V-Flyer

Virgin Atlantic has launched its new Autumn/Winter menu across all cabins from 4th October, with plenty of options that will help keep customers cosy for the flight ahead.

Upper Class customers will indulge in a balance of British favourites and world flavours. On the main menu is succulent serrano ham with roasted squash, pickled red onion and feta cheese, herb roasted chicken breast and roasted trout fillet. Stealing the show is the Extra Bites menu, featuring a delicious cream tea including both a sultana scone and white chocolate and orange scone, with clotted cream, morello cherry jam and lemon curd. There's also a delectable bao bun with cashew satay chicken and a spiced lamb flatbread. The new menu features an increased focus on vegetarian and plant-based options, including carrot tartare with whipped ricotta, spinach and ricotta tortellini, spiced apple and parsnip soup and a beyond burger® with pickled onions, vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise. Tempting new flavours of Northern Bloc plant-based ice cream will also be served, passengers can contemplate over double salted caramel or lemon sorbet.

A new A La Carte breakfast menu has been introduced in Upper Class, enabling customers to ‘build their own breakfast’ from options of yoghurt, fresh fruit, warm pastries and a new range of cereals such as artisan granola or fruit and fibre. Customers wanting to catch up on sleep can order an Express Breakfast, served 40 minutes before landing. This includes either a bacon roll or sweet pastry. New wellbeing drinks are also making their debut, including Real sparkling tea, Perfect Ted matcha and Lo Bros kombucha. The latest edition of onboard wines feature a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a Côtes du Rhône Rosé and an Italian Villa Borghetti Valpolicella Classico.

In the next cabin, Premium customers will have a tough time choosing between a homely chicken lasagne, sage and thyme pork stew and panko coated tofu with katsu vegetable curry. A new addition to the service is a British cheese plate with vintage cheddar, blacksticks blue, fig jelly and grapes with olive oil and sea salt crackers. A choice of sweet or savoury Mile High Tea will be on offer, with either coconut and blueberry financier and pistachio macaron mini patisseries, or mini quiche Lorraine and smoked salmon blini.

Economy Delight passengers will be delighted to learn that they can now pre-order their entrees, which is already available in Premium and Upper Class. The new Economy menu features a chicken, leek and tarragon casserole and a creamy spinach and butternut pasta, complemented by Cathedral City cheddar and crackers and a Pots & Co plant-based chocolate pot.

Snacks across cabins have been upgraded, with Economy passengers spoilt for choice between Walker’s shortbread fingers, vanilla Oreos, Cadbury mini fingers and Penn State sour cream and chive pretzels. Upper Class and Premium snacks will feature Savoursmiths bubbly and serrano chilli crisps, Yumma peach flavoured gummy sweets, Creative Nature blueberry muffin bar, Love Raw Vegan caramelised biscuit bar and more.

There is something for everyone to enjoy as Virgin Atlantic welcomes back the crisp air and autumnal evenings. The comforting menu will be sure to leave customers full of flavoursome food, kick starting their holidays in the right way.

https://corporate.virginatlantic.com/gb ... eason.html

That would explain why I cannot use the pre order for my flight back on Friday,

I look forward to seeing what they rustle up for my Gluten Free special meal on Saturday.. I travelled Economy Delight in August and it was surprisingly good actually. They seemed to mush vegan and gluten free into the same category but I was impressed how tasty it was despite being unable to really identify what I was eating (some sort of green coloured wrap with "something" in it). I've never bothered with GF in UC before, instead choosing to brave the menu or go without.. but the summer menu looked terrible for GF so I've ordered ahead. Hopefully I don't regret it!

Can't say that this 'comforting menu' is really floating my boat. In fact, I might start flying economy - the choices there sound better to me than Upper and Premium. Or maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough?

We got our selection through a couple of days ago, what looked ok was ruined in our opinion by the ingredients they mixed it with. I cannot eat anything spicy and have gone for the herb chicken hoping its not too herby as it just upsets me. I would have gone for the fish but then. they put it with some other highly spicy ingredient . Less is more in our opinion .

Do you still get a starter and desert as could not find anything to select only a highly spiced soup?

It can't be any worse than the previous menu - particularly on inbound flights. A huge slab of cheese-breaded chicken (dry too) passed off as a Business Class meal. The FSM was embarrassed serving it.

Here’s my pre-order options for my VS109 flight next Friday:

Herb Roasted Chicken Breast with fondant potatoes, broccolini, wild mushrooms and madeira sauce

Roasted Trout Fillet with jasmine rice, pickled radish and carrot, charred bok choy, coriander cress and a light Thai green sauce

Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini (v) with sage butter sauce, grilled baby courgettes and artichoke topped with a parsley panko crumb (v)

Spiced Apple and Parsnip Soup (v) with a gouda cheese and chilli jam toastie (v)

Panko Coated Tofu (v) with katsu vegetable curry , jasmine rice and pickled ginger (v)

I’m torn between the Tortellini or the soup

mitchja wrote:Here’s my pre-order options for my VS109 flight next Friday:

Herb Roasted Chicken Breast with fondant potatoes, broccolini, wild mushrooms and madeira sauce

Roasted Trout Fillet with jasmine rice, pickled radish and carrot, charred bok choy, coriander cress and a light Thai green sauce

Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini (v) with sage butter sauce, grilled baby courgettes and artichoke topped with a parsley panko crumb (v)

Spiced Apple and Parsnip Soup (v) with a gouda cheese and chilli jam toastie (v)

Panko Coated Tofu (v) with katsu vegetable curry , jasmine rice and pickled ginger (v)

I’m torn between the Tortellini or the soup

The soup and toastie have been my saving grace after 6 months of the same menu! Even airlines can’t get that basic item pairing wrong.

territt wrote:

That looks pretty vile - can't work out which option it is but it looks like sausages, peas & "something" that could have come out of a sick-bag. Virgin really should ask passengers what they would like to see on the menu - problem is they won't like what would probably be one of the most common answers....

Thanks for providing the info James.

I have to say I am less than impressed with the real lack of choice in the options you have shared with us

A lain and simple offering would be taken by so many, rather than trying to emulate a high end restaurant. Then again, Mrs Buns and I must be regarded as being in the minority these days.

Buns

buns wrote:Thanks for providing the info James.

I have to say I am less than impressed with the real lack of choice in the options you have shared with us

A lain and simple offering would be taken by so many, rather than trying to emulate a high end restaurant. Then again, Mrs Buns and I must be regarded as being in the minority these days.

Buns

I totally agree that "less is more" when it comes to airline food. Just serve decent quality "home comfort" food and it will probably go down a treat. It's also likely to be easier to handle the changes in flavour too at altitude in the pressurised cabin.

I remember that infamous Mediterranean menu in Upper back in 2004 / 2005. The sandwich selection in the afternoon tea was so off-the-scale it was unbelievable. I remember saying to the FSM "look at the sandwiches that M&S sell - how many of these combinations are available there?" She conceded none were - and for a good reason.

Kraken wrote:
That looks pretty vile - can't work out which option it is but it looks like sausages, peas & "something" that could have come out of a sick-bag.

It was vile, the mash was meant to be mash with bacon and onion, had one bite and couldn’t eat it any more,

Sausage and mash should be simple to do well .

I'm even dreading to see what the starters are next week as even those have all been weird choices in the last few menu cycles.

What are VS thinking with menus at the minute? It needs to ago back to basics

Hello, my first post but have been following for a number of years, thanks to all for some great information and tips.
Regarding this series of posts,
I have just had my Tell us about it email after my MCO-MAN UC trip.
Toward the end of the questions were a couple asking what I would be prepared not to order and then what it would take for me to forgo a meal on board ie. Lower fares, plant a tree for me, lounge access ( we already get with uc). Not seen these questions before, have flown UC a number of times.
Is it just me or are Virgin testing the water for stopping serving meals, maybe this is why the UC options are not very good at present. - if it’s poor you won’t miss it-

Neil

Fully agree with you all, let's go back to basic, tasty meals.

Neil23 wrote:Hello, my first post but have been following for a number of years, thanks to all for some great information and tips.
Regarding this series of posts,
I have just had my Tell us about it email after my MCO-MAN UC trip.
Toward the end of the questions were a couple asking what I would be prepared not to order and then what it would take for me to forgo a meal on board ie. Lower fares, plant a tree for me, lounge access ( we already get with uc). Not seen these questions before, have flown UC a number of times.
Is it just me or are Virgin testing the water for stopping serving meals, maybe this is why the UC options are not very good at present. - if it’s poor you won’t miss it-

Neil

Since VS only do long haul, how can anyone there even consider "no food" as an option? Even TUI provide meals on their long haul! Just consider the mess as everyone brings on their own food to self cater...

Neil23 wrote:Is it just me or are Virgin testing the water for stopping serving meals, maybe this is why the UC options are not very good at present. - if it’s poor you won’t miss it-

I don't think they could do that in Upper.

For W and Y I can see them offering basics for free, premium options for an upsell.

Just returned from mco to man today. Outbound they came and asked me to have something else as they ran out of the chicken ..ended up with a premium meal as the upper alternatives were not to my liking.
On return was asked to chose something else again as lack of chicken loaded .. I said not again , but wish I had. The BBQ chicken and pasta was awful, definitely not what upper class food should be .

Omg. Just flew back from Atlanta and the menu in upper class was unbelievably poor. My wife and I eat nothing! Unable to post a photo of the menu but…….

territt wrote:

Worse than school dinners

Here are the full menus for flights departing the UK:

Thanks James, was hoping you'd post full menu details. It'll be interesting to see what you chose and your thoughts - I need to make my choices for next week but been holding off for any feedback before choosing

Have a great flight and enjoy

Let’s hope there’s some better options on pre order. Whoever’s signing off these menus needs to get a grip.

David

David wrote:Let’s hope there’s some better options on pre order. Whoever’s signing off these menus needs to get a grip.

David

Nothing else listed, apart from Tofu, to pre-order for my departure next week ex MAN.

Not sure if LHR has moreoptions as pre orders. I usually fly from there and have always had at least 2 other offerings.

Jilly