Virgin to grow veggies on its flights

Here’s a story that kind of grew on me when I read it - and they assure me it's not an April Fool's Day joke.

Virgin Atlantic will begin growing fresh herbs and vegetables onboard flights for Upper Class passengers starting today.

Richard Branson’s Virgin, which always takes airline gimmicks to new heights, will install a specially-designed vegetable patch in the galley of all its aircraft so Upper Class passengers get the freshest of ingredients for their overcooked steak and soggy lasagna.

Don’t despair you second class economy passengers – Virgin says if the trial is successful, it will offer those fresh herbs and veggies to all passengers.

In Upper Class, fresh herbs will be used to complement drinks and cocktails from the bar area including thyme for Bloody Mary’s and fresh mint for Mojitos, Pimms and tea.

The vegetable offering will complement the in-flight meal with availability of vegetable depending on your destination.

Carrots, baby new potatoes and spinach will be available on flights returning to Great Britain.

Miniature pumpkins and sweet potatoes will be grown on transatlantic flights to the U.S., while Tokyo routes will have the choice of okura (okra) or shiitake mushrooms.

If the initiative is successful, Virgin Atlantic plans to roll the idea out to all routes including the Caribbean, Africa, India, Australia and Dubai.

To guarantee the success of the trial, all Upper Class cabin crew will attend a one day horticultural course at the Royal Horticultural Society in London.