And Band 4 starters have been enhanced

Thanks CWS for this SPML report.

I'm more and more confused - I thought all salad flights were supposed to offer a choice between one meat and one veg option but here your flight has two meat options!!

Band 2 SPML Asian vegetarian
LHR-MXP (Malpensa) BA580 18:05 hrs.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0019347c3.jpg

I think we are seeing a pattern here.

1. As before, SPMLs are combined at CE level, so AVML isn't specifically Asian. The range isn't as big as it looks.
   
2. SPMLs are drawn from the main meal options .
   
3. However! They aren't identical. My MXP SCCM is also a vegetarian and she pointed out that the courgette and lentil dish I got from EDI has several slices of tofu on it and is also has a larger portion than the standard dish equivalent.
   
4. The originating dish linkage therefore suggests that SPML will rotate fortnightly (monthly at LGW, to be confirmed) .
   
5. SPML isnt necessarily the same as standard meal: on this Milan service it was roast beef or beetroot for standard meals, but the main beetroot tray came with a decidedly non vegetarian salmon starter (whereas the beef came with the celeriac!) . As you can see here I had a fairly tasty and crunchy salad with red onions and peppers instead.
   
6. Unless you know the rotations very well you better order SPML if you don't eat meat / fish, it's now quite complex. But the SPML is guessable if you see the other dishes on the fortnightly rotation.
   
7. It's probably really not for me to say, but I think the above improves the situation for SPML passengers who were hitherto condemned to perpetual tomato mozzarella .
   
8. Itsu in T5 sell a range of Asian dressings, including wasabi at 5 pence per sachet. F&M also sell 100ml bottles of hot chili sauce at £5. I can see the point in slipping some dressings into the liquids bag to liven up some of the dishes. The SCCM was terribly impressed.
   

<Deity> ... this gets more complicated by the hour!! :)

cws is foxing us all with his culinary prowess now!

There clearly isn't a specific vegetarian option available on all meals - see Afternoon Tea - so I don't see why the salads would have to have a vegetable option always present. Moreover since when was salmon vegetarian? Apart from breakfast, if you don't eat meat or fish then you need to pre-order.

I got to sample Band 4 breakfast on Wednesday 12 September, flying LHR-CHQ. I was very happy that a lighter breakfast option - smoked salmon - had been introduced, as I had just stuffed myself in the CX F lounge at T3. The service was very good, with tea/coffee/champagne/water being proactively topped up throughout the flight.

As someone had mentioned before, ice is no longer proactively offered (and this time around lemon wasn't either). I didn't ask for it, but I assumed it would have been available.

The new mug isn't in the photos, but I very much liked the design.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bee6fb0c41.jpg

LHR-CHQ, Band 4 breakfast menu
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6a9c25251b.jpg

Smoked salmon breakfast

I flew LCA-LHR yesterday (Sunday 16 Sep) and had the exact same as this. The only difference was that they had loaded the wrong menus (pork sausages/gnocchi) while in fact they had the Thai chicken curry and ravioli.
I don't really understand the difference between Band 3 and Band 4 under the new system!

LHR-ZRH yesterday, 15:00 departure, had the options of the Ploughman's or the Afternoon Tea sandwich platter. The Ploughman's was the same as before, albeit with the addition of a scone (or is it scone?!) served with jam and clotted cream, and the new 'specialty' bread. The battenberg cake was ok. No photos since everyone has seen the Ploughman's before, and I was completely wiped out after a very long flight before.

Overall, good to see positive changes albeit on a short flight like this the only change (for me) was the addition of a scone and associated trimmings. Crew were clearly happy to serve the new and improved catering, which was good to see. And thankfully no panini in sight!!! ^ Good to see BA improving the product.

Will these changes make me book CE (when I have a choice), versus an emergency exit seat in ET? Unfortunately, no, leg room for me is still the single most important part of a shorthaul flight.

That was just based on the 'leak' which I think we both saw on day zero which mentioned: "Choice of two cold salads with one being vegetarian such as Antipasti or Greek salad" The rest seemed to be very accurate (except again the starter randomness).

Band 2 Lunch - SPML - AVML
MXP-LHR BA573 12:05 hrs

There isn't much to remark here except perhaps:
- multiple shorthaul flights is going to result in repetition on SPML. It could with regular meals too but at least one would have 2 or perhaps 3 choices.
- on this service the main choices were Coronation Chicken or the courgette and lentil salad, minus the tofu, and their salad had the prawn starter.
- my starter was humous and tabouleh, I'm seeing more variety here than anywhere else.
- for some reason we had the old bread rolls rather than the new. Tobias-UK reported the same on his MAN service (using old stock?)
- getting fed up with all the lentils! But fortunately some salad dressing from the MXP fell into my bag in the lounge, along with a Parmesan snack block.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...923/hvotxJ.jpg

Incidentally my TS block on 1D got taken by the BBC's Frank Gardner - on this occasion we got into gate 19 a few minutes late, but there were 2 Ominiserv agents ready, including a manager!

I imagine he gets something akin to Premier treatment these days given the PR history!