A conversation held in the shadowy basement of a City pub last week was the first time I stumbled properly onto the subject of Heston Blumenthal. I had heard his name bandied about with the words 'science', 'nutter' and 'genius' before but never really engaged with any of his tv shows or recipes.
It was a friend telling the secondhand story of his friend's experience at The Fat Duck that made my ears perk up. I listened intently to tales of a recreated seashore and misty mossy log. It just so happens that the first episode of his 'Feasts' series aired on Channel 4 this evening and I was intrigued.
He is an alchemist indeed, bringing delight and amazement into in the art of cookery. Theatrical, avant garde and incredibly creative dishes inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland blew my breath away. The idea of the Drink Me potion was so inventive, those different layers of wacky flavours in one drink. My favourite is a toss up between the delicately stunning Mock Turtle Soup and the Edible Garden. The turtle soup with the gold-leaf pocketwatch teabag containing the stock of the soup.... insane! The edible garden looked like so much fun to explore, reminiscent of Willy Wonka's amazing garden.
I've since you-tubed some of his previous shows, including the In Search of Perfection: Peking Duck episode. It made me want to fly to Beijing just to sample the real thing. A night at The Fat Duck has also been added of the list of things to do before I die
Next week it's the Medieval Feast with blackbirds and edible cutlery. Can't wait....
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