Bompas & Parr opening British Museum of Food

Bompas & Parr, whose past projects include launching the world’s fastest cheese trolley (0-62mph in 6.6 seconds) and sending coffee in to space, are opening The British Museum of Food at Borough Market on 23 October.

Harry Parr, founder trustee of the museum, said:​ “Around the world there are various museums devoted to specific items of food and drink, such as herrings and absinthe, but nowhere has an institution been created that seeks to embrace this crucial part of human existence.

“This has long been an aspiration of the studio and we’re delighted to have been able to assemble a stellar cast to help us bring this to life. And where better than the spiritual home of London’s food culture?”

‘From Field to Table, Mouth... and Beyond.’​

Opening exhibits include Choco-Phonica; a ‘sonic wonderland’ where visitors will taste chocolate across of background of different sounds; and Atelier of Flavour; a gallery where artists use unusual materials to represent the English Breakfast.

Be the Bolus: the Peristalsis Experience will offer ‘an immersive digital journey’ into the body, using real footage to follow food from the mouth to the intestines.

While the museum is initially set to run for three months, Bompas & Parr are seeking charitable status for the venue and hope to establish a permanent site.

Keith Davis, MD of Borough Market, said: “We’re delighted to support the British Museum of Food. Our long heritage has seen the market’s traders embrace change over the centuries and it’s a fitting tribute to our culinary contribution to the nation that the first ever museum devoted to this necessity for life has found its first home at Borough Market.”