These days we’re all familiar with the idea of chefs as artists, but what about artists working with food?
York Racecourse Hospitality, the caterers at the leading venue have commissioned an edible racehorse as a work of art made from the produce of The White Rose County and so celebrating the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival (Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 August).
Combining their talents, Yorkshire Sculpture Artist Emma Stothard and Royal Opera House set designer Caitlin Jones have been set the novel challenge of creating a life sized racehorse made from locally sourced food.
Standing nearly six feet high (that’s 16 hands to the racing cognescenti), the sculpture will be made from over 300 Yorkshire Puddings (baked on site), 4 crates of Wakefield rhubarb, 5 kilos of Sandhutton potatoes, 2 barrels of Ampleforth apples, 3 sacks of Vale of York carrots, a heaped basket of Wetherby radishes, 20 punnets of Vale of York strawberries, 4 crates of mushrooms from Thirsk and 2 huge sacks of freshly harvested Wistow wheat and barley.
Managing Director of York Racecourse Hospitality Keith Stewart explains, “It’s a whimsical notion, making a racehorse from fruit, veg and 300 Yorkshire puds, but using local food as an art installation does have wider significance. As caterers, we’re exceptionally proud of our commitment to seasonal, local produce and want to celebrate our local producers. A sense of fun is part of a great raceday out.”