I don't think you're ready for this jelly: Brighton Pavilion jelly mould

I don't think we need to convince you of our love of wibbly-wobbly jelly in all its glorious forms. From creepy baby jellies to cheeky jelly breasts, I thought we'd covered every possible jelly base.  But that was before this fabulous Brighton Pavilion mould came onto my horizon, courtesy of (but of course!) kings of jelly, Bompas and Parr.

They've produced this mould exclusively for Selfridges and it means you can host the most regal looking jelly and ice-cream party around.

And presto! Here is the resulting jelly. Though it looks slightly teat-like, there is no denying that it's Very Fun Indeed. 

Because it's made of plastic, it can only be used for up to twenty times without losing its shape, so you'll need to pick your choice of jelly carefully. Where better place to start than with Bompas and Parr's very own Glow in the Dark jelly?

Bompas and Parr's The Complete History of Food

The Complete History of Food is the latest endeavour from jelly makers extraordinaire Bompas and Parr. In association with Courvoisier and chefs and mixologists gathered from some of London's finest eateries, they've taken over a town house in well-heeled Belgrave Square and turned it into a gastronomic spectacle like nothing you'll have experienced before.

You're guided through the house, where each area has been transformed into a fantastical scene from culinary history and each given a different host who has their own unique take on that era's food and drink. So, for example, the medieval age features Courvoisier-based cocktails and tasty vegan goodies from Saf. To add to the experience, these are served in a boat reached by walking on a plank across a flooded cess pool. I'm afraid that's where it begins to become unsuitable for vegetarians as, in the Victorian room - courtesy of Bistrotheque - you feast on delicious duck served with puy lentils, with beetroot and a black champagne sauce. The extra twist here is that the meal takes place while you sit in the body of a model dinosaur, a nod to the famous meal that reportedly took place inside one of the Crystal Palace dinos in 1853. Meanwhile, 'The Future' is looking brilliant if, as I did here, I get to spend it stood on a glamorous rooftop, champagne cocktail in hand, while scoffing Ferrero Rocher shaped duck foie gras coated with caramelised almond and rolled in gold leaf.

That sense of decadence runs through the whole experience, though less celebrated moments in food history feature too. The 1950s love of convenience food is represented by a scratch and sniff TV dinner card while the current obsession with obesity is dealt with by the opportunity to leap around inside a giant inflatable model stomach.

The experience finishes with a Bompas and Parr Renaissance-style feast, where I snapped the photo you can see at the top of this piece. It shows their giant rotating cake which was bedecked with sugar sculptures. You can also just about see the iris jellies that were served with Ambergris Posset, or what those Renaissance folk called 'whale's vomit'. And very tasty it was too.

Like with all Bompas and Parr events the attention to detail is astounding, both in the way each room has been made to look and in how the food has been put together. Everything you eat and drink is carefully outlined to you as you go through the house so you feel like you learn a few things along the way too. More importantly, the charming staff encourages you to socialise, to revel in the fantasy and make the most of the whole experience. Normal eating out will never be the same again.

The Complete History of Food costs £25 a head and runs until 18 July. It looks like the rest of the run has sold out but for future, sure-to-be-amazing, Bompas and Parr experiences keep an eye on their website.

Bompas & Parr's Parliamentary Waffle House

If Bompas & Parr ran the country, everything would be much more fun. There would be jelly and ice cream breaks at work, wobbly wobbly bridges and lots of cocktails. Sounds fab, doesn't it? Well, the next best thing is their latest scheme the Parliamentary Waffle House.

The unique pop-up eatery on Broadwick Street in Soho will run from April 22nd until election night. Each dish you order will represent one of the major political parties. You'll be voting with your mouths and there will be a (very accurate) swing-o-meter so gauge which party is more popular. Expect lots of exciting stuff going on in the evenings as well.

See? Bompas & Parr makes politics fun. I'm hoping for red, yellow and blue jellies please! Find out more on the Jellymongers website.

Sluttishly Easy: Hendrick's Glow in the Dark Jelly

So excited am I at the prospect of Hendrick's Gin rolling into town this weekend in their very own Carriage of Curiousities, I got in touch with them and pestered them for further treats. The lovely wobbly folk at Bompas and Parr invented this glow in the dark jelly recipe, I'm not that much of a jelly genius. You really should go down to the carriage and try out the real thing, but it's well worth attempting to make yourself too.

A GLOW IN THE DARK HENDRICK’S GIN Jelly (500ml) serves 4

With jelly half the fun lies in the spectacle. Make sure you use an interesting mould and unmould the jelly using the technique outlined below. A gently wobbling pudding makes any table more exciting, especially if it is glowing. Do as the Victorians did and put jellies down the centre of the table and enjoy the sight of them wobbling away throughout the entire meal!

For the jelly you'll need:

• 200ml Hendrick’s Gin
• 200ml Indian tonic water
• 100ml Water
• 100g Caster sugar
• 8 Leaves gelatine (at least double that directed by packet)

For the raspberry coulis you'll need:

• 55g Raspberries
• 1⁄2 Lemon, juice only
• 5g Icing sugar

For the glow you'll just need a simple backlight.

To make the jelly (do so several days prior to serving):

• Combine the Hendrick’s Gin and indian tonic water in a large measuring jug and set aside.
• Cut the leaf gelatine into fine pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl with enough water to submerse. Leave until soft (roughly 5 minutes).
• When the gelatine has softened, melt it (still in heat proof bowl) over a pan of simmering water. At the same time melt the caster sugar in 100ml of water.
• Add the caster sugar solution to the melted gelatine mix. Then combine this with the Hendrick’s Gin/tonic water jug and stir.
• Now wait - maybe two or three days. For every day your jelly is in the fridge it will grow structurally stronger.
  
• When anticipation gets the better of you, polish your best plate and prepare the coulis.

To make the coulis:

• To make the coulis, place the raspberries, lemon juice and icing sugar into a food processor until smooth.
  
• Strain the coulis into a small jug. To serve, anoint the jelly with the coulis.

Presentation

Unmould the jelly by briefly immersing in a bowl of hot water and inverting over your chosen plate. Note: Silver plates are always most effective for presentation.

Wet the surface of the presentation plate before unmoulding the jelly onto it. If the jelly is not in the right place you will be able to slide it into position.

For maximum effect turn off all lights to achieve total darkness. Switch on your blacklight and serve the glowing jelly to thrilled diners.

So why does the jelly glow? The quinine in the tonic water is UV-active. When the blacklight is switched on it will fluoresce beautifully.

Thanks so much to Bompas and Parr for letting us use the recipe! Our heart is shaped like a rabbit jelly mould today.

Hendrick's Carriage of Curiousities

My adoration of gin, and dressing up like a Miss Fancypants are finally about to be realised. And of course, Hendrick's are behind this wonderful little scheme.

The Carriage of Curiousities is the the latest in the whole pop-up bar thing. I'll be honest, I'm sick of pop-up bars. And pop-up shops. And pop-up books. Oh, no, I still like pop-up books. They're fun. But if it's not Central Perk popping up in Soho (sans the actual cast because it's that stupid), Tiffany boxes are popping up for no real reasons that I can fathom.

But Hendricks make things better.

They've teamed up with the Jellymongers Bompas and Parr to bring you this gorgeous carriage from the 19th century and basically half bar, half restaurant, but with the added fun of art installation and live music venue as well. Oh, and wonderful things with gin.

You can take your unusual items along and have them photographed and maybe win a fancy meal. And then you can eat the most wonderful thing I've ever heard about in the history of Domestic Sluttery:

Glow in the dark gin and tonic jelly.

The carriage is only here between the 1st and 4th October so make sure you get yourself down to Manchester Square Gardens before it goes. This is one pop-up shop/bar/carriage that you do not want to miss. It's open between 11am and 9pm so you've got plenty of time. It's free to visit, but make sure you leave them something curious, won't you?

And if you pop back here later today, I might even share that glow in the dark jelly recipe with you...