Mile high grub

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Tales of bad in-flight meals are the stuff of urban legend, but standards of mile high dining are rising fast with the introduction of celebrated chefs and worldwide cuisine onboard. firstclass decided to sample the culinary delights on offer from some of the world's biggest airlines.

Haute cuisine with British Airways

British Airways claims to focus its in-flight meal philosophy on providing fresh ingredients, at flexible times.

The airline has carried out comprehensive research and consulted food industry experts who work with their own specialist catering staff to give customers precisely what they want.

To cater for the growing trends towards healthier eating, the food served on board British Airways flights is contemporary, tasty and provides a balance between offering healthy meals and indulgent treats.

The airline wants its catering service to reflect that of a top-class restaurant, moving away from the traditional airline service. Customers for example are served with china plates and cups and glassware - instead of plastic.

Customers can even choose how they eat on board now with a range of new initiatives introduced which are reflective of a passenger's flight time, ticket class and personal preference.

The Pre-Flight Dining Menu allows passengers the ultimate in flexibility and is served in the airport business and first class lounges. Customers flying out of all major US east coast destinations have the choice to eat from a hot or cold selection prior to flying in order to maximise sleep time on board. The menu is available to First and Club World passengers at key US gateways.

The Ultimate Flexibility Menu allows first class passengers to choose when they eat in-flight, and enables them to choose from five main course options.

The Sleeper service is also offered to British Airways' Club World customers on a range of overnight flights from North America and the Middle East to London Heathrow.

The service allows them to eat whenever they want, depending on when they want to sleep.

The Club World Sleeper Service service has proved extremely popular with customers. Research has shown that a third of all passengers using the sleeper service report getting up to an extra two hours' sleep.

Customers can choose from five dining options before, during and after the flight.

Once onboard, the catering offering includes the Night Cap service - hot or cold drinks and snacks such as warmed cookies, toasted sandwiches and substantial snacks from a Midnight Munchies menu including crisps, luxury ice-cream or a cheese selection.

The sleeper service was created to give customers an even better and longer night's sleep and to maximise the use of the multi-award-winning Club World flat bed. The cabin is more tranquil with fewer announcements and passengers can have a complimentary spa treatment on arrival at Heathrow.

The Breakfast in Bed menu is served as close to landing as possible for customers who wish to be woken.

BA's Healthy Eating Choice menu has integrated healthier eating options- grilled instead of fried food using lighter sauces, more rice and pulses while giving people a nutritious and flexible choice.

As well as menus to fit in with your flight time and class of ticket, British Airways also offers a host of dining options depending on your route and destination.

The popular First menu offers the ultimate in haute cuisine. Menus are enhanced with a truly international flavour, offering speciality dishes from around the world. Diners can choose from a seven course a la carte menu or more casual bistro style dishes with ‘First' passengers in control of when and what they eat.

BA has introduced several small to be noticeable differences to its in-flight meals services. For example the cabin crew no longer push a food trolley through the cabin. Passengers have the choice of when they want to see a menu, and when they would like to eat.

For something more exotic there is the Chiva-Som spa cuisine. The airline has recently joined forces with Thailand's world-renowned luxury health resort, Chiva-Som to provide spa cuisine dishes on flights between Heathrow, New York, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Newark, Washington, Dubai, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The World Traveller and World Traveller Plus menus are heavily inspired by international cuisine with a mix of dishes from around the world. The food served is of a high standard and customers can expect a greater quantity on longer long-haul journeys for their second meal.

Customers travelling World Traveller Plus also enjoy drinks served in glassware and first serving of any meals.

The Euro Traveller menu was introduced following extensive research which revealed that many customers travelling in the Euro Traveller cabin wanted something they could either eat on board, or take off with them. Consequently, British Airways introduced the All Day Deli, which is served in a stylish meal box. Depending on the time of day the box will contain sandwiches, salad and fresh fruit. On breakfast flights a warm baguette with fresh orange juice is served.

For passengers with special dietary needs there is the Special Meals menu available on flights over 90 minutes to customers travelling in the Club Europe cabin. Passengers can pre-order 20 different types of meal, including diabetic, gluten free, low sodium, low cholesterol, low calorie, low protein/potassium, high fibre, bland, low purine (uric acid free), non-lactose (dairy free), vegetarian (lacto-ovo), vegetarian (non-dairy), Asian vegetarian, Hindu, Muslim, children's meal (under 12's), children's meal (under two years); seafood; fruit platter.

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