Do you find travelling stressful?
A recent survey found that a whopping 72% of people get stressed and anxious while travelling to their holiday destination, so you’re not alone.
Monarch Airline, a budget airline in the UK, has launched a line of mood-food to help enhance the happiness of travellers calm and enhance their flying experience.
The Monarch Mood Food” box was developed alongside leading food psychologist Prof. Charles Spence, who has worked with Heston Blumenthal and his team at The Fat Duck Research Kitchen in Bray and Josef Youssef, Head Chef at Kitchen Theory.
The menu features immunity boosting echinacea and liquorice ice-cream, relaxing green tea and lavender cakes, bloat-busting herbal tea and energising, umami-rich snack bars.
It’s not just the menu – the team has come up with a unique way of eating the meals to ensure an utmost boost in happiness levels, which is then maintained through the flight.
The website explains it like this:
“Prior to take off, immunity boosting echinacea and liquorice ice cream reduces the symptoms of coughs and colds, after 39% of Brits find they get ill when travelling or going on holiday. Active ingredients in liquorice have well-established anit-inflammatory and cell protective abilities and as such, offer many therapeutic, immunity boosting benefits.
“Soothing and relaxing green tea and lavender mochi rice cakes relax travellers at take-off, which is voted the number one most stressful part of flying for one in five (22%) of nervous holiday makers. Lavender has been proven to enhance relaxation and sleep quality in all ages and the high polyphenol content of green tea means it’s packed with antioxidants – adding a second boost of immunity to travellers.
“Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, travellers will enjoy a specially created Monarch blend of herbal tea containing chamomile, fennel seed and kelp, proven to combat bloating and aid digestion, which affects 18% of travellers. The additional of lemon balm provides aromatic properties that may help passengers to unwind further.
“The tea will be accompanied by a crunchy, seaweed biscuit, delivering sweet yet salty umami tastes.
“Finally, just before disembarkation, travellers will indulge in a sweet caramelised nut bar coated in umami rich mushroom and tomato powder to re-energise and awaken the senses as passengers arrive at their destination.
“Reduced air pressure, dry cabin air, and engine noise all inhibit taste perception, but umami is the only one of the basic tastes that manages to cut through these barriers, which is why so many passengers order a tomato juice or Bloody Mary on-board. Using umami tastes alongside our other flavour combinations will be comforting and satisfying for passenger,” Professor Spencer explains.
No word yet on when (or even if) this thoughtful menu curation will be boosting our happiness down under, but we certainly hope so.
Actually, can we just have this as a lunch option? We don’t need to fly, that’s fine.
