The Fat Duck introduces reverse tasting menu

Celebrity chef-restaurateur Heston Blumenthal is offering diners a limited-time chance to experience a tasting menu in reverse, kicking off with dessert and finishing with savoury options. 

Guests at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, can experience the classic tasting menu in reverse until 30 June. The Topsy Turvy Tasting menu is the brainchild of Blumenthal, who has long challenged conventional dining habits with pioneering dishes, including the famous Egg & Bacon Ice Cream, Snail Porridge and White Chocolate & Caviar.  

The Topsy Turvy Tasting menu begins with a dish called 'Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop', with the second course being Black Forest Gateau. Diners then tuck into Beef Royale, followed by a dish called 'Sound of the Sea', then 'Tonic of Botanicals' and finally, Aerated Beetroot, concluding with a Nitro-aperitif of either a Vodka Sour, Paloma or French Martini. 

'Culinary curiosity'

Blumenthal, who also owns and operates the Michelin-starred Hind's Head, the two-Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and the Perfectionists' Café, says of the quirky menu: "I found the Topsy Turvy Tasting menu gratifyingly gut-friendly and satisfyingly gastronomic. It triggered some of the tastebuds at their most receptive. Eating in reverse might seem a bit wacky – more Duck Fat than Fat Duck, and not so much Willy Wonka as Winky Woolly – but it was a lot of fun and it took my imagination on a fantastic journey of culinary curiosity. For me, anything that nourishes the imagination has got to be good.

"And, in fact, the world is more topsy-turvy than we think," adds the chef. "A lot of eating habits that we consider fixed are nothing of the sort. Forks didn't appear on English tables until the 1600s. Until the 18th century, sweet dishes were often a feature of each course. Plenty of people sneak in a bowl of cereal before bed. It's good to shake things up and take a second look at our perceptions and preconceptions. Who knows what you might discover?"

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