Manchester Food and Drink Festival has officially launched one of their highlight events – a Bio-Historic Banquet in partnership with Manchester Museum, the Biospheric Foundation and chef Robert Owen Brown.
The first ever “MFDF Bio-Historic Banquet” will take place on Saturday 12th September. Guests will dine under the shadow of a giant whale skeleton, surrounded by some of the Museum’s most extraordinary exhibits whilst enjoying a completely unique banquet designed by Robert Owen Brown and created using hyper local gourmet food products grown by the Biospheric Foundation.
The menu will be inspired by the Museum’s varied collection of objects, from ancient Egypt to local botany, as well as Manchester today, and diners will hear from the Museum’s curators between courses, all combining to create a truly original culinary experience.
The Biospheric Foundation is a socio-ecological urban research practice. They have been commissioned by Manchester Museum to create a futuristic ecological system that will form a centerpiece to the Museum’s brand new social learning space, the Study – a space for the curious, the makers, the searchers and the sharers amongst us. The Study opens on Friday 11thSeptember.
Guests can expect to kick off the evening with Mojitos made using mint produced on site in the Study Greenhouse using aquaponic technology, in which nutrient rich waste products from fish tanks of carp, feed mint plants grown in futuristic pillars. This will be followed by some extraordinary, specially designed dishes, all created from fine, ultra-local ingredients and each with their own historical significance. The menu is being kept under wraps until closer to the time, but Robert Owen Brown commented:
“I’ve created a menu that fuses modern Manchester and the most advanced sustainable growing techniques, with ingredients and cookery that’s literally been around since Ancient Egypt and even Paleolithic times. It was an exciting, inspiring brief and I’m really looking forward to showcasing it in one of Manchester’s most spectacular settings!”
The event is one of over 50 that will take part across the city during the Festival, which takes place from 10th – 21stSeptember.
Phil Jones from MFDF comments: “We’re very pleased to launch this superb event, one of the highlights from this year’s programme. It represents what people can expect from the festival in 2015 – more unique culinary celebrations of everything this fantastic city has to offer. The Festival team has worked harder than ever this year to curate a festival that not only showcases the impressive range of food and drink talent in Manchester, but also creates culinary opportunities and experiences with a real difference.”
Tickets for the event are priced at £50, which includes a 6-course menu and drinks reception. Tickets are now on sale and are available via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com.