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I had several requests for a summary on this so here goes - I'll just send it
to all...

The following is a summary of helpful hints I received for ordering a gluten
free meal for a recent flight to the UK in addition to a traveler's brief on
food in England. I'm also reporting on the great meals I was served on
British Airways - with a cautionary note. I'd highly recommend taking BA for
the food, but am questioning whether or not I would fly with them again after
my return flight which included:

1) a 4.5 hour delay on the runway in a stuffy, sweltering, un-airconditioned
plane;
2) finally being let off the plane to be held over in an airport hotel
overnight and
3) making all the long distance calls to the office and my ride home only to
arrive and find my ride had called BA to double check my new arrival time and
was told by the airline that our flight was arriving 5 hours later than it
really was. This happened because the Sunday and Monday flights from Heathrow
to LAX both had the same number - and due to the delay, flew out on the same
day. So my friends were given the second flight's arrival time.

Anyway, the food was great. Meals were brought to my seat before the other
passengers were served, without any fuss. It was plentiful. Better than the
other passengers around me, from what I could see. On the way over, had
salmon in lemon juice and butter, with fruit, cooked vegetables, rice, rice
cake, chopped raw vegetables with salsa, cheese and juice. For the "light
morning meal," we had fruit, rice cake with jam and butter, plain yogurt,
juice. On the delayed return flight had fish again, with nice green salad,
whipped potatoes, maize bread, rice cracker, and jello suspended fruit.  The
second meal was chicken over rice with asparagus, chopped vegetables, fruit
and cheese.

To order the meals, I informed my travel agent who ordered the meal. I called
the airline's 1-800 number 24 hours ahead to confirm my flight information
and make sure the meal had been ordered. I reconfirmed the meal when I
checked in before the flight.

For those curious about eating GF in the UK, health food stores and Boots the
Chemist drugstores in larger towns have bread, pre-mixed flours and great
cookies (biscuits) along with crackers in the food/pharmacy department. Boots
in smaller towns had the food behind the pharmacy counter and would order it
for you. A common brand (which they served on the plane) of the GF bread is
made with corn (called maize) meal which is kind of smallish and dry. It's ok
with tea but not great for sandwiches.  As previously mentioned on this list,
the bigger white and brown loaves available in Boots are made with "wheat
starch" which has been processed to the point that UK coeliac standards
consider GF. I ate it with no discernible ill effects.

Avoid the sausages (which I have been told contain wheat) but no worries
about eating in the pubs. It's easy to find "jacket potatoes," which are
baked potatoes that come with ham and cheese, tuna, butter or other toppings.
I was able to get nice green salads - without dressing - in most places
(despite what I heard about the English confusion over what constitutes a
"salad.") Ah yes, and for those who may worry about what to drink in the
pubs, the hard cider is great. Several places had more than one brand on tap
- dry, sweet, knock you in your cups. One didn't have to feel deprived of all
that dark beer.

It was a great trip, all in all. One final note on the airline service: I
wasn't too dismayed by the fact that one of the engines wouldn't start, or
that they kept us in a nice hotel overnight so they could fix it. I was a
little perturbed that they kept TELLING us the engine wasn't working, with
the hopes of fixing it and still taking THAT particular plane. (We did get a
different plane the next day, which was a relief.) It seems as though they
could have let off the plane before four and a half very hot, uncomfortable
hours went by.

I understand troubles happen. I felt sorry for the flight crew. But the
bellhop at the airport hotel said this sort of thing had been happening often
with BA. It didn't help that I had called my friends in LA with revised
information on when to pick me up. Yet, when they called to confirm our
revised arrival time with the airline the next day, they were given the wrong
flight information by BA at LAX. The same thing happened to another woman on
the plane who I waited with in the terminal for two hours.

This was really disappointing after having great GF meals and superb
treatment from the cabin crew. Ah well, I guess we have to take our chances.

Happy traveling to UK, it really is wonderful and green and filled with
lovely OLD places!

Chris Harrison
Bakersfield, CA
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