Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
Earlier this week I enjoyed three square meals during a long day of travel on British Airways. Which meal was best?
I began the day in Istanbul with an early flight to London Heathrow in Club Europe (business class). After takeoff, breakfast was served. Choices were a cheese omelet or full English breakfast. While I normally prefer cheese omelets, I never pass up the chance for an English breakfast on British Airways, even from an outstation.
What a great choice. The scrambled eggs were perfect and so were the potatoes, sausage, tomato, and mushrooms.
Throw in a hot cinnamon roll and croissant with a side of sliced fruit plus yogurt and I may have eaten far too many calories than was necessary, but I certainly enjoyed the breakfast.
In London, I had a five hour layover. I’m thankful my metabolism still burns so fast because I had a snack of soup and salad in the T5 Plaza Premium lounge and later had afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream in the Aspire lounge.
Next up came lunch, served shortly after takeoff on my British Airway flight in World Traveller Plus to Los Angeles. For lunch, I ordered braised British beef in chasseur sauce, herb creamed potatoes, and baby carrots.
Included on the tray was a salad of goat cheese, orange, and beetroot tartare, a hot bread roll, cheddar cheese with crackers, and chocolate and pecan cookie dough cheesecake.
I think the best description of British Airways’ cuisine is “comfort food”. There’s noting really gourmet about beef in gravy with mashed potatoes, but it was a tasty glop of food that also nicely sedated me for a long nap.
Before landing, dinner was served. That included conchiglie pasta, mushroom ragout, and sweet red peppers. It was served with a packaged bread roll and packaged square of banana bread.
CONCLUSION
If you asked me to rank the meals, I’d say breakfast was best, followed by dinner, followed by lunch. But honestly, perhaps the best thing I ate all day was the hot scone. Why do those have to be so tasty and so unhealthy? Overall, a good day of dining on British Airways.
I fly IST-LHR in Club all the time. The breakfast is really good. Also if you are a silver or gold the block out the seat next to you and you get a row.
Helpful reviews the last few days of BA Premium Econ. I’ve considered flying this home to Chicago to conserve points. How would you say you felt the next day flying PE vs J the next day? I’m someone who doesn’t care about the soft product but does about the hard product. I’ll always go J on the way over but if I can save some points on the way back I’d do it if it didn’t leave me worse for ware.
The great thing, at least for me, was arriving to LAX at 7:30p, home by 8:30p, and then a full night’s rest. I woke up refreshed the next day and had no jetlag.
But if it was an early morning flight and you had the whole day ahead of you, your outcome might be different.
On 06th of Sep I travelled by BA from Hyd India to YYC Canada. We were served all European breakfast as well lunch. But being Indian we prefer our dishes. I hope on our return flight it will be taken care of. Thanks.
I’m sure that giant cup of clotted cream didn’t help the already carb overloading scones. Lmao
Oh, but it was so worthwhile!!!
Seriously though… who puts clotted cream in cups that size? I mean, I don’t mind it, but I thought it was yoghurt at first!
How did you end up in J for IST-LHR? As far as I know, BA only sells longhaul PE with shourthaul Y. Did you upgrade that segment (or got upgraded free)? Or you booked separately?
Award ticket. Booked J on first segment.
Right… Now go and repeat the same in cattle class, which most people fly… Then give a gushing report. Which by the way was the cost of your free junket from BA as they need all the publicity they can get
Would the breakfast IST-LHR been loaded at IST or LHR, I think some flights leave LHR stocked for the outbound and inbound legs.
Is it just me, or is it only chicken which should come with chasseur sauce?