LONDON: The first tranche of British Airways’ £400 million investment in Club World, its long-haul business cabin, is set to arrive on September 1 as a new restaurant-style dining experience launches on flights between Heathrow and New York JFK.
Travellers will be able to select their choice of freshly prepared starters and desserts from new display trolleys, which will be served by the crew on to new table settings.
The menu features:
Starters:
- Loch Fyne smoked salmon tartare with wasabi crème fraîche
- Burrata and tomato carpaccio with olive oil and balsamic dressing
- Creamy butternut squash soup with chive and sour cream
- Fresh seasonal salad, grilled vegetables and a choice of French dressing or olive oil and balsamic dressing
Entrees
- Best of Heritage beef homemade gnocchi in Café de Paris sauce and pan-fried green asparagus
- Line-caught grilled Cornish Dover sole with Mediterranean lentils, celeriac mousseline and lemon butter
- Homemade artichoke ravioli Parmesan
Dessert:
- DO & CO‘s double chocolate medley
- Lemon tart
- Viennese-style apple strudel with vanilla sauce
- Fresh strawberries
- Cheese board with Somerset brie, Keen’s cheddar, Cropwell Bishop stilton, walnuts, grapes and fig chutney
The carefully curated wine selection will feature white wines and Champagnes presented on top of the trolleys in large, silver wine coolers, while regiments of red wine bottles stand alongside them. The wine menu includes a Bourgogne Chardonnay 2016, Patriarche Père et Fils from Burgundy, a Tiki Sauvignon Blanc 2016 from Marlborough, a Las Olas Malbec/Bonarda Reserve 2014 from the Famatina Valley in Argentina and a Reata Three County Pinot Noir 2013 from California. The champagne options are Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain NV, Champagne de Castelnau Brut Réserve NV and Champagne de Castelnau Brut Rosé NV.
Colin Talbot, British Airways’ head of catering, said: “We’ve really focused on attention to detail with the new Club World menu, with the aim of delivering a real restaurant experience in the sky. We’ve considered everything from flavours and textures, to look and feel, all of which have to work at altitude. The dishes are designed to pop with taste and the table settings are both elegant and practical, with thought-through details such as stemless wine glasses.
“We’ve extensively tested the new menu on numerous flights, refining elements after every trial, so we believe the final product our customers will receive on flights to New York from September will prove incredibly popular.”
From Autumn, the second phase of the investment will begin, when British Airways’ partnership with The White Company will deliver customers a great night’s sleep in the sky. The iconic British retailer will supply bedding including an elegant day cushion, a bespoke, luxuriously soft large pillow, a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim and a specially developed luxury duvet to improve their quality of sleep, as well as a padded mattress cover giving an extra layer of comfort.
The White Company will also supply amenity kits in an elegantly designed bag, containing the retailer’s ‘Restore & Relax Spa Collection’, as well as a soft jersey eye-mask.The revamped Club World catering and sleep experience will be rolled out across the airline’s long-haul network throughout 2018.
In addition to the £400 million being spent on Club World, at Heathrow a First Wing check-in area with direct security and lounge access has launched, and lounges around the airline’s network are to be refreshed and improved. The Club Europe cabin has also been introduced on UK domestic services and all customers can look forward to the latest generation Wi-Fi across British Airways’ long-haul and short-haul fleets over the next two years. News Desk
