A very British afternoon tea served when flying BA from Glasgow to London

British afternoon tea is very popular around the world, with its finger sandwiches, cakes and scones. It’s one of my favourite meals when flying British Airways and continues to be so.

Afternoon tea is served on daytime transatlantic flights from London to the US, usually as the before landing meal in Club World and First Class. Within Europe, it is offered between 14:00 and 16:59 on shorter routes.

British Airways’ Lounge Glasgow

This time I was flying from Glasgow to London Heathrow, one of the UK domestic routes. Both of the Scottish lounges are really nice, but perhaps Glasgow has the edge with its snug.

Of course, the Edinburgh lounge is also really nice, so I’d visit both if you get the chance. Relaxing before flight, I enjoyed some of the pies as well as various non-alcoholic beverages to rehydrate after having been at a garden party the afternoon previous.

BA1487 – Glasgow to London Heathrow (GLA-LHR)
28 July 2024
Airbus A320neo – G-TTNI
Seat: Club Europe 1D
Departure: 14:40 Arrival: 16:05

For a change I was in an aisle seat, as I booked relatively close to departure and it was the only seat left in row one. Before you think I’m a total snob, I like to sit up front so I get the food served immediately. The short sectors mean you must eat with a purpose.

A Very British Afternoon Tea

Prior to departure, menus were handed out and I perused it eagerly. There are two entirely different options and having been smoked salmoned to death on flights over the past number of years, I decided to go for the vegetarian option. The three finger sandwiches were Cauliflower coronation on brioche, Cucumber and cream cheese on tramezzini bread and Egg mayonnaise with chives on brioche.

A scone is offered from the basket and of course I washed it all down with Champagne. Since I absolutely adore the scones, I scarfed the first one, and caught the crew on their way back from serving everyone else and asked for another. The jam and cream is the perfect amount for two scones and waste not want not, I say! It’s all very civilised and I had a lovely flight, apart from being in the aisle seat (that being said 1D is better than 1C, because 1C sort of sticks out in the aisle and you get bashed by baggage there during boarding).

Overall Thoughts

If you’ve never had a British afternoon tea at a posh hotel or something like that, you won’t be disappointed if you try it in business class on a BA flight. I swear by it and as I said, I often book this flight to get this meal.

What do you think of the afternoon tea on British Airways? Is there a meal on BA or another airline that you actively seek out because you like it so much? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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