The Lowdown: British Airways in-flight meal kits

Let’s get this straight, it’s plane food but without the plane?​
That’s about the size of it. According to British Airways, customers can ‘recreate the magic of flying’ by cooking some of the dishes served on their fleet at 38,000 ft in the comfort of their own home.

I though the magic of flying was that it took you to holiday destinations quickly?​
Where’s your sense of romance? Life’s a journey, not a destination, after all. And these aren’t just any in-flight meals anyway, but those served to passengers lucky enough to have a first-class cabin ticket.

OK, so a choice of meat or vegetarian then?​
It’s a bit more sophisticated than that. British Airways has teamed up with its catering partner DO & CO and meal kit delivery company Feast Box to bring its most popular high-flying starters, main courses and desserts to its at-home menu. Dishes include a timbale of Loch Fyne smoked salmon; slow-cooked British beef cheeks with jalapeno potato gratin, Tenderstem broccoli and chimichurri; truffle agnolotti with morels and asparagus; and a dark chocolate and orange liqueur bread and butter pudding with vanilla sauce. There’s also a selection of British cheeses, as you'd expect from the flag carrier.

Ooh, very posh. Do I get BA monogrammed plates to eat off?​
Sadly not. The menu does sound better than many a long-haul flight meal experience but there is a whiff of a 90's dinner party about it. There’s more work involved as well. While you get the meal served to your seat in first class, accompanied by a nice glass of wine, here you’ve got to get the oven on and get stuck in. Feast It says that the bulk of the main courses have been pre-prepared but its website still suggests preparation times of up to 60 minutes for some of the kits.

I could fly to Dublin in that time​
It would be cheaper as well – depending on which budget airline you use. The meals are either £80 or £100 for two people, and that’s without any booze.

That’s brought me down to earth a bit ​
There are less expensive ways to recreate the inflight experience, that’s for sure – such as this chap’s ingenious attempt. ​​However, there is an additional sweetener to the deal besides the bread and butter pud – in each box is a voucher to save 10% off your next British Airways flight. Use it wisely and you could be eating for free, which is what dining on a plane feels like anyway.