Bocuse d'Or, Lyon 2023

The Bocuse d’Or is the world’s largest and most prestigious culinary competition, with 60 countries competing to lift the coveted winners prize at the world finals in Lyon. The competition is biennial, with a regional competition taking place in the year preceeding the grand final in Lyon.

Faber and Company are the official tableware designers for the UK team, culminating in the design of a presentation platter for the competition. We also support the team in other ways; test kitchen design and setup, collaboration with designers Gunter Piekarski on the over-arching concept, and general involvement in the preparation and build-up to each event.

Working in collaboration with designers Gunter Piekarski and creative team lead Jodi Hinds, the over-arching concept for 2023 was a celebration of British culture and culinary tradition. This was particularly fitting, given our competing chefs were both from The Ritz; senior sous chef Ian Musgrave and commis Adam Beaumont.

We chose the concept of time to anchor the narrative; exploring ideas of the past and how it informs the present and future; the ever-present influence of our heritage and culture. For the platter design, we chose the historic clock face of Big Ben (actually, Elizabeth Tower, as Big Ben is the name of the bell). We abstracted this all-too-familiar British icon, researching the Neo-Gothic roots of the design to create what would become the visual focal point of the competition.

The platter itself contrasts matte white surfaces with the decorative use of both polished stainless steel and antique brass. The ‘clock-face’ of the platter is conical in form; this enables the ‘terracing’ of the food, optimising sightlines of each component. Decorative patterns on both the centre-piece and the collars for each ‘sockel’ (the small plate that holds each food item). Sat on top of the platter are two Monkfish fillets, onto an intricately perforated drip tray.

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Photography by Jodi Hinds