Heston's Fantastical Feasts

Once upon a time there was a Chef called Heston who opened a small restaurant called the Fat Duck. At first, he served only simple French classics but gradually, as is the way of things, the Chef's curiosity got the better of him and he began thinking up more unusual dishes, such as Snail Porridge and Chocolate Wine. There was even talk of a meringue that made diners snort plumes of vapour, like a dragon. Word spread and reached the ears of the Executives who ran a television channel, and they summoned the Chef to their glass fortress. 'We command you to create six Fantastical Feasts', they said. 'These must be based on history, but you may draw on fairytales and legends. We should warn you that the Quest will involve journeys to Transylvania in search of the legendary Leech Recipe of Sibiu, and to the Black Forest to eat the eyes of the Wild Boar of Munstertal. You must resist the temptations of the Burlesque Girls, and you must turn chocolate cake into a raging fireball and chicken's testicles into jelly beans. There will be hunting for hallucinogenic mushrooms and cooking with Play-Doh. Out of this, you must create the most magical dishes imaginable'. 'Well, how about lickable wallpaper, a savoury Zoom lolly, a chocolate-covered iceberg, a golden egg and an edible graveyard?' offered the Chef. 'It's a start', said the Executives. 'Oh, and once you have achieved the Quest, you must bring us proof, in the form of a Book. But not just any Book. We want tales of extravagant ingredients, of revolutionary techniques, of familiar kitchen appliances put to unfamiliar uses. We want to see what you see. Taste what you taste. In short, we want complete and unparalleled access to your fantastical world'. PRAISE FOR THE BIG FAT DUCK COOKBOOK: It's not just a cookbook. It's not just an art book. It's not just a record of the most innovative and exhilarating self-taught chef to have ever come from the UK. The Big Fat Duck Cookbook transcends all others because Heston Blumenthal transcends all others ... The cookbook will never be the same again' Independent on Sunday 'Akin to edible performance art' Observer Food Books of the Year 'If sex began after the Chatterley ban, the British didn't do proper tuck before The Fat Duck ... The Fat Duck has been declared the world's finest and has changed how we think about food ... chefs should leave the mad science to Heston' Daily Telegraph