Sunday Lunch at Heston's

Went for easter sunday lunch at The Fat Duck. OMG. It was near-indescribably good. Fifteen courses over almost six hours, each one delicious and magical and perfectly constructed, presented and served. Pure awesome. It was an eye-wateringly large amount of money, and a five+ hour round trip in the car, but it was worth every penny. Really nice to see the people we were with too. I fear we may have started an annual Michelin-starred-lunch-meetup tradition!

The photos, then. We're past the liquid-nitrogen poached-at-the-table aperitifs (wow!) and the first course, red cabbage gazpacho with mustard ice cream - which might have been my favourite course, as it goes. First shot is:

Jelly of quail, crayfish cream with chicken liver parfait, oak moss and truffle toast. Also a breath-freshener-like film with the flavour of oak moss, and dry ice on the table.

Snail porridge! Stunning.

Roast foie gras with rhubarb, braised kombu and crab biscuit. Got a bit carried away and started eating before taking a photo.

Next four - mock turtle soup. First the un-souped plate as it arrived, then the gold "watch" as it dissolved in the cup. Next, stirred gold in the now beef-consomme. Finally, the completed dish. Nothing says decadent like eating actual gold.

Final two: Sounds of the Sea. Conch shell + ipod, playing the sound of the beach. Then the plate itself, complete with edible sand, seaweeds and some of the best sashimi I've ever had. This was the only course where nobody spoke, as we all had our own headphones in.

Continued in part two