Airplane food is notoriously questionable, and most people struggle to enjoy their in-flight meals.
But one dismayed travel blogger claimed she was served the “worst airplane food” ever – a “monstrous” macaroni and cheese topped with “slimy” shrimp and mushrooms for breakfast.
Nicola Easterby, from south-east London, decided to book a last-minute flight from the UK to Australia with her husband James to surprise her family with a visit over the Christmas holidays.
The 29-year-old was struggling to find tickets from London to Brisbane for under £1,200 when she stumbled upon a cheap one-way ticket with China Eastern Airline from Rome to Brisbane for £500.
From “bad-smelling” fishcake to a mystery dessert, she documented every meal she was served during the 28-hour trip, with none leaving her wanting more.
Nicola Easterby, from south-east London, decided to book a last-minute flight from the UK to Australia with her husband James to surprise her family with a visit over the Christmas holidays.
After a mini vacation in Rome where the couple dined on delicious Italian delicacies, nothing could have prepared them for the four courses they faced on their trip.
Nicola said: ‘Guys, it’s official. “This was the worst airplane food I have ever had in my life.”
After a rough start to the flight with the entertainment units broken for the first four hours, the couple were served meal number one.
Nicola and James were given a “stinky” tuna pie accompanied by vegetable couscous and a pear and ricotta crumble, which she said was the only “completely edible” part of their dinner.
She told viewers: “I’ll tell you what, it tasted even worse than it looked,” before rating it a measly two out of 10.
The travel blogger added: ‘Of all the things to serve on a plane, the smell was very bad.
‘The couscous salad was one of the saddest things I had ever seen. It was simply couscous with frozen vegetables and black olives.
“The only completely edible part of the meal was this pear ricotta crumble, which wasn’t even good, it was just much better than everything else.”
The worst food combination came when they received their last breakfast and were met with a plate of “monstrous” macaroni and cheese covered in “slimy” shrimp and mushrooms.
Nicola added: ‘The couscous salad was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. It was simply couscous with frozen vegetables and black olives.
She told viewers: “I’ll tell you what, it tasted even worse than it looked,” before rating the fish pie a measly two out of 10.
The couple were then left without a single bite for eight hours, before being served more questionable meals.
The worst food combination, however, came when they received their final breakfast and were met with a plate of “monstrous” macaroni and cheese covered in “slimy” shrimp and mushrooms, of which Nicola couldn’t eat more than a bite.
While the travel and food content creator admits she wasn’t expecting great things from the meals she was offered, she didn’t think she would go hungry.
Nicola said: ‘The last meal was the worst ever. It was our breakfast. We had macaroni and cheese topped with shrimp and slimy mushrooms.
“I think I ate one bite and said, ‘no, I can’t really do this.'” It was a monstrosity. While this would be bad at any time of day, for breakfast I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“My husband ate everything because he was very hungry. At that time he would eat anything, but I couldn’t.”
He added: “There was another strange artificial desert and a tasteless watermelon.
‘I’ve had very bad meals on airplanes before, but this was definitely the worst. Now we understand why they were so cheap.’
Commenting on the macaroni and cheese, she said: ‘My husband ate it all, he was so hungry. At that time he was eating anything but I couldn’t.
When ‘breakfast’ arrived eight hours later, he was upset to find noodles and a pasta salad.
Shocked by what she had experienced, the blogger, who runs the travel blog Polka Dot Passport, posted the video online with the caption: “Still shocked by that breakfast at the end.”
The couple’s first flight took them from Rome to Shanghai, with a five-hour layover before boarding a second plane to arrive in Australia.
Recalling the second meal on the first flight, Nicola explained that they were left hungry after the first meal of a tuna pie and couscous salad; When “breakfast” arrived eight hours later, he was annoyed to be faced with noodles and a pasta salad.
She commented: ‘I thought the salad component of the meal couldn’t be worse than that couscous salad, but I was proven wrong.
“These pork noodles were definitely more edible than the fish cake, but at this point, my standards were very low.”
After the stopover, the blogger was ‘nervous’ to see what food awaited her on the second trip.
But it started well with a shrimp and potato salad and chicken edamame noodles, which he admitted was “probably the best meal of the day.”
However, when the mysterious dessert arrived, the couple couldn’t even identify what it was.
Travel blogger Nicola said: “I’ve had really bad meals on planes before but this was definitely the worst.” Now we understand why they were so cheap’
After the stopover, the blogger was ‘nervous’ to see what food awaited her on the second trip
The second flight started well with a shrimp and potato salad and chicken edamame noodles, which he admitted was “probably the best meal of the day.”
He added: “The only completely edible part of the meal was this pear ricotta crumble, which wasn’t even good, it was just much better than everything else.”
Shocked by what she had experienced, the blogger, who runs the travel blog Polka Dot Passport, posted the video online with the caption: “Still shocked by that breakfast at the end.”
She concluded: “I didn’t complain to the airline because I knew what I was getting into, but it was funny how bad it really was.”
‘I would say that if someone were to fly with China Eastern, they should bring their own snacks.
‘To be honest, we had the most spacious economy seats I’ve ever been in. But as for the food, at the end of the 28 hours, the food made me very sad.
‘After landing, it was great to enjoy a nice meal with my family.
‘My dad made a roast leg of lamb that was incredible. He is a very good cook, but in the end everything was going to turn out better.’
China Eastern was repeatedly contacted for comment but did not respond.