Bompas & Parr's new space is a recipe for success
“With the rise of social-media food has become one of the most important mediums through which people perform their identity,” says Sam Bompas, founder trustee of the newly opened British Museum of Food. “Having opened the BMoF and seen the response it almost seems absurd that one hadn't existed before.”

Visitors to the space, located in a former banana warehouse in south London, will be able to eat free chocolate, be part of a 10,000-person experiment tracking eating habits, stroll through a butterfly enclosure celebrating the unsung heroes of pollination (heated to 30°C), and browse through a British Menu Archive collected by design studio Bompas & Parr.

The launch of BMoF coincides with the opening of the Museum of Food and Drink in New York City – as well as a trend for museums reinventing themselves as incubators for cultural debate and experimentation, which we recently explored in our Museum 2.0 report, and panel discussion at The Other Art Fair.

“We want to educate, entertain and inspire,” says Bompas. “We don't want the museum to be an ossuary of precious objects where you come worship another's genius. This is to be a living museum where the exhibits give a sensual and sensory experience. People will leave armed with knowledge and the desire to hit the kitchen and create for friends and lovers.”

British Museum of Food, 1 Cathedral Street, London SE1 9DE


Photography by Ann Charlott Ommedal