It has been many a year since I flew out of LGW and to be honest, was not looking forward to it. The airport brings back memories of hoards of package tourists filling up the hallways, poor retail options and general misery. I was pleasantly proved wrong on this occasion.
I had some Hilton points to use so we stayed at the new Hampton by Hilton hotel attached to the North terminal for the night before flying. This was clean, comfortable and well staffed, Check in was brisk after dropping our car off in their car park, where a valet collected it and took it away to an off=site car park. Very efficient.
We ate at the Sofitel in the evening on the other side of the terminal They have an Asian restaurant selling mainly Chinese and Thai dishes. As airport restaurants go it was very good (and very busy).
We were flying economy (I never see the point of BA Club on European destinations as the seats are the same, just 3 astride instead of the middle seat being blocked, making 2 astride at the front). Check in was very quick as I was ushered from the que to the First desk where the staff member was redundant
I have BA lounge access with my card so we headed to the BA Galleries lounge for breakfast. I have read some not-so-flattering reviews of BA's LGW lounge offering on Flyertalk, but my experience was favourable. At 6.30 it was almost empty (hurrah). The food was more than adequate for a decent continental breakfast, good coffee and fresh juices were available, IT access and papers (if you care for the Hate Mail and the Express).
The flight was on time. The BA EuroTraveller experience was as expected, smooth and efficient. The food offered was dreadful: a disgusting "Bircher Museli" that was a lurid pink colour and probably contained every E mumber known to man, and a very dry and tasteless "croissant" that even I could not eat (and I have a high threshold for poor food after years of NHS canteen meals!)
In BA Club they had fresh fruit, croissants and a cooked breakfast from what I could see through the curtain! 
But I was not hungry so not over-envious 
The flight is only 90 minutes so we wre there in...well 90 minutes!
Collecting the hire car did not go so well- the first car we were given had a broken seat recline, the second (a smaller Fiat 500) was so small we could barely get the luggage in to it but they had no other cars available and I could not be bothered with going to another rental outlet. So although the flights wre good, LGW far better than remembered, I think we will return to the ferry next year. And I do enjoy the drive down.
Note: the lounge at Bordeaux airport is dreadful, small, little food availability and NO COFFEE on the morning we were there. Mon dieu!
Love the Dordogne and surrounding areas. Sadly no Cognac here but I do have a few bottles from the trip left, including some fine Monbazillac I shall be tasting with dessert a bit later.