It turns out you can have your cake and golf it too.
The clever chaps behind Bompas & Parr have teamed up with Selfridges to create an installation on the roof of the department store – a cake-based crazy golf course. These were the guys who last year flooded the roof to make an emerald green boating lake. Now they’ve created this 9-hole course with hazards made of cake.
For years Bompas & Parr have been doing cool events and creating jellies and other edibles that combine science, food and theatre. They’ve done jelly in the shape of St Paul’s and glow-in-the-dark versions.
I love these guys. I went to their Alcoholic Architecture walk-in gin and tonic several years ago in the Newburgh Quarter – you dressed in a whole body zip-up jumpsuit with hood (think the sperm outfits from Woody Allen’s film) then mingled in a room with aerosolized G&T. They’ve written a book on the history of jelly, called, er, Jelly and another one called Cocktails.
Their studio with candy-striped walls features shelves stacked with intricate jelly molds, and Sam Bompas and Harry Parr come across as geeky food lovers, or perhaps foodie scientists (they call themselves foodsmiths). I met them several years ago when I visited their office and we chatted over very tasty ham sandwiches. What they’re doing is so exciting and fresh.
Often they’re more geared to adults (see the G&T cloud); now finally there’s a Bompas & Parr experience I can take my daughter to. If you can nab tickets, it’s a don’t-miss this summer.
Crazy golf continues through September. Tickets cost £6. You can book online, or they keep some tickets available for walk-ups. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
More info on Bompas & Parr
Here’s a nice interview with the two, in the Independent
