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“More robust dishes work well,” says Mark Tazzioli. “Spicy dishes are good because of the moisture content and the strong flavours.”
Important, too, is ensuring customers have enough choice on board. Cultural considerations are taken into account, with South Asian vegetarian dishes on flights to India, and halal meat on the Middle Eastern routes; but Tazzioli is surprised at how popular comfort food is, even in first class. The BA signature beef burger is a perennial favourite, as are sausages and mash. “It doesn’t matter which route we offer it on, or in which class, tikka masala always works well,” he says. “Except on flights to India.”
Given the restrictions of small galley kitchens a mile high in the sky, certain foods are avoided. Food safety considerations preclude some raw dishes such as sushi, steak tartare or oysters.
“We play it very safe,” says Tazzioli. “Every dish has to be cooked to the right temperature. However, we can do a rare fillet steak, as long as we sear it before we load it.”
Food smells are a consideration. “We don’t go for Brussels sprouts much,” he adds. “Except around Christmas. And many years ago when we did menus for Concorde, we did a lobster in a truffle dressing. There was a time lag between preparing it and loading it. When they finally opened those trolley doors, the truffle smell stank the aircraft out.”