This week London’s Heathrow Airport announced an exciting collaboration with Michelin-starred British chef Jason Atherton, best known for his restaurants Pollen Street Social and Berners Tavern. Guests of Heathrow VIP will be able to taste Atherton’s unique interpretation of contemporary gastronomy while awaiting their departure from within the VIP lounge. It doesn’t look like any of our LuxeGetaways contributors and editors are flying through Heathrow at the moment, but we look forward to hearing more from our travel community about the June menu.
Available exclusively to Business and First Class passengers, Heathrow VIP offers a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of airport travel. With VIP service that includes a chauffeured ride to the private entrance, a concierge to show guests to their private lounge and hassle free check-in and luggage handling, every passenger is ensured a five-star experience while waiting for their flight. Before departure, VIP guests are ushered through a private security line and taken directly to their gate of departure via luxury car. With the addition of Atherton’s award-winning food, Heathrow VIP could easily tempt those with no particular destination in mind to purchase a ticket to anywhere just to to get a taste.
“Having experienced the Heathrow VIP offerings first hand, I’ve always been impressed with how the service transforms the way you travel, and so I was delighted to help make the dining experience a true occasion for passengers,” said Chef Jason Atherton. “With the help of my team and the Heathrow VIP chefs, we’ve created a range of exciting dishes to suit even the most experienced palate; we hope this will enhance the premium experience when traveling through the VIP suite at Heathrow.”
So what exactly are these exciting dishes? Taking inspiration from the menus of his world-renowned restaurants while also focusing on local, British produce, Atherton plans to update his menu on a monthly basis in keeping with the freshest available ingredients. For the month of June, the VIP menu is already set to include a selection of mouth-watering canapés; a summer salad starter; a roasted stone bass, caramelized cauliflower, fennel and cockle velouté main course and, for dessert, a voluminous French meringue with fresh berry compote and strawberry sorbet.
“I can still remember the first time I ate in one of Jason’s restaurants — I went straight out and bought his cookbook so that I could try them out at home, and I am thrilled that our VIP passengers can experience the real thing, the very best in British cuisine, when they travel through Heathrow,” said John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow. “From the minute a passenger arrives, to the moment they board their flight, Heathrow’s VIP experience offers a seamless private and luxurious journey through the airport– now complimented with the culinary masterpieces from the brilliant Jason Atherton.”
