What to prepare for a substantial ‘snack’ for someone arriving late from a long haul flight

[Arjan]

They will arrive around 11.30pm, I doubt they will want a big dinner, but will probably be hungry for some decent food. was thinking of doing a quiche and salad but then remembered one of them has an egg allergy.

Any ideas for something I can prepare in advance ?

Thank you.

I’d have a frozen pizza, bread and sandwich fillings, (my go to would be to offer an omelette but obviously not in your case) and also pasta and a jar of pesto so you can make what they are feeling like. They might just prefer toast if they have eaten on the plane even. I tend to grab something in arrivals myself, some airports have an M&S, if I’m hungry I prefer to eat then rather an hour later for digestion reasons

How old are they? Where are they arriving from? What time will they actually be in the place they will be eating?

if I was arriving late at night I’d want at most a bowl of cereal and bed and likely nothing at all. Having access to some simple sandwich ingredient, fruit and cereal should fit it.

Thick sourdough toast, butter and jam

Well if it was me arriving and I had a choice of anything in the world I would want tea and wholewheat toast and butter, with a choice of cheese, jam or honey. Then a bottle of water or a VitHit to take to bed.

I'm never usually hungry after a long haul flight. Just tired and ready for a shower. Maybe I'd want some toast and plenty of water

If I was all out of kilter with timezones I would also like a nice glass of whisky to help get to sleep.

Agree, a cheese toastie and a whisky would put me right to sleep.

Crumpets with butter and then jam/cheese/marmite as they prefer.

This is the sort of situation that calls for what my mum calls an Emergency Gammon.

You can have it in a sandwich
You can have it with cheese and crackers
You can have it with a couple of fried eggs (not in this case obviously!)
Can have for breakfast the next day also

If it doesn’t get eaten, it can be used in lunches over the next couple of days.

In my adulthood I too am a big advocate of the emergency gammon in difficult hosting situations - it’s just so versatile!

Team Cheese Toastie here, or just toast. Definitely nothing fancy that you have to sit taking time over, just a quick 5 minute job and off to bed.

If I were arriving home that late after a long haul flight I would want to go to a 24 hour drive-thru McDonald’s, but I appreciate that’s not to everyone’s taste!

Failing that I would want supper style food like cheese and crackers or a cheese toastie as someone else suggested.

Bacon sandwiches or cheese on toast made with fresh white doorstops.

OMG when I get off a flight i just feel all claggy and need a shower and something tasty but light - piece of toast. Actually even yoghurt and fruit. Most likely toast at that time of night.

Marmite on toast and a clean bed is all I would want

Soup, cheese, good bread. Fruit.

It is interesting that toast is about the most popular. Also in many other situations, eg just after having a baby! All I wanted was toast and butter (cesearean so I had been nil by mouth for many hours!). That got me thinking: what would the most popular reply be in cutures where toast/ bread is not really much of a thing? What would their comfort emergency dinner/late night/postpartum snack be?

Chicken Pad Thai.

Yum.

Bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese (or alternative fillings they can choose themselves, set out for them to assemble as they please) :) I've come back from a long haul flight recently and that was what I wanted.

Can’t you just ask them?

Soup, and / or cheese on toast.

i would say soup or pizza

I wouldn't be eating too much if I'd landed from a long haul flight as it would perpetuate jet lag. Really, the best thing is to try to acclimatise to local time so a meal late at night would be counter productive.

I’d just want toast and a warm drink.

Soup or toast and jam is what I would want at that time.

I agree!
If I arrived and was presented with a plate of lasagna I’d cry!! I’d just want a bed.