THERE are two meals you should always pick to experience the tastiest food on a plane.
Many passengers can’t wait to peel back the foil on their tray to see what the meal is on their flight.
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But some frequent flyers dread in-flight food which they say never tastes quite as good as the meals we eat on ground level.
So to dispel some of the mystique around in-flight food the Daily Mail sent a journalist to the British Airways catering facility near Gatwick Airport. The factory style production unit produces 4,500 meals a day.
British Airways is expecting to serve up 380,000 Christmas dinners to passengers over the festive period.
In the so called ‘plating room’ dozens of workers prepare meals for the airlines business class customers.
The site is run by contractors Newrest Catering. Their development chef, Andy Bailey, 53, said: “We take a long time designing our menus and test them time and time again until they’re up to standard.”
Mark Brega, BA’s executive chef, told the Mail that perceptions around in-flight food were now changing.
He said: “The perception of aeroplane food is changing.”
And he explained how the food has to allow for the unique conditions on board a flight.
He said: “You lose about 30 per cent of your tastebuds so we have to factor this into our cooking.
“Generally, British food is very good, but it has a light flavour profile so spicier, more aromatic dishes tend to work better.
“Buttered chicken or chicken tikka masala are among our most popular dishes.
“The same goes for wine; some of which taste brilliant on the ground but can taste awful in the air so it needs to be tested.”
“Fish like the smell of red mullet can fill up a cabin so have to be avoided. But the aroma of bread is hugely appealing, and signals to passengers that they’re in for a nice meal.”
Another gold rule of in-flight catering was that pilots never ate the same meal, so to avoid food poisoning that made them both ill at the same time.
