En Route has announced a frozen calzone range designed to help airlines offer higher quality meals to passengers with special dietary requirements.
The Street Eats range of hot handhelds, which En Route will be showcasing at this year’s WTCE, comprises three flavours: chicken tikka masala, cabbage tawa fry and vegetable pasties.
The range covers special dietary requirements for followers of the Muslim and Hindu faiths, as well as vegetarian Jain, Asian vegetarian, vegetarian Oriental, vegetarian vegan and vegetarian Lacto-Ovo specific meals.
“We’ve introduced this frozen calzone range to tackle these issues and create a more diverse and inclusive suite of products,” said David Helm, director at En Route International.
The tawa fry calzone has been inspired by Jain Indian recipes, with fresh cabbage, corn and peas mixed with a warming blend of cumin, coriander and garam masala.
The chicken tikka masala calzone contains tomatoes and fresh coriander that have been sautéed with curry leaves and spices, as well as ghee to achieve that familiar tikka masala flavour profile.
Meanwhile, the vegetable pasties pay homage to those once eaten by workers in the Cornish tin mines, with black pepper, fresh thyme and rosemary adding an aromatic depth to root vegetables including potato, onion, carrot and mushroom.
The products are packaged in an ovenable box with PET lining, but from June, the box will be compostable – an innovation that was delayed due to global cardboard shortages.
The suitable diets for each product are also on the side of the boxes for speedy recognition.
The colourful design and presentation are also meant to evoke how street food is served around the world, pairing textured kraft with a playful, irregular typeface.
Helm added: “We understand the challenges that caterers often face when it comes to finding the right product without compromising on quality. In some instances, passengers with special dietary needs often find themselves having to endure an inferior product, however, with our new calzone range, this needn’t be the case.
“Adhering to strict regulations and a large list of prohibited ingredients, these calzones have been created to provide handheld snacks that cater to typically overlooked passengers – ensuring a more positive onboard experience for all.”
Robert Smithson, Head of Culinary, dnata catering, Australia, said: “At dnata catering, we pride ourselves on creating and delivering exceptional culinary creations and experiences for all our customers. Delivering this level of excellence requires collaboration with our sister companies, such as En Route, who helped us to deliver a well-rounded product that we can now offer to our airline customers”.
