BEST OF BRITISH
the quantities you require that can be a real challenge. For some, placing their product with an airline such as ours is a life-changing experience.“ Tasting the product in the air has
accompaniment for the busy traveller coming in pocket-sized, transportable snacks which provide an exquisite treat. The range can be sold onboard or airside in coffee shops, food or retail outlets,” she added. The company offers four varieties of flapjacks – chocolate chip, jumbo oat, yoghurt and cherry or fruit and coconut – all made to a traditional recipe with Scottish oat flakes, golden syrup and black treacle. Each is individually wrapped and can be bought as a 32-unit mixed or single flavour box.
MENU PLANNING But it’s not just in the area of tea and cakes that British suppliers are making their mark onboard. Sinead Ferguson is menu design manager at British Airways in London where she has been sourcing good British products for BA’s domestic and European routes. Passengers on these routes are offered a free choice from the Eurobasket after breakfast and it currently includes hand-cooked crisps, a 'Forest Feast' fruit and nut mix and a new British brand called 'Urban Eat' – quality filled wraps. The focus on British products is important for the flag carrier. Ferguson said: “Providing our passengers with British products is exceptionally important to us and the provenance of the products is quite high with regard to menu design principals. We encourage our suppliers to source locally where they can. “Airline catering is quite unique.
Packet sizes have to be right to fit sufficient quantities in the trolley drawers and when you tell a supplier
become key she says: “We have been running extensive 'taste at altitude' sessions. Products must taste good at altitude so we like to fly and try! We worked with Leatherhead Food Research who took 16 food tasters on a flight. We conducted a food test in our lounge on the ground at London Heathrow and then again at altitude. Once you do this you never taste food onboard in the same way. "We also like to seek out new and
upcoming brands so we attend the annual Great Taste awards and meet the winners. We encourage our London suppliers to find up-and-coming brands that haven’t been out long.
"It is part of our philosophy to help smaller British pro- ducers get recognition"
"My winter menu demos are taking
Pictured facing page: Classic Cuisine's chocolate fondant and King's honey-mustard dressing This page: Laudens chocolates for British Airways
place in July this year with the help of DO&Co and DHL. We are featuring plenty of new suppliers and low- calorie products." Ferguson’s colleague Mark Tazzioli, menu design manager with British Airways for long haul, has had 25 years’ experience as a chef. He plans to introduce Lauden chocolates in First very soon and is excited about a range of totally British dressings in Club World. He has noted a new focus on buying British and said: "The best changes we have made have been by concentrating on seasonality and using British food. Over the last five years we have introduced a number of smaller, artisan producers and it is part of our philosophy to help smaller British producers to get recognition.
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