A chef who grew bored of traditional desserts has started serving up treats like look like very unappetising objects including an ashtray, a washing up sponge and a mouldy orange. Ben Churchill, 31, of St Albans, has made a career out of creating some very unusual sweet dishes that look uncannily like other items. Although every dessert is completely edible, you'd be forgiven for not wanting to dive into his latest treats however as they look off-putting on purpose. But the private chef promises that every ultra-realistic-looking dessert he makes is perfectly balanced in flavour.
In revealing videos, Ben shows how he brings the dishes to life by using ingredients such as bubblegum meringue dust to replicate mould on an 'orange' that is secretly a parfait. For a disgusting used ashtray dessert, which looks just like the real thing, he uses modelling chocolate and syrup to make treats that appear to be cigarette butts which top a vanilla pannacotta.
The full-time chef started creating and filming the creation of his spectacular optical illusion desserts in his spare time, and how he has a book dedicated to the art of 'food illusions'.Ben said: 'My desserts are always well received. My guests can experience anything from confusion to apprehension to humour, constantly making them think outside of the box with my creations.
'If there's anything my guests will get from this, it's inspiration.'I grew bored of conventional desserts so started questioning how far I could take it.'People can be put off by the appearance, understandably, but they always enjoy the taste.'When thinking of a new 'gross dessert' project, Ben thinks of the end goal like a puzzle and works backwards.It can take him between one day and six months to come up with a clever new dessert.
