Meals in Economy

Hi,

Now I know a lot of people here travel in UC all the time, but for the rest of us where UC is now a treat (long gone are the good old days when I had more money than sense), what about some suggestions for improving the Economy menus?

I'll start the ball rolling...

How about a different offering than the usual chicken, beef or fish?

- More curries, either Indian or Thai (both of which are very popular in the UK). A green or red thai curry, anything indian. They all work well on aircraft because they are "wet".
- A real salad instead of the 3 pieces of lettuce. I had a wonderful salad in Economy on Lufthansa.
- Get rid of those awful chocolate desserts. They are only good for giving to kids to make them hyperactive. A fruit plate would be much better.
- The water bottles are back. Yeah!
- Bring back real wine glasses for the drinks service, instead of the "thimble" sized plastic cups
- Get rid of the awful plastic cheddar and biscuits.
- Spend the money on a better sized portion of the main mail with a decent salad.

Anyway, my $0.02. Just please get rid of those chocolate things.

The water - the plastic cup with the film over the top is vile vile vile, makes my stomach churn. Water should not be room temp in a plastic cup with a plastic film over the top. Should be refridgerated water in a cool bottle with removable top.

[preiffer]

I have to say (although I agree with the water comment), when I flew PE last month to Las Vegas, I was actually quite impressed.

The food wasn't half as bad as a lot of the US carrier's "domestic first" products, let alone economy. Reasonably well presented, tasted fresh, actually tasted OF something!

In fact, the main meal I had last month was better (quality) than the J meal I had today... [V][xx(]


(...and we did have real wine glasses - albeit the little ones, but they were definitely glass )

Originally posted by ajp

- Get rid of those awful chocolate desserts. They are only good for giving to kids to make them hyperactive. A fruit plate would be much better.

I so agree with this. I always eat them but would feel much better with a good fruit yogurt.

You would think that it would be a bad idea for the kids but the kids meals include a bag of fruit.

Phil (Buffy)

I aggree with the Curries. One of my fave meals ever on VS, regardless of class was the Chicken Tikka Masalla in Y.
Glad they've brought back an actual water bottle. The silly ones with a foil lid are gone in one gulp.

The thing VS has never done good in economy is the english breakfast. Its just a mess. Much better when flying to HGK, you can have noodles and pork...

Dean

I'll echo Paul's comments. The meal I had in PE recently was better than the J meals of late!

I'm glad to see the water bottles back too. Those "cuplets" (aka thimbleful of water) are just insulting, like something you would expect in a child's play kitchen!

Good to see I'm not alone about the chocolate glop "Yumbo"s. They are sweet, sickly and vile, but these sort of pre-packaged desserts seem to be more common in Y meals these days. When I left the dessert on my last PE flight, the concerned-looking FA asked if there was anything else I'd like - either fruit or ice cream. When I asked for fruit, I got offered the pick of the upper-deck UC fruit bowl!

A real salad with dressing would be more than welcome - rather than the pasta thing that has been doing the rounds.

The other thing I'd love to add to that list is replacing the Y bread rolls with something that doesn't look like it's come out of your daughter's play kitchen. That little plastic wrapped packet of white and brown bread looks so ditsy, like a from a dolls' house tea set.

In PE, it would be relatively minimal effort to offer warmed bread with the service - as they are either in their own cabin on the 744, or the front of the meal service on the Airbus fleet.

I do like the cheese and biccies, but they should replace the cream crackers with cornish wafers!

Cheers,
Mike

- More curries, either Indian or Thai (both of which are very popular in the UK). A green or red thai curry, anything indian. They all work well on aircraft because they are "wet".

Agreed. "Wet" options can be much more enjoyable. Even a good, chicken/pasta dish with a good tomato sauce.

- A real salad instead of the 3 pieces of lettuce. I had a wonderful salad in Economy on Lufthansa.

Airline salads always annoy me. We last VS one was in PE, and consisted of some boiled pasta, and 3 strips of carrot. No flavouring at all. I've no objection to the concept of a pasta salad as such, but they aren't that hard to get right. A small green salad is probably even easier.

- Get rid of those awful chocolate desserts. They are only good for giving to kids to make them hyperactive. A fruit plate would be much better.

Are they still serving those awful Cadbury's Flake gloop? If they are, shame on VS. I wouldn't expect to see those on a charter, never mind a proper airline. A small desert, simple desert isn't that hard to do.

- The water bottles are back. Yeah!

Good. Those thimble things were awful. And yes, it should be cold, not room temprature.

[fozzyo]

I've always enjoyed my meals in Y, but as Dean sid the Tikka Masalla is definately one of the better and most reliable meals to have. The cheese and biscuits, can do without them really. And the deserts, a difficult one to get right I think. I want something sweet and chocolaty!

Foz xxx

Economy meals on VS cetainly could improve - other carriers manage it so it can be done

On my recent SQ flight a menu is given out even in economy
and propper hot towels before a meal so your fresh

The food itself catered for both European/Asian tastes and was really tasty

VS food is tasty too but not as much as SQ (although I admit this could be due to my personal tastes)

The desert on SQ was a frozen product (still nice)

as people have posted earlier salads and wet foods can be of high quality

SQ even managed a hot breakfast - an ommlette of some sort as I recall
Better again than the fruit/muffin option


The other food thing SQ do that VS dont is a freqent snack service this is really easy and enables you to graze on long flights.

The water service was more frequent too.

Food is an easy thing to change - certainly easier than seat pitch etc.

Another thing I noticed on SQ (although this could just be hype) is that a panel of international chiefs select food for SQ (including Gordon Ramsey)

[fozzyo]

Has there been any change in food / quality with the new caterer?

I think the one thing that they could maybe do on a flight is let pax know if and where there is a tray of water and OJ to help themselves to. I know this is normally left somewhere, but in my experience i've never been told about it.

My first long-haul flight (BA to Seattle) we had menu's presented to us just after take off. But this was six or seven years ago though.

Foz xxx

One thing I'd like to see in the W(and obviously Y menu) is a little after-dinner-mint, or something of that description. You used to find them on many airlines, but now they have all but disappeared.[:(]

Cheers,
VS045

I would NOT rate Gordon Ramsey much, he's a bit of a pillock in my opinion, so it would be erm English home made anaemic sausages
or may be sausages or prehaps just sausages......he is such a prat.


Sorry someone mentioned his name....he makes me see red...and then
the bottom of the toilet.

[fozzyo]

I'm dissapointed egg - i was expecting the Lamb song. Ya know, its a bit like the Spam song - but about Lamb:

Lamb Lamb Lamb Lamb
Lamb Lamb Lamb Lamb
Lamb Lamb Lamb Lamb
Lambity Lamb!!

[:o)]

I was just on VS10 and we did not get water bottles, just those platic tub things.

Did I mention I like the erm,

lamb,lamb,lamb...lamb
lamb,lamb,lamb....lambity lamb,

with a t t t t tthai fishcake starter

I agree about the water, it is nice to see a bottle and not a specimen jar. Also agree about the chocolate stodgey sweet thing. Yuk![xx(]

Originally posted by Wolves27


The thing VS has never done good in economy is the english breakfast. Its just a mess. Much better when flying to HGK, you can have noodles and pork...

Dean

There is not one airline i have flown with that has done a good english breakfast. You try cooking one, then leaving it a couple of hours and reheating it in the microwave and tell me if it tastes the same. It can't be done in your own kitchen so it certainly can't be done in the air!

[preiffer]

Originally posted by VS_Lover
try cooking one, then leaving it a couple of hours and reheating it in the microwave and tell me if it tastes the same. It can't be done in your own kitchen so it certainly can't be done in the air!

Mmmm.... In that case, last night's pizza & kebab it is! [:p]

[/quote]

There is not one airline i have flown with that has done a good english breakfast. You try cooking one, then leaving it a couple of hours and reheating it in the microwave and tell me if it tastes the same. It can't be done in your own kitchen so it certainly can't be done in the air!
[/quote]

Too true. The airline I work for often gets asked for Cooked English Breakfast for private charter flights. The ones we do are pretty good but not fantastic. Instead we often compronise with the client on Hot Bacon Baguettes which are just great (if a little similar to the old Light Bites!)

Nothing can beat a true Cafe/Diner hot breakfast

Graham

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by VS_Lover
try cooking one, then leaving it a couple of hours and reheating it in the microwave and tell me if it tastes the same. It can't be done in your own kitchen so it certainly can't be done in the air!

Mmmm.... In that case, last night's pizza & kebab it is! [:p]

Now there's a plan....

Originally posted by VS_Lover

Originally posted by Wolves27


The thing VS has never done good in economy is the english breakfast. Its just a mess. Much better when flying to HGK, you can have noodles and pork...

Dean

There is not one airline i have flown with that has done a good english breakfast. You try cooking one, then leaving it a couple of hours and reheating it in the microwave and tell me if it tastes the same. It can't be done in your own kitchen so it certainly can't be done in the air!

Whilst I agree that a full english would be hard to produce, a hot breakfast item should not be - I had an ommlette on SQ which was great. Cold choices could be improved too I've had cerial in Y before but never on VS; where Fruit/muffin as been the order of the day.

[i]
Whilst I agree that a full english would be hard to produce, a hot breakfast item should not be - I had an ommlette on SQ which was great. Cold choices could be improved too I've had cerial in Y before but never on VS; where Fruit/muffin as been the order of the day.

The old Bacon or Saussage buttie in UC was a great example of this. When I first saw it on the menu I thought it was an inspired idea. Sadly it would seem from other threads that VS have dropped this wonderful item off their catering list. Too bad.

Graham

[preiffer]

Originally posted by Jonathan
Whilst I agree that a full english would be hard to produce, a hot breakfast item should not be - I had an ommlette on SQ which was great.

Agreed. The "breakfast omelette" I had on Air Canada yesterday was better than the ones in the Sheraton the day before [:0]:)

I would love to have more curry dishes on the menu and agree they probably work better than dry dishes. However my past experience has proved that most families dont want curry, so many people turn their nose up at it..."yuk I hate curry" before they've even tried it was a common response. Hence a whole zone having curry as their only meal option.

The menus were removed after 9/11 in order to save jobs. They are a nice touch in Y but not really vital to the enjoyment of the flight. Hot breakfasts are provided in Y on a number of our routes but not trans atlantic. With regards to the chocolate desserts, a lot of people rave about them, I've never tried them but they seem popular. It's a case of personal choice I guess.

I personally think that our economy catering at the present time is quite good. LSG are doing a grand job in Y, just need to get J sorted out now.

I would think that curry would cause an odour that filled the entire aircraft?

Last time I few with Virgin, I have Chicken Piri Piri on the outward flight and salmon something-or-other on the return flight.
The chicken was very good to be honest, and I really enjoyed the salmon too considering I had never eaten it before.
I've had a few suspect meals on other airlines in the past, mainly breakfasts, so I generally keep some Pringles etc in my hand luggage should the need arise to eat something better