Heston Breakfast at Gourmet Escape

Despite being in its toddler years, the Margaret River Gourmet Escape is earning a rep as one of the best foodie events in the nation. We were lucky enough to score tickets to a breakfast hosted by Heston Blumenthal – the eternally bespectacled celebrity chef who has the heart of a chemist, and is partial to conducting experiments like dipping gigantic biscuits in rubbish bin-sized cups of tea. (Hey, he’s English – ‘dunkability’ is serious business).

We ventured down winding country roads to get to the venue, a dusty old barnyard set aglow with fairy lights and more candles than a cathedral. It was stunning, and sorta surreal: outside, you could see towering native trees and the carnivorous hipsters from Sydney restaurant Porteño prodding giant carcasses. The Q&A with Heston was entertaining and informative and he doled out nuggets about the intersection of chemistry, sensory experience and dining – did you know classical music makes you eat slower? That a longer menu makes you spend more? We started wondering what sort of wizardry was at play with our breakfast – seriously yum toasted nut muesli pots, streaky bacon, and Mexican baked beans.

By Anna Christensen