Emirates made us dairy free and egg free children's meals!

Wow, Emirates, you made my day!  Ten out of ten for kindness and planning although points deducted for execution ... here's the details:

The Purser on our flight from London to Dubai said that she would make a note against The Allergic One's name and request dairy free and egg free children's meals when on board in future.  I thanked her for this kindness but thought no more of it.

On our return flight from Perth to Dubai, and then from Dubai to London, what should appear but ... dairy free and egg free children's meals!  They do exist!

Here are some photos.  They were taken in artificial light and are a bit out of focus but are hopefully better than nothing!

Dairy free and egg free breakfast on flight from Perth to Dubai:

We got: melon cubes, Fruit pot (peach and pear), OJ, packet of dried apricots and sultanas, Ryvita-type crackers, pots of margarine, vegemite and jam.  The hot meal was cooked tomato, mushrooms, spinach and potatoes with a sachet of ketchup.  

He ate: just the melon ... and the vegemite sandwiches on white Baker's Delight bread, a soy vanilla yoghurt and a 250 ml carton of soy milk that I'd packed for him.  

Questions (not meaning to sound ungrateful): er, is this a balanced meal, it's almost exclusively comprised of fruit and veggies ... why no protein?  e.g. even if there was no suitable meat/fish, could he not have had the baked beans that were included in the breakfast of the Non Allergic One's child meal?  why no bread roll?  

Dairy free and egg free breakfast on flight from Dubai to London:

We got: a bag of sliced apple, a plastic pot of jam, a cake and some OJ.

He ate: the apple ... and a packet of mini cereal (cornflakes) and some soy milk which I'd packed for him.

Questions: hello protein?  and ... why could the airline not add a small carton of soy milk and mini cereal box?  

Dairy free and egg free lunch on flight from Dubai to London: 

Ah, it was all going so well.  I was so impressed with Emirates and then all of the good work was undone by a careless steward or stewardess who stuck a main meal containing pizza and a snack box containing cow's yoghurt covered raisins and cow's milk containing cookies on the tray ... thank goodness I am (rightly ... smug I know) a control freak when it comes to my son's food and I thought to check before he tucked in:

The pizza was swiftly replaced by the main meal below ... and the 'treats' were replaced with ... nothing:

So, we got: main meal of aubergine (a favourite of every 3 year old?), potatoes, tomato and onion relish, carrots and green beans.  Plus cucumber, carrot sticks with cherry tomatoes, more melon cubes and a piece of rye and caraway seed bread

He ate: cucumber and carrot sticks, melon cubes ... and lots of rubbish food that I'd bought for him ... Oreos and crisps essentially.  

Verdict: Emirates ... thank you so much for trying, you exceeded my expectations (and thus surely the expectations of the person I spoke with in your London call centre before we flew).  But ... your carelessness almost made my son have an allergic reaction!  Catering for allergies only works if every person along every link in the chain from food preparation to food service cares about the implications of getting it wrong!  If ever you feel your staff need more information about this please contact me and I will be happy to go on and on and on ... and on and on ... and on and on ... about it.