Airplane food under scrutiny. This sandwich cost a passenger £5.90.

The sandwich pictured was supposed to be a hot panini with ham and cheese. When the passenger opened the package, he saw a small amount of filling sandwiched between two thick slices of bread. He paid £5.90 for the meal served on a Ryanair flight.

This isn't the only story to spark debate about the quality and price of food sold on planes. Another passenger claimed to have spent £11 on an in-flight meal, only to throw it in the bin after two bites. Meanwhile, you can easily make your own sandwich at home and take it on board.

Sandwich for £5.90

Declan Minogue was traveling on Ryanair with his wife, Claire. During the flight, he ordered a hot ham and cheese panini from the in-flight menu.

Upon opening the sandwich, however, he was met with significantly less filling than expected. A photo taken by a passenger shows two slices of bread, a small amount of cheese, and one thin slice of ham.

The man claimed he paid £5.90 (€7) for the meal and felt cheated. He said the sandwich looked far from what he would expect from a product sold as a hot panini with ham and cheese.

Another passenger spent 11 pounds

A few months later, British media reported a similar story involving Mike Crosby, who allegedly paid £11 for a meal on a Ryanair flight.

He reportedly found the food so disappointing that he threw it in the trash after two bites. He also claimed that the cabin crew agreed with his assessment of the meal's quality.

Both examples are based on individual passenger reports and don't mean that all food sold on board is similar. However, they illustrate why it's worth checking prices before purchasing and remembering that passengers are not obligated to use the onboard menu.

You can bring food from home on the plane

While airlines eagerly advertise their sandwiches, snacks, and lunch menus, they rarely remind passengers of the simplest solution: you can bring your own food on board.

A homemade sandwich, a pastry, cookies, fruit, or other solid foods can generally pass security checks. There's no need to purchase a meal at the airport or on the plane.

However, you should be careful with products that are considered liquids or gels during inspections. This includes yogurts, soups, sauces, spreads, cream cheeses, and products with large amounts of liquid filling. The same limits may apply to these products as to cosmetics and beverages.

It's better to avoid aluminum foil

Aluminum foil isn't generally prohibited at security checkpoints. However, a clear zip-lock bag or airtight container may be a more convenient option.

Metal foil can make it difficult to assess the contents of your baggage on an X-ray image. In this situation, a security officer may ask you to open the bag and show them the packaged item.

Transparent packaging reduces the risk of additional inspection while protecting the sandwich from being crushed or soiling other items.

It's also worth avoiding products with very strong scents. This isn't about the rules anymore, but about the comfort of the people sitting next to you.

What are your experiences?

Do you buy food on your flight or bring your own sandwiches? Have you ever had a particularly good or particularly disappointing meal on a plane?

Let us know in the comments what you ordered, how much you paid, and what the food looked like. If you have photos of similar "onboard specialties," feel free to share them with us.

Sources: Gloucestershire Live, Wales Online. Photo: Kennedy News & Media.