In May, two of the nation’s best-known foodies took on their biggest taste test to date after being appointed as the official taste buds of Heathrow.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace were tasked with eating their way around the UK’s hub airport in 80 plates and to set Heathrow a six-month challenge to improve the airport dining experience. The pair – famous for their straight-talking approach to all things culinary – were given access to all areas of the airport to sample Heathrow’s restaurants.
Following their gastronomic tour, John and Gregg tasked Heathrow’s food and beverage team with introducing healthier food choices across the terminals and creating a platform to champion British culinary talent.
The ‘best of British’ is now being put on centre stage following John Torode and Greg Wallace’s visit with the appointment three new brands to Terminal 2 which will open in June 2014:
- Heston Blumenthal has appointed by Heathrow to open a brand new restaurant which will feature British dishes with a ‘twist’
- The Gorgeous Kitchen has also been appointed to Terminal 2, a concept which has been developed by four local chefs - Gee Charman (former chef at Kensington Palace and right-hand woman of celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay), Sophie Michell (executive chef of Pont St. at Belgraves hotel), Jo Pratt (best-selling author of 'In the mood for food') and Caroline Mi Li Artiss (one of the first chefs to be discovered on YouTube)
- London’s Pride by Fullers, an independent family brewery founded in 1845 and based in Chiswick, just 8.3 miles from Heathrow.
Calorie conscious passengers travelling through the airport can now also take advantage of:
- Healthy eating symbols in restaurant directories and brochures to help customers pick the healthiest options in each terminal
- The introduction of three additional outlets well-known for their commitment to healthy and seasonal dining; Leon (T3 and T2), YO! Sushi (T3 and T2), Carluccios (T4 and T5) and Comptoir (T4).
Ben Crowley, Head of Food and Beverage at Heathrow said:
‘Heathrow’s restaurants and bars are designed specifically with travellers in mind – from people passing through several time zones in a very short space of time to those needing a meal in minutes. We’ve been recognised on a global level but for us this is not enough. We want to continue to innovate to be the best in our league for airport dining.’
Notes to Editors
Heathrow food facts:
- Every year 26 million orders are placed at Heathrow’s restaurants and bars
- Breakfast is the most popular dish of the day at Heathrow, with almost 5 million eggs, 6.4 million croissants and a whopping 4.5 million rashers of bacon served every year
- The airport plates up more than 1.5 tonnes of caviar and 25,000 kilos of salmon, and shucks over 240,000 oysters annually. This delicious seafood requires a garnish of 400,000 lemons every year. Heathrow pours over 800,000 glasses of Champagne every year
- Over 250,000 pieces of sushi are served at Heathrow each year, and 630,000 portions of steak
- Heathrow’s food and beverage team work with leading nutritionists to review the food and drink on offer and provide guidance and advice on travel eating
- Heathrow has previously introduced travel concepts including a picnic area serving a pre-flight relaxation menu of dishes scientifically proven to help people unwind.
- The airport has also introduced ‘take onboard’ menu options for the 17% of passengers who like to take food to eat on their flight.
- In 2012 and 2011, Heathrow was awarded Best Airport Food and Beverage and World’s Best Airport Food at the Food and Beverage awards for its diverse food offering.
