Following the success of both Asian Parsnip and American Mustard, we were asked to create something new for James May. Challenges to date have included a unique botanical, the clue being in the name. This year it was something different as our brief related to a scent, something highly recognisable. Olfaction is the sense of smell which detects and discriminates odours which can then influence our innate responses. Our immediate problem is that taste and smell differ between people. This can be quickly demonstrated by asking people if they like marmite……………….
Our brief was ‘rain hitting London’s pavements.’ There are numerous articles to be found about people’s ability to smell oncoming rain. Before the rain begins, one of the first scents you may notice is a sweet, pungent smell in your nostrils. That is the sharp, fresh aroma of ozone. The big word for it, as James May alluded to in his London Drizzle video, is ‘petrichor’ – the term, used by Australian scientists in 1964, referring to a smell that is released into the air from the soil when it rains. It is a combination of ozone, geosmin (a compound secreted by soil-dwelling bacteria) and volatile plant oils. Geosmin also provides an earthy taste to beetroot, which is why we used it within ‘London drizzle.’ We trialled many forms of beetroot and fungi in our quest to perfect ‘London Drizzle.’ You can find London Drizzle here and it will be with us at the Winchester Christmas market (stand 49).
Our brief was ‘rain hitting London’s pavements.’ There are numerous articles to be found about people’s ability to smell oncoming rain. Before the rain begins, one of the first scents you may notice is a sweet, pungent smell in your nostrils. That is the sharp, fresh aroma of ozone. The big word for it, as James May alluded to in his London Drizzle video, is ‘petrichor’ – the term, used by Australian scientists in 1964, referring to a smell that is released into the air from the soil when it rains. It is a combination of ozone, geosmin (a compound secreted by soil-dwelling bacteria) and volatile plant oils. Geosmin also provides an earthy taste to beetroot, which is why we used it within ‘London drizzle.’ We trialled many forms of beetroot and fungi in our quest to perfect ‘London Drizzle.’ You can find London Drizzle here and it will be with us at the Winchester Christmas market (stand 49).
