Airline food: Highlights from menus on the London-Sydney route

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Once the butt of culinary jokes, airline food has gone through a serious image overhaul in recent years thanks to a slew of celebrity-chef collaborations plus a recent study revealing that in-flight meals are getting healthier. Here are the highlights from four airline menus on the London-Sydney route. EMIRATES Economy Starter: chickpea and sweetcorn salad with tuna Main: peri peri chicken with a sun-dried tomato sauce, fried herbed potato cubes, sautéed spinach and baby carrots Dessert: blueberry streusel cake First Class Canapés: pumpkin and parmesan muffin, seafood parcel, mini morel beef burger, marinated cherry tomato, parmesan chunks, Kalamata olives Starter: traditional Arabic mezze including hummus, shanklish salad, tabbouleh, muhammara, stuffed vine leaves and moutabal, potato and lamb kibbeh and spinach fatayer Main: pan-fried lamb loin and lamb cutlet, cherry jus lié, panache of green peas, mashed potato with mustard and olive oil with herbs Dessert: vanilla crème brûlée with a shortbread biscuit base, kumquat compote and sugar garnish Extras: fruit, cheese selection BRITISH AIRWAYS Economy Main: stir-fried chicken with lemongrass and steamed rice Side: red cabbage coleslaw Dessert: sticky toffee pudding First Class Starter: Scottish langoustines with orange and basil sauce and a pickled shimeji mushroom salad Main: pressed British venison with green peppercorn and red onion marmalade pavé, grand veneur sauce and winter vegetables Dessert: strawberry soufflé with strawberry compote and herb tuile Extras: cheese plate, biscuits, fruit, chocolates Grilled chicken salad in Qantas Economy CATHAY PACIFIC Economy Main: braised pork with steamed jasmine rice and mixed vegetables Side: pea, bean and mint salad Dessert: ice cream First Class Canapés: amuse bouche, caviar with blinis, chive, crème fraiche and chopped egg Starter: chicken soup with Chinese herbs Main: Braised chicken with abalone in oyster mushroom sauce, steamed jasmine rice and pak choy with bean curd Dessert: peach melba torte with a mixed berry compote Extras: cheese plate QANTAS Economy Main: grilled chicken salad with black barley and lemon dressing Side: garlic bread Dessert: passionfruit and dulce de leche mousse First Class Canapés: spanner crab and harissa tartlet, Ibérico jamón crostini with date and ricotta Starter: yellowfin tuna with Moroccan aubergine Main: grilled kingfish fillet with steamed vegetables, lemon and olive oil Side: salad of baby cos, radicchio and frisée Dessert: chocolate and orange pot with almond biscuits Extras: cheese selection, chocolates