The Fat Duck invites diners to eat their meal in reverse

From 7 May to 30 June, guests can opt to start their meal with the world famous restaurant's Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop petit fours and Black Forest Gateau before moving on to savoury dishes including Beef Royale and Sound of the Sea and finishing things off with a Nitro-aperitif palate cleanser. 

The three-Michelin-starred Bray restaurant’s conventionally ordered 16-course tasting menu will also be available.  

The Topsy Turvy Tasting menu is the brainchild of the restaurant’s founder Heston Blumenthal, who has long challenged conventional eating habits with pioneering dishes including the Egg & Bacon Ice Cream, Snail Porridge and White Chocolate & Caviar.

According to the restaurant, the new menu is ‘for the curious and the adventurous’ and provides ‘a novel and potentially rewarding way to enjoy The Fat Duck’s unique dining experience’. 

“I found the Topsy Turvy Tasting menu gratifyingly gut-friendly and satisfyingly gastronomic. It triggered some of the tastebuds at their most receptive,” Blumenthal says.

“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. 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?” 

The Topsy Turvy Tasting is priced in line with The Fat Duck’s regular menu, costing £275 at lunch and £325 at dinner.