Our vegan top quality expertise with British Airways

While lengthy haul journeys in enterprise class have been a daily a part of our world travels lately, for which we’re after all eternally grateful, our latest Singapore to London return flights in top quality had been an additional particular deal with. Sometimes called the ‘tremendous jumbo’, our flights in each instructions with British Airways had been on board one in every of their A380’s together with 469 fellow passengers. The primary class cabin has solely 12 seats and has a 1-2-1 format, making certain a sure sense of area and exclusivity. Many have written beforehand, and plenty of will proceed to jot down in regards to the airline, the plane and the seat, however this text is all in regards to the meals, the vegan meals particularly which is globally recognized within the trade as a VGML meal. For anybody who has ordered ‘particular meals’ on their flights, the potential for it not being loaded, being loaded incorrectly, or it simply not being as much as commonplace is all the time a priority, so let’s see how British Airways taken care of us on our two latest flights.

BA First Class Lounge at Singapore Changi

Referred to as ‘The Bar’ and accessed from a personal door throughout the Enterprise Class Lounge, this can be a small and discrete place to flee from the seemingly by no means ending hustle and bustle at Changi. Open to British Airways and One World passengers who’re flying in top quality, and elite members of One World alliance companions, it definitely has that sense of exclusivity.

There’s a properly stocked bar and a small a la carte menu from which we chosen ‘Soy Basmati Biryani’ which was labelled vegan on the menu and filled with flavour. This was accompanied by a ginger beer from Artonic and a packet of Tyrrells sea salt and cider vinegar crisps. Spending your time right here pre flight will most definitely be a quiet and relaxed affair, however we had our eye on one other lounge that we knew would supply a much more thrilling culinary expertise.

Qantas First Class Lounge at Singapore Changi

Pre flight analysis and a considerably nerd like data of world lounge choices, meant that we had been all the time going to spend most of it time and dine right here. Upon entry we had been shocked on the measurement of this Qantas signature lounge, and it didn’t take lengthy earlier than the attentive workers guided us to a desk within the restaurant.

That is no peculiar lounge restaurant, this can be a restaurant that will stand shoulder to shoulder (if not above) among the best eating places in cities all over the world. Curated by Australian Chef Neil Perry, the a la carte menu and in depth wine listing actually has one thing for everybody. The vegan choices had been clearly labelled as plant primarily based, and the attentive waiter additionally recommended different dishes that may very well be tailored to make them vegan. We dined on baked eggplant with miso noodles and a scrumptious vegan noodle soup which had been accompanied by ice chilly glasses of Heineken 0.0 non-alcoholic beer. We had been suitably impressed and would most definitely return if this restaurant had a metropolis centre location.

Our vegan meals from Singapore to London with British Airways

With a late departure and having dined in two of the primary class at Changi we weren’t precisely hungry. However after all for analysis functions we determined to order what had been ready for us earlier than making an attempt to get some a lot wanted sleep on our 13 hour flight. The cabin workers had been wonderful, and defined what our particular meals consisted of, and likewise helped us to navigate the on board menu and recommend different choices. Aside from a vegan model of the signature canapés, the meals was actually not good and doesn’t even warrant a photograph, what we had been served was unimaginative and actually less than the extent you’d anticipate when flying First Class. The spotlight was one other can of ice chilly Heineken 0.0 which was served in a calming glass.

Simply earlier than our arrival at London Heathrow, breakfast was served and we loved our vegan breakfast which was simply sort of common. While it was thrilling to have scrambled tofu, a vegan sausage or two wouldn’t have gone amiss.

BA First Class Lounge at London Heathrow

Arriving early, we hoped for a first-class expertise awaiting our flight at London Heathrow, and that’s precisely what we bought. Spending our time within the Concorde Room we loved wonderful service and scrumptious meals together with vegan cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches (with their crusts lower off after all), vegan pumpkin risotto and a Transferring Mountains vegan burger. The burger was served with vegan mayo and vegan cheese which made us pleased, and all the above was clearly labelled on the menu. We walked by means of to Galleries First the place there have been loads of vegan choices on the buffet together with a vegetable curry and an intensive salad bar. Non alcoholic beer and non alcoholic cocktails accomplished our very pleasing expertise within the British Airways Lounges at Heathrow.

Our vegan meals from London to Singapore with British Airways

As soon as on board, the vegan meals that was pre ordered didn’t fairly attain the heights of what we had been served within the lounge, however this was made up for by the crew who had been tremendous pleasant and are a credit score to British Airways. We loved a trio of the signature canapés that everybody is served in First, albeit ours had been completely plant primarily based. This was adopted by a vegetable and lentil salad, on a mattress of roasted eggplant, and this was adopted by a pleasant pesto pasta dish which was filled with flavour and was washed down with one more Heineken 0.0. After which the seemingly unimaginable (primarily based on earlier experiences) occurred, our vegan desert was served and it wasn’t fruit. Not solely was it not fruit, it was a wealthy and moist vegan chocolate cake with recent strawberries, we had been in constructive VGML heaven. After a a lot wanted sleep, we had been woken with a wonderful breakfast evaluating recent juice, oat milk latte, fruit platter and a vegan full English full with scrambled tofu and that elusive vegan sausage that was lacking on our first flight. Fairly merely, once you mix the crew, the service and the meals, this was one of the best expertise we’ve had within the premium cabins on any airline lately.

There have been definitely some ‘highs and lows’ on these latest flights with British Airways in First Class, which after all leaves some room for enchancment. We beloved that we had been in a position to take pleasure in vegan variations of the signature canapés that everybody is served within the premium cabin, while we had been very impressed with the Qantus top quality lounge at Changi and the British Airways top quality lounge at Heathrow. However we had been additionally served a way under par dishes, and as we’ve written earlier than, it wouldn’t take a lot to make sure that passengers who wished to eat vegan meals may take pleasure in ice cream, truffles and different candy treats in the course of the flight. General, it was spectacular, however we are able to solely hope that enhancements are remodeled the approaching years.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Meals Quest who write about luxurious motels and resorts in Southeast Asia with a deal with sustainable journey, eco journey and vegan journey. At present primarily based in Malaysia, Paul additionally writes about sporting occasions and among the best golf programs all through the area.