As part of their 2021 Focus on Euro Traveller Program, British Airways has partnered with Michelin-Starred Chef Tom Kerridge. The carrier also unveiled their new Speedbird Café pre-order menu for guests in Euro Traveller.
On Friday (January 8, 2021), British Airways announced a new partnership with British Michelin-Starred Chef, Tom Kerridge. Chef Kerridge has designed several gourmet food items including signature pies and sandwiches for pre-purchase on the carrier’s newly unveiled Speedbird Café menu for Euro Traveller (short-haul economy) guests. British Airways will continue to offer complimentary refreshments alongside the new menu, where items must be pre-purchased prior to departure, ensuring guests will receive their first meal choice and reducing onboard waste. Additionally, the airline is introducing a Buy Before You Fly program for Highlife Shop products.
In today’s announcement, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, Carolina Martinoli, said,
“Our expert teams have worked closely with Tom to create delicious British staples for our short haul menu. We know how popular the menus that Tom designed for our centenary were with our customers, so we are delighted to be working with him again and can’t wait for our customers to experience his fantastic new food at 35,000ft.”
Also commenting on the new partnership, Chef Kerridge added,
“I am truly happy to be working with British Airways again, and to have the opportunity to champion the best of British to so many people. A sandwich, made with care and great flavours, can be a perfect meal and I hope the passengers enjoy my short haul menu.”
The new onboard service enhancements are part of British Airways renewed focus on the short-haul guest experience, which also includes a full Wi-Fi rollout across their Airbus short-haul fleet and the ability to pre-order duty free items directly to seats via the airline’s inflight retail site, Highlifeshop.com. As previously mentioned, British Airways will continue to offer complimentary refreshments in Euro Traveller on all flights which consists of a bottle of water and a snack, such as crisps or a breakfast bar. Customers wishing for a more substantial food options can pre-purchase menu items designed by Chef Tom Kerridge and other food and beverage options from the carrier’s new online Speedbird Café, also hosted on the Highlifeshop.com website. Items will be available for purchase up to 12 hours prior to departure.
The dishes designed by Chef Kerridge have been created with a focus on British provenance and include choices such as Warm Steak and Ale Pie, The Ham Hock and Cheddar Sandwich, The Spiced Cauliflower and Tortilla Wrap (vegan), The Chicken, Bacon and Celery Brioche and the Brie Ploughman’s Sandwich (Vegetarian). In the video below, courtesy of British Airways, Chef Kerridge explains the thought process involved in creating his carefully curated menu.
British Airways will also be introducing a new BrewDog IPA, exclusively for the airline’s guests. The Scottish craft brewery’s exciting new blend called Jetstream, follows the previous popular limited edition Speedbird 100 offering. Additionally, the airline will move to their next phase of onboard catering experience in Club Europe and on all long-haul flights from January 20, 2021. British Airways’ culinary team has been working with the world-class caterer Do&Co to develop the new menus and adapting the meal service to reintroduce china and glassware.
Source: British Airways