Food in Art
At Lidgates we concentrate on feeding the body more often than feeding the mind – but the opening of a fantastic art exhibition in Regent’s Park reminded me this week – that art and food are well connected.
As a cornerstone of our very existence, food has always played a significant part in our social and cultural lifestyles. The depiction of food in art spans across cultures and history,stretching back to ancient Greece and Rome where banquets and bacchanals were consuming passions celebrated in literature, painting, and mosaics. Drawings of food could also be found inside Egyptian pyramids. More than often, food carried a symbolic meaning or an allusion to the painting’s subject. Representing certain features, virtues or values, this symbolism of food and drink was mainly rooted in classical literature and paganism.
We are not painters at Lidgates but of course we have always tried to make our food look as pretty as a picture, just take our intricately made pastry art for this Boeuf en Croute.
One of the most beautiful visually appealing things to grace our table, is this real old world roast beef trimmed in the continental style for easy carving. Self-basting and cooked on the bone to sustain that very special succulence and flavour for which this grass-fed, naturally reared beef is so renowned. The bone adds a sweetness to the meat. I’d highly recommend.