One of my favourite things about British Airways is the great afternoon tea in Club Europe. It never disappoints and I’ve been a pretty big fan of it since I first encountered it.

It remains just as good as ever, as is evident from this flight I took recently. Heading back from London after a weekend visit to see ABBA Voyage, I was looking forward to my inflight meal.

Elizabeth and Lounges

After staying at the London Marriott Canary Wharf, I walked the 50 steps or so to Canary Wharf Station. An Elizabeth Line Tube whisked me to Heathrow and after a quick trip I got off at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 and transferred to a Terminal 5 connection on the Heathrow Express.


My friend and I breezed through the British Airways First Wing and arrived in the lounge. Once we had seats, we elected to have some fish cakes and Champagne. The lack of a gate was causing me concern close to flight time, and eventually it popped up on screen and I went downstairs.


After a little bit of a wait, it was time to go through the automated barriers and onto the plane. All of that happened seamlessly, which is always welcome.

BA830 – London Heathrow to Dublin (LHR-DUB)
28 May 2023
Airbus A320 – G-EUYN
Seat: Club Europe 1A
Departure: 15:05 Arrival: 16:35

Once on board, I relaxed into my seat as everyone else got on. The seats continue to be comfortable and are very familiar to me after so many years flying British Airways.

Afternoon Tea In Club Europe

Shortly enough we headed to the runway and took off, setting course for Dublin. British Airways crew are well versed in the short flight time and soon enough I was being asked if I wanted to eat and what I wanted to drink. Yes, and Champagne and water for me, please!


The finger sandwiches were stunningly delicious. Perhaps the only one not quite best was the salmon one, but that’s maybe because I was in a sweet mood. Lemon cake, divine! Scones, fabulous! So nice that I asked for and received a second one. Moreish!

Flying Along

Happily the crew were quite efficient with the top ups, so the lack of piccolos was mitigated. I don’t think anyone else was drinking Champagne which was very interesting to me.


Naturally one had to visit the facilities before landing, and soon enough it was 10 minutes to landing, which is always announced by the pilots over the PA. That meant swapping my glass for a plastic tumbler for the remainder of my Champagne and we then descended and landed into Dublin.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve always been a fan of the afternoon tea in Club Europe, as regular readers are well aware. The fact that it is still just as good as ever pleases me, especially as I specifically choose the afternoon flights so I can get it!

While the piccolos being gone is a little sad, I didn’t notice on this service. Cabin crew kept me topped up all the time, which is a sign of an attentive and well trained crew that care about their jobs.

What do you think of the BA afternoon tea service in business class on short European flights? Love it? Loathe it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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