Airplane food - some hate it, some love it. For Nik Sennhauser, it's the latter.
The avid traveller, who would fly every three weeks before the pandemic, has started to recreate the airplane meals that he enjoyed on flights.
With nowhere to go during lockdown – and unable to try out any plane food due to not flying – he decided to whip up some plane inspired meals.
The results will make your mouth water and give you a little wanderlust.
But, when more people were doing the same, he decided that it was not exciting anymore and stopped recreating the meals.
By January 2021, he decided to give it another shot. Only this time he wanted the full experience – complete with an airline trolley and airline crockery.
His plating skills are impeccable.
From a hot breakfast of eggs and sausage to a three-course spread of chicken schnitzel, cucumber salad and boiled potatoes, and chocolate mousse with raspberries, the meals would transport you back to your days aboard flight where cabin crew served you piping hot meals.
He said preparing the meals helped him relive memories of his past trips.
Sennhauser has since recreated meals from British Airways, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, to name but a few.
While chatting to IOL Travel, he said: “I always had an interest in plane food. I remember always looking forward to the meal service on the plane as a child. I always wanted to be a flight attendant and was fascinated by the galleys. I was the kid that would spend half the flight sitting in the galley chatting with the flight attendants.
“This has often led to flight attendants sneaking meals out of business class for me, such as desserts. Plane food to me is not just about the taste but also the presentation. There is so much thought and research going into every meal, from taste to presentation, storage, and the way it is served,” he said.
Sennhauser said plane food forms an integral part of the travel experience.
“Airlines have always used food as a selling point, working with celebrity chefs and restaurants. For me, making these meals is a silly hobby that gives me joy and allows me to think about the travels I have done and have missed out on over the past year without getting upset.
“Cooking these meals has helped me deal with my FOMO and find joy again in thinking about travel. I’ve learned that I can actually cook delicious food by following a recipe, especially desserts. I would have never thought of making a chocolate mousse myself from scratch had it not been for this. One thing friends and family can look forward to once we are allowed inside each other’s houses again is a cracking dinner party at my place. All I need now are more airline plates,” he added.
Feast your eyes on some of his creations:
Breakfast
Qatar Airways breakfast on a flight from Bangkok to Doha in 2017
British Airways new First Class meal in a box recreated
Lufthansa dinner on flight from France to Seoul in 2015