Old Apr 16, 2017, 1:12 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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
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Club Europe catering guide

Old Jan 24, 2018, 8:48 am
  #1861  
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Originally Posted by paulaf
Hello,
Can I just check is Heraklion, Crete in Long category please? If so outbound is 13.40 inbound is 15.05 so would it be the normal 3 course menu in CE?
Yes. All Greek locations are Long, so after breakfast it's the "rest of the day" hot meal service. See post 1 for details and the map of routes.
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Old Jan 24, 2018, 8:49 am
  #1862  
 
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Many thanks.
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Old Jan 24, 2018, 10:20 am
  #1863  
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Originally Posted by ajamieson
LIS-LHR, evening flight. Should be Rotation C per the wiki but this seems to be a Rotation A menu per earlier posts.

32 pax, so right at the maximum number before the curtailed Club Europe service kicks in; even with a 2h 20 flight time the crew for some reason struggled to get everyone served and meals were still being handed out as we began the descent. I got so hungry waiting for the main course (about 40 mins) I had my cheese first. They'd run out of sauvignon blanc on the outbound so it was only the pinot grigio. Salmon starter was good. Chicken and pasta was clearly overheated and burnt. But at least we got the menu, a bar round and hot towels ... if there had been one more CE passenger all that would be gone!
I'm not familiar with the rule of 33?
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Old Jan 24, 2018, 10:41 am
  #1864  
 
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As told to me by more than two crews, and as experienced by me many times on IST or ATH sectors ... if there are more than 32 pax in Club Europe, crews of four are allowed skip certain routines in order to expedite the service. Specifically: no menus, no hot towels, no first bar round with peanuts, meals served from trolley in the aisle rather than from the galley. Seems to have been agreed when the new catering started last year, because the other two crew are needed to do the BoB down the back which can take ages.

It means the first time you're offered a drink is with the meal tray; if the crew member with the drinks trolley emerges first, it leads to the odd situation of being asked what you'd like to drink with dinner before you've found out what you'll be eating.

In practice, I've only had the completely curtailed service twice; once from a crew offering fulsome apologies on a very full IST flight, and once from a crew that just seemed to be having a lazy day. Other times crew have done their best to offer something in the middle, which is fair enough.

It takes the logic of Alex Cruz to reduce a product when more people buy it!
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Old Jan 25, 2018, 2:14 am
  #1865  
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Originally Posted by ajamieson
As told to me by more than two crews, and as experienced by me many times on IST or ATH sectors ... if there are more than 32 pax in Club Europe, crews of four are allowed skip certain routines in order to expedite the service. Specifically: no menus, no hot towels, no first bar round with peanuts, meals served from trolley in the aisle rather than from the galley. Seems to have been agreed when the new catering started last year, because the other two crew are needed to do the BoB down the back which can take ages.

It means the first time you're offered a drink is with the meal tray; if the crew member with the drinks trolley emerges first, it leads to the odd situation of being asked what you'd like to drink with dinner before you've found out what you'll be eating.

In practice, I've only had the completely curtailed service twice; once from a crew offering fulsome apologies on a very full IST flight, and once from a crew that just seemed to be having a lazy day. Other times crew have done their best to offer something in the middle, which is fair enough.

It takes the logic of Alex Cruz to reduce a product when more people buy it!
i get the streamlined delivery but no menus and towels is really not that much of a time saver as they are done on the ground
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Old Jan 25, 2018, 3:12 am
  #1866  
 
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They are done on the ground in Club World, more usually after take-off in Club Europe. But yes, it saves only seconds; beats me.
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Old Jan 26, 2018, 4:43 pm
  #1867  
 
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LHR to VIE (medium band) sunk to new lows tonight. Three tiny bits of chicken with some dry rocket leaves and a shredded courgette and not even a bread roll was offered (have they been enhanced away as well?). Crew were nice and pro active in offering drinks, but that's an utterly woeful food offering. Complete embarrassment.
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 8:51 am
  #1868  
 
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Breakfast on a recent Aberdeen - London.

No bread, no croissants, no jam and no yoghurt. The inconsistency is the only thing consistent about BA.
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 10:21 am
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Originally Posted by stu1985


Breakfast on a recent Aberdeen - London.

No bread, no croissants, no jam and no yoghurt. The inconsistency is the only thing consistent about BA.
No champagne either 😜
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 10:24 am
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The above two posts show its all a bit of a shambles really, Im now starting to worry the relaunched catering is going to be a long the same lines as when we saw ET decline to BoB, first the portion size went, then the extras like the bread, yoghurt etc. Next itll be our CE customers have said they want more choice blah blah blah and BA strikes a deal with F&M to sell bespoke CE hampers
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 11:13 am
  #1871  
 
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Originally Posted by Robshaw236


No champagne either 😜
Ha..... saved myself for the CCR.

Originally Posted by Speedbird92A
The above two posts show its all a bit of a shambles really, Im now starting to worry the relaunched catering is going to be a long the same lines as when we saw ET decline to BoB, first the portion size went, then the extras like the bread, yoghurt etc. Next itll be our CE customers have said they want more choice blah blah blah and BA strikes a deal with F&M to sell bespoke CE hampers
Agreed. I wrote in to complain and got something back along the lines of "Yes, you are right, the breakfast should come with what you said it would. I'm sorry that wasn't the case." but with absolutely no indication as to why it wasn't the case - weren't they loaded or could the crew just not be arsed providing the proper service?
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Old Jan 28, 2018, 3:26 am
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LGW-ACE 27 Jan 18 (Long)



Starter


Thai Green Chicken Curry


Menu card
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Old Jan 29, 2018, 12:36 pm
  #1873  
 
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The prawns were quite plump and sufficiently large, I thought, for a starter


The chicken with pasta was quite good. The chicken was moist and tasty and the pasta copious (although a touch tough at the edges of the plate where it had been seared in the oven).
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Old Jan 30, 2018, 12:23 am
  #1874  
 
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Originally Posted by South London Bon Viveur
LHR to VIE (medium band) sunk to new lows tonight. Three tiny bits of chicken with some dry rocket leaves and a shredded courgette and not even a bread roll was offered (have they been enhanced away as well?). Crew were nice and pro active in offering drinks, but that's an utterly woeful food offering. Complete embarrassment.
Good to hear that CE continues to provide such great onboard value for money, and so much better than BoB.

I’m almost tempted to give it another go. Or maybe not ........

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Old Jan 30, 2018, 6:41 am
  #1875  
 
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Originally Posted by subject2load


Good to hear that CE continues to provide such great onboard value for money, and so much better than BoB.

I’m almost tempted to give it another go. Or maybe not ........


To be fair the return was a slight improvement, with the prawn salad I had being more substantial, albeit it still only had three prawns- I think the garnish/salad bit was more substantial. And we had a roll as well. It's still poor, and light years away from what we used to have on this route, but it didn't quite sink to the depths of the outbound. That said, Alex tells us he has not cut costs, so I must be imagining things.
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Last edited by South London Bon Viveur; Jan 30, 2018 at 4:19 pm
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