The Complete History of Food with Bompas & Parr

Who to expect behind this culinary phantasmagoria than the kings of jelly, Bompas & Parr, masters of edible creations on an epic scale. This dynamic duo took over an elegant townhouse in Belgrave Square in July, turning it into a funfair for people with more than a lively interest in food. Add Courvoisier into the mix and you could be sure of some good entertainment. And that it was.

STEP BACK AND A STEP FORWARD

Guests waited expectantly in the hall to be taken on their tour of food history spanning 730 years. Not some dusty old tome lifted off a shelf but a real time experience taking you through the ages. To start, guests were asked about their personality and then having listened to the doctor medicate, they made their way across eel-infested waters (none spotted) to the hull of a medieval ship, where medicament was dispensed to balance the humours, cocktails with Courvoisier at their heart.

Fast forward and a journey upwards in an ancient lift to a roof terrace with glorious views over London. Guests might have thought they'd gone back in time as a Ferrero Rocher style amuse bouche was served. No fears here though as Alexis Gauthier had devised the Rocher a l'Or, foie gras coated with caramelised almonds and rolled in gold leaf, washed down, as if it needed to be, with an inverted Champagne cocktail, made flat with a fizzy grape, courtesy of the clever mixologists at Lounge Bohemia. Heaven.

The TV scratch'n'sniff dinner was a great idea but best avoided, probably like the real thing. That said though, the 50s saw huge developments in fast food and the industrial manufacturing of food and for that alone, it was right and proper that this moment in food history was recorded here.

Moving quickly on to the Iguanodon Dinner, in the belly of a dinosaur, guests were served duck confit with puy lentils, beetroot and black Champagne sauce. This was definitely made by the cocktail, Josephines Tea Garden, a summer punch of Courvoisier Exclusif with green tea, courtesy of The Rare Tea Company, apple juice and elderflower cordial.

The evening ended in a Renaissance banqueting house where Bompas & Parr put their skills to the test. The famous duo had devised desserts using Courvoiser XO alongside candied orange and iris flower as well as in an Ambergris posset.

The legendary chefs of old, Antonin Carême and Alexis Soyer, would have been proud of this event, a sensation of tastes served in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

COURVOISIER FUTURE 500

Food and drink contributors working alongside Bompas & Parr included fellow Courvoisier The Future 500 members Matthew Downes and Joe McCanta from Saf, Paul Tvaroh, founder and mixologist of Lounge Bohemia, Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier of Gauthier Soho and Bistrotheque's Pablo Flack, David Waddington and Tom Collins.

CVTF500 is a network of rising stars and innovators with some of the UK's finest minds, freshest thinkers and brightest business brains and Courvoisier remains true to its history of supporting new thinking.