A new on board menu devised by celebrity chef James Martin is to be served on Thomas Cook Airlines’ flights this summer.
He joined a flight to Turkey to launch the menu and to test his dishes on passengers.
Meals range from Somerset cider chicken with dauphinoise potato and roasted root vegetables to slow braised beef in Guinness, chive and garlic mash potato in the premium cabin.
Economy passengers can opt for slow braised beef ragu with rigatoni pasta and cumin spiced butternut and chickpea masala with steamed basmati rice.
The cost of meals starts at £6.50 on short- and medium-haul routes although they are free of charge on long-haul flights.
Martin said: “Enjoying a hot meal on board is not as widely available as it once was, so we want to ensure that everyone gets the chance to kick off their holiday from the moment they step on the plane with a delicious meal.
“It is a long process to develop an in-flight menu. In fact, getting customers to try the dishes on board is the very last stage in a 12-month process.
“It all starts off with one pan, in my kitchen at home. That’s where we do the testing and development and then we work from there to the factory and then to the finished article at 36,000 feet in the air.”