Heston Blumenthal and Dinner by Heston restaurant: advert-top-1 by Seymourpowell

Design and innovation company Seymourpowell have created a bespoke, mechanical art piece for the Dinner by Heston Blumenthal restaurant in London.

‘The Dinner Escapement’ has been designed to add a unique layer of history and storytelling to one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, Tipsy Cake: a dessert of brioche balls, baked like a cake and then laced cream, brandy and sweet wine, until the cream caramelises and is served with spit-roasted pineapple basted with spiced caramel, based on a 19th century recipe.

Taking their cue from Heston and his team’s rigorous research into the history of British food, Seymourpowell delved into the past to explore the mechanical and scientific advances in Britain in the 18th Century. They were struck by the work of two individuals: John Harrison, a carpenter and clock-maker who revolutionised the field of navigation with his 'Harrison Clock', and the inventor Thomas Newcomen who created the first practical steam engine, originally to pump water out of mines. The ‘escapement’ takes its name from the crucial ticking mechanism in a traditional clock that regulates the movement of the pendulum, referencing the historic mechanical inspiration and the meticulous attention to detail contained within Seymourpowell’s design.