SPML afternoon tea for a change - even if they did contain far too much (evil) cucumber!
VLML Dinner - AMS-LGW
Photo taken after Mr JtO had swapped me most of my cucumbers for most of his asparagus - I still maintain I got the better end of that deal...! Note the pathetic bag o' fruit for "dessert".
Jun 13, 2017, 1:59 pm
#1060
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,112
Here's the salad option for "dinner" LHR-CPH. I was fairly glad I had eaten in the lounge, the prawn-allergic Ms F was very glad she had eaten in the lounge. For a 2 hour journey, it's not big enough in my opinion. It was tasty though, ingredient quality was good enough.
The sandwich panino alternative was bread overfilled with cheese and something else, I didn't look too closely.
In common with most of the other meal options BA has this salad, and the sandwich, relies too much on cheese; if you don't eat cheese (like me), you're out of luck: in this meal, a significant proportion of the calories come from the cheese portion so if you don't eat that it's meagre indeed. I echo the point many have made that while the short and long route meals are good, the medium length routes are badly under-catered.
Drinks were well provided, wine from the bottle (into the glass!) and the crew circulated after giving out the meals with frequent top-ups.
The row in front had parent and child in it, I got a candid picture of the child meal which looks pretty reasonable
The sandwich panino alternative was bread overfilled with cheese and something else, I didn't look too closely.
In common with most of the other meal options BA has this salad, and the sandwich, relies too much on cheese; if you don't eat cheese (like me), you're out of luck: in this meal, a significant proportion of the calories come from the cheese portion so if you don't eat that it's meagre indeed. I echo the point many have made that while the short and long route meals are good, the medium length routes are badly under-catered.
Drinks were well provided, wine from the bottle (into the glass!) and the crew circulated after giving out the meals with frequent top-ups.
The row in front had parent and child in it, I got a candid picture of the child meal which looks pretty reasonable
Last edited by flatlander; Jun 13, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Jun 13, 2017, 2:14 pm
#1061
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,112
LHR-DUS, June 2017
Late afternoon departure, "dinner", LHR-DUS. Despite my scepticism about the various BA cheese trenchers, I gave the "Chicken Caesar flatbread" a go, and was pleasantly surprised. I could not quite work out whether it had some cheese that had been almost cooked into nothing, or if it was white sauce, but in any case I could not fault it for being cheese-filled; it was tasty and not too heavy, a reasonable small meal. The potato salad was also nicely flavoured with a few herbs and slightly sharp mayonnaise. The chocolate dessert was good, as they almost always are with any of BA's meals. Despite the presence of butter, no bread was offered to anyone in the cabin.
Drinks were offered from the trolley following directly after the food; two members of crew served the Club cabin, which was 7 rows full. Wine came in individual small bottles, including the champagne. The Spanish Sauvignon Blanc was adequate, though not really cold enough.
Overall, I was more impressed than I expected to be. It was a good small meal, suitable for a short flight like this. BA should do more options like this filled flatbread rather than presenting only panini.
Drinks were offered from the trolley following directly after the food; two members of crew served the Club cabin, which was 7 rows full. Wine came in individual small bottles, including the champagne. The Spanish Sauvignon Blanc was adequate, though not really cold enough.
Overall, I was more impressed than I expected to be. It was a good small meal, suitable for a short flight like this. BA should do more options like this filled flatbread rather than presenting only panini.
Jun 13, 2017, 2:39 pm
#1062
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,112
LCY-AMS Brunch, May 2017
Brunch on BA Cityflyer LCY-AMS. I went with the chicken salad option, though the mackerel also looked good: a large mackerel fillet with a couple of feta cubes on one end, so cheese-optional. It's still a very small meal, but it's a short enough flight that you ought to be able to get something at each end if you need more. The Club cabin was only about 5 people and service, as usual on BACF, was good and proactive with drink refills.
The only downside of the new menu is that returning the next day in the evening I was offered exactly the same menu, with the only service difference being the dessert item changing to a different sweet. That could get boring pretty quickly.
The only downside of the new menu is that returning the next day in the evening I was offered exactly the same menu, with the only service difference being the dessert item changing to a different sweet. That could get boring pretty quickly.
Last edited by flatlander; Jun 18, 2017 at 7:35 am Reason: typo
Jun 13, 2017, 3:22 pm
#1063
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: ARN
Programs: Mucci Entry Level, BA Gold, EK Pleb, SK Pleb, QR Pleb
Posts: 3,585
I showed pics of BA CE meals to a SK "elite" and he confirmed that BA is in another division. I have to agree, CE food has as far as I can remember (being old that isn't saying much) never been so good.
I'm a bit curious though, on ARN-LHR or band 4? Drinks are from full size bottles, including Champagne and wine. Is it only on shorter flights where they distribute small bottles? Anything below band 4 maybe?
I'm a bit curious though, on ARN-LHR or band 4? Drinks are from full size bottles, including Champagne and wine. Is it only on shorter flights where they distribute small bottles? Anything below band 4 maybe?
Jun 13, 2017, 3:30 pm
#1064
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Per post 1 of this thread, the small bottles are served on the new "short" flights. The "medium" and "long" ones get the full bottles of wine and fizz.
Jun 13, 2017, 3:40 pm
#1065
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,266