Best Before

Category: Interior

Best Before is a project exploring how the disruption of dining rituals and conventions can promote mindful, sustainable eating practices. Globally, 1.3 billion tonnes, or one third of food produced for human consumption goes to waste each year. Consumers are becoming increasingly disconnected from their food in a world full of distractions, technology, and a rapidly increasing pace of life. In this project, I wanted to explore how diners could be encouraged to reconsider their relationship with food waste through a mindful, sensory dining experience. Situated within the conceptual zero-waste fine dining restaurant 'Best Before', the project aims to bring diners closer to their food and food waste itself. The collection is made up of tableware settings comprised primarily of food waste. The setting pictured here consists of a bowl and cutlery handles made of an eggshell biomaterial that is fully biodegradable and regenerative. These handles have pointed edges, encouraging dinners to eat mindfully and with attention to their food to prevent waste. The placemat and coasters are made of agar-based bioplastic, coloured with yellow onion skins, that is also biodegradable. Food waste that would have otherwise been disposed of has been given a second life as a visually appealing design material, moulded with custom 3D-printed moulds and laser engraved with a surface pattern. Through breaking with the material and design conventions of a typical dining experience, diners are encouraged to reevaluate the rituals of eating they follow, how they can be more present with their food, and be less wasteful.