Chicken or beef? For those missing the routine of flying, BA’s meal kits could be a welcome taste of travel.
ADVERTISEMENTWhat do you do when you’re missing international travel but are indefinitely grounded? Pretending you’re luxuriating in first class on a long-haul flight is one way.
British Airways, the UK’s flag carrier, has teamed up with caterers DO & CO and home delivery firm Feast Box to offer wanderlusting jetsetters the chance to "experience the culinary delights of first class dining" at home.
To get the full experience though, you may need to sit next to a hairdryer or a washing machine, to simulate the whitenoise of jet engines (sound effects not included in the meal package).
From the aircraft galley to your kitchen, the four-course meal kits - which are already available to order - come in a choice of vegetarian, fish, and meat dishes.
The starters are Loch Fyne smoked salmon with a mustard dressing or a wholegrain salad with asparagus and grilled aubergine, while dessert is dark chocolate and orange liqueur bread and butter pudding with a vanilla sauce.
Mains range from slow-cooked beef cheeks in a herb jus or handmade agnolotti pasta with morel mushrooms.
To finish off the meal, there is also a cheese board with a selection of English and Welsh cheese.
"Food is a wonderful way to explore the world and helps to shape our fondest memories," said Feast Box CEO and Founder, Jyoti Patel.
"Offering people the chance to travel the world through food is at the core of everything we do, so working with British Airways on this First experience has helped to bring Feast Box to life in a very special way".
Hamish McVey, Head of Brands and Marketing at British Airways, said: "We hope that this exclusive First experience will allow our customers who are missing flying to enjoy an amazing dining experience at home.
"British Airways, Feast Box and DO & CO take huge pride in offering top quality international cuisine, and although it might appear a little different being delivered to a customer’s door rather than at 38,000 feet, we hope it will be just as exciting".
While the novelty factor is definitely high, the cost may not be to everyone’s palette.
A meal for two starts at £80 (€94) for the pasta menu or £100 (€117) for two people for the beef, which, according to travel expert Simon Calder, is the equivalent of a return BA flight from London Heathrow to Nice in June.
It’s also not the first foray airlines have made into the culinary field during the pandemic. In October, Singapore Airlines opened a pop-up restaurant in one of its grounded Airbus A380 aircraft at Changi airport.
With tickets selling out within 30 minutes, travel addicts snapped up the chance to tuck into a three-course lunch in one of four onboard classes while watching in-flight entertainment.
It was such a popular venture that Singapore Airlines ended up adding extra dates.
Some airlines have also catered for passengers still wishing to travel in spite of worldwide pandemic-related restrictions with sightseeing flights, so-called "flights to nowhere," including Qantas and Ukraine Airlines International.
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