Virgin Atlantic partner with master pâtissier Eric Lanlard on 38,000ft high tea

Customers can now avail this service on DEL – LON flights

 

  • Eric Lanlard has designed a bespoke series of afternoon teas for Virgin Atlantic
  • New Afternoon Tea will launch at the London Heathrow Clubhouse this month, followed by Upper Class, Premium and Economy cabin editions late summer 2018

New Delhi, April 26,2018 – Virgin Atlantic is announcing a brand new partnership with celebrity chef and master pâtissier Eric Lanlard. Eric has created a series of bespoke afternoon teas for the London Heathrow Clubhouse and for Upper Class, Premium, and Economy cabins on all day flights worldwide. Customers can now avail this service on DEL – LON flights.

Starting this month Eric Lanlard will be bringing his award winning culinary experience to the Virgin Atlantic Heathrow Clubhouse, served afternoon tea between 3pm and 5.30pm daily. This latest addition to the Clubhouse menu can be enjoyed with a pot of tea or Lanson rose champagne and will be served on a bespoke stand filled with items including:

  • Prosciutto, sunblushed tomato and rocket on a stone baked Campagne brown roll
  • Smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill mint mini croissant
  • Broccoli, goat’s cheese and cress savoury tart
  • Homemade plain and sultana scones with strawberry preserve, lemon and clotted cream
  • Eton mess verrine with strawberry coulis
  • Apple and blackberry cake
  • Dark chocolate brownie with salted caramel sauce

Customers across all three of Virgin Atlantic’s cabins will also get the chance to sample Eric’s signature afternoon tea when flying on day flights. Launching in late summer, the 38,000ft high tea will feature handmade sandwiches, scones and an assortment of macarons. Eric will be trialling the onboard high tea on a special test flight this April in order to hone the perfect menu for each cabin.

Daniel Kerzner, VP of Customer Experience at Virgin Atlantic commented:

“Virgin Atlantic is famous for its award winning food and drink, and this year we’re taking that reputation to new heights. We’re excited to work with Eric Lanlard and introduce a fresh take on afternoon tea to our Heathrow Clubhouse from April, and onboard our flights from late summer. It’s the first time that Eric has partnered with an airline, and I think our customers are going to love it.”

Eric Lanlard, Master pâtissier commented:

“I am very excited about this new partnership and can’t wait to combine my passion for baking with air travel. And who better to do it with than a fun, dynamic and iconic brand such as Virgin Atlantic. We’re on a mission to own afternoon tea both in the air and on the ground at the Heathrow Clubhouse.“

Eric’s new afternoon tea joins a host of food and drinks already available to Virgin Atlantic customers. Everyone onboard all Virgin Atlantic flights are treated to two tasty meals, snacks, wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks as well as award winning inflight entertainment.

 

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson 33 years ago with innovation and customer service at its core. Today Virgin Atlantic carries 5.5 million customers annually, and was recently named the UK’s favourite long haul carrier by Skytrax, Best Transatlantic Airline at the British Travel Awards 2017 and one of the Top 5 Airlines in the World by Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, Virgin Atlantic employs over 9000 people worldwide and operates a fleet of over 40 aircraft serving 26 destinations across four continents.  Alongside joint venture partner Delta Air Lines they operate the leading transatlantic network – offering up to 39 flights per day between the UK and US with onward connections to over 200 US and international cities.

Last year Virgin Atlantic became the first airline in Europe to be fully Wi-Fi connected, and in 2019 will take delivery of their first Airbus A350-1000 aircraft – helping to transform the fleet into one of the quietest and most fuel efficient in the sky.

For more information visit: www.virginatlantic.com

About Eric Lanlard

Eric Lanlard, Master Pâtissier, has earned himself an international reputation for superlative baked creations for an impressive A-list clientele. He is, according to Vanity Fair magazine, one of the best pâtissiers in the world. As well as being a famous baker, Eric is also a future Virgin Galactic Astronaut.

Having trained in France to great acclaim, Eric moved to London aged 22 to work for Albert and Michel Roux becoming Head Pastry Chef within two years. In 1995 Eric established his own wholesale patisserie, leading to the opening of Cake Boy, a destination café, cake emporium and cookery school based in South West London. Eric is an experienced TV presenter, and has presented four baking series for Channel 4, including Glamour Puds and Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard. He is a regular contributor and guest on some of the UK’s most loved TV food shows including The Great British Bake Off and Masterchef: The Professionals. He is author of 8 books including Home Bake and Afternoon Tea – all published by Mitchell Beazley.

For more information visit: cake-boy.com