Air NZ serves airline food in London pop-up restaurant

Kiwi chef and restaurateur Peter Gordon devised the menu of Air New Zealand in-flight meals on offer at the London pop-up restaurant. Photo / Dean Purcell

A trendy pop-up restaurant is serving only airline food from Air New Zealand.

The temporary eatery in London's Soho opened on Monday after it was revealed a quarter of Brits think airplane food is worse than school dinners and hospital food, the Daily Mail reported.

A fifth of people believe bad cuisine is the worst thing about flying long-haul and more than half don't like the food served on planes.

The menu on offer at the pop-up, This Is How We Fly, was devised by Kiwi chef and restaurateur Peter Gordon to show off Air New Zealand's fare.

The airline opened the temporary restaurant and also commissioned the research of 1000 UK adults who have flown long haul.

Gordon said: "When you're sitting on an airplane you want food with fresh ingredients and great texture that's going to awaken your taste buds and really excite you.

"The food served on board Air New Zealand uses the finest, fresh ingredients that are simply bursting with flavour."

Nearly half of British flyers said they would enjoy airline food if it was made from fresh ingredients, while almost a quarter would like to see a range of cuisines offered.

And around a fifth said that a menu put together by a top chef would make airplane food more appealing.

Almost half of respondents believe airline food cannot better restaurant quality.

The biggest gripes people have about airplane food are its unappetising look, the freshness of the food and the portion sizes.

Jo Copestake, Air New Zealand General Manager UK and Europe, said, 'At Air New Zealand we make a virtue of flying long-haul so serving great food is just one element of the in-flight experience.

"The research findings are interesting but I suspect they just haven't travelled with us - flying should be enjoyed, not endured!"

When asked for their views on the food, one member of the public said: '"I couldn't believe it - the food was delicious and probably on par with what I would pay for in a restaurant.

"I had the lamb with minted peas, braised lettuce with bacon lardons and salt roasted crushed new potatoes with mint jelly - it was really good."

Another said: "I'm always interested in trying new foods and Soho is really good for that. In all honesty I never thought airplane food could be so nice."

Air New Zealand's This Is How We Fly runs from Tuesday 25 April to Wednesday 26 April at Unit London Gallery, 147 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8WD.

To try out the menu and register your interest in the pop-up visit: www.airnewzealand.co.uk/howwefly.

Jo Copestake, Air New Zealand General Manager UK and Europe, said: "People will have a chance to sample Air New Zealand canapes, created with the finest, freshest ingredients.

"They'll also be able to sample some of the best wines from New Zealand courtesy of winery Villa Maria and discover Auckland via LA in an immersive 4D experience."