Bottomless lasagne? London's latest foodie trend fills me with dread
There are some culinary artefacts among the marvels in the British Museum's Silk Roads exhibition. A platter for a flatbread that found its way from Central Asia to China; a wine jug repurposed as a funeral urn; countless ornate goblets and bowls that wound up thousands of miles from their place of origin. Astonishingly, there are even some 1,500-year-old baked goods, found at Astana Cemetery in the Gobi Desert. Insert your own joke about your local bakery.
Gazing on these items, imagining the intrepid travellers who conveyed them across unknown or hostile land, I wondered what archaeologists from the future might learn from our food and drink curiosities. Would they marvel at Huel and its ilk, forerunners of the meal replacements they inject into themselves? Or gaze on air fryers with awe, as we do with Stonehenge? Will they revere Charlie Bigham as a deity?
It was with these thoughts swirling that I checked my phone after the exhibition and saw an email about a new east London concept: 'bottomless lasagne'.
Senza Fondo, which translates as 'without bottom', will open on February 20 offering unlimited lasagne for £20 a head. 'Lasagne lends itself to bulk production,' says the founder, Joe Worthington, who calls himself the 'chief bechamel officer'. 'You sit down, have a big, chunky piece of lasagne and – if you want – you can order it again.'
'Bottomless.' Of all the ominous terms in food – deconstructed, gooey, ultra-processed, nutritionally complete – none inspires as much dread. The word reassures the diner that they will not be judged, no matter how base their urges. The implication is not only that there is no bottom to your bowl, plate, trough or whatever else you are eating from, but possibly no bottom to you, either. As with Casper the Friendly Ghost, food and drink will simply plummet through you.
This is not to denigrate 'lavish' or 'indulgent', which are ancient and admirable qualities in a meal. Nor is it to dismiss buffets, which at their best have a democratic sense of generosity and acknowledge that you want to add ham to stuff.
No, bottomless is really a 21st-century curiosity. It started with unlimited soft drinks, fries and Pizza Hut pizza at lunchtime. But it achieved its zenith with the 'bottomless brunch' where, for a fixed fee, diners are given as much cheap booze as they can glug within their allotted time. Bottomless brunch not only normalises drinking in the morning, but specifically normalises drinking many low-quality drinks. Hopped up on lowest-common-denominator plonk, the bottomless mob make themselves vulnerable to sides, pudding and other cunning upselling.
The bottomless promise also uses the diner's essential stinginess against them. To a certain cast of mind, hearing the word will get the cogs whirring. 'I will beat the system,' they think. 'I will be the outlier.' They crave a bargain, rather than endless layers of bechamel, ragu and pasta. Nobody has ever had a serving of lasagne and still felt hungry. That's the point of lasagne. One might as well offer bottomless mashed potato or risotto or bread and butter pudding. When archaeologists unearth the 'Senza Fondo' menu buried in the mud by Old Street, they will wonder about our priorities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
28-05-2025
- BBC News
Gladiator exhibition opens at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
A touring exhibition exploring the world of Roman gladiators has opened in Museum & Art Gallery is hosting Gladiators of Britain, which offers insight into the gladiators who lived in the county and the wider finds included two Nene Valley vessels depicting gladiators, fragments of an engraved glass from a Roman villa near Nether Heyford, and a clasp knife discovered in Birrell, curator at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, said: "[The items] show us the Romans who did live here engaged in spectacle culture... they made objects that have gladiators depicted on them and bought them, used them and lost them in the county." Gladiators are traditionally associated with arenas like the Colosseum in Rome, but many fights took place across was no amphitheatre in Northamptonshire, with the closest being at St Albans - formerly known as Verulamium. There were 25 artefacts in the exhibition, including the Hawkedon Helmet - the only confirmed piece of gladiatorial armour from Roman Britain. It was possibly plundered from Colchester - known then as Camulodunum - during Boudica's rebellion of to the British Museum, the heavy bronze helmet originally had a tinned surface, and the wearer's face would have been encased in a hinged mask with eye guards. Another key exhibit is the Colchester Vase from AD175, discovered in a Roman-era grave in Willi, the curator for ancient Mediterranean life at the British Museum, added: "There are misconceptions about gladiatorial fights... we are trying to dispel some of these myths. "For example, there were rules to the fights, there were umpires, and people didn't always fight to the death. In fact, a bout would last around 15 minutes because a dead gladiator was much more expensive than a wounded one that could fight more."Gladiators of Britain is at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery until 7 September. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- The Guardian
‘Our son thought: what if I actually move the stone?': unlocking the mysteries of Stonehenge with a family visit
'There are so many mysteries.' Talking to Lewis and Richard Edwards-Middleton the day after a visit to Stonehenge, you get a sense that it's the wonder of the place that lingers. The couple behind Two Dads in London are known for sharing their adventures as a family on social media. They had just spent a day out at Salisbury Plain's famous stone circle with their nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter*. They're clearly struck by the fact that even after 4,500 years the enigmatic arrangement of giant stone slabs – a masterpiece of engineering – is still prompting as many questions as answers. The monument was an important site for Neolithic people, this we know, but its precise purpose is still the subject of debate. Theories as to Stonehenge's function include being a giant sundial, a calendar, a kind of ancient computer and even a portal – but more on that later. The hypothesis that English Heritage (custodian of Stonehenge) believes to be the most likely is that the stone circle was some kind of temple, given its alignment with the movements of the sun at the solstices. This stone circle is just the start of what awaits at Stonehenge, however. 'The stones are a focal point of something much bigger,' says Richard. It is part of a series of connected sites across Wiltshire where Neolithic people lived for millennia. But while the site's history is ancient and its designers, builders and original users are long gone, its history continues to live and breathe. Our understanding of it is still evolving, and it's a place where visitors and volunteers keep its legacy alive through learning. 'I think that's the fun with history. We only really know what we know at the minute. We might find something else out in 10 years' time,' he says. But there's plenty beyond the mysteries of the site itself to inspire wonder in younger visitors. Whether it's comparisons of the upright stone slabs that make up the circle to Lego bricks in the visitor centre or the replicas of Neolithic homes, complete with wooden or woven furniture, just outside the centre. You can also experience Stonehenge through the seasons in an immersive digital space, which Lewis and Richard's daughter 'didn't want to leave'. For the Edwards-Middleton family, relating the history of Stonehenge in ways that make sense to kids is something the attraction and its volunteers do really well. One linked pickaxing for flint to mining in Minecraft. Another knew all about Who Let the Gods Out?, a book series by Maz Evans that Lewis and Richard's son had read at school, featuring a Stonehenge-style stone circle as a portal. 'I think that the volunteers had a training course in all of the questions that could potentially be asked by a nine-year-old,' says Lewis. The visitor centre and replicas of Neolithic homes are full of objects that bring the era to life Tactile experiences also help bring something from the ancient past right into the present, whether it's the example of the deer antler the prehistoric people used as pickaxes, or the opportunity for kids to see if they can shift a replica of one of the stone circle's huge and heavy sarsen stones. 'I think our son thought … because he watches a lot of the history stuff on King Arthur, 'What if I actually move the stone?'' says Lewis. While the family spent a whole day at Stonehenge, there are different itineraries to suit, depending on how much time you have, such as a two-hour or half-day visit. Despite their trip to Stonehenge being in the Easter holidays, the Edwards-Middletons were surprised by how uncrowded it felt. 'You can go some places and it's so busy that you're like: 'Oh no,' especially because our daughter doesn't have a great attention span – she has some learning difficulties. We didn't feel that at all,' says Lewis. The Two Dads in London were lucky enough to plan their trip for when the sun was shining, which meant they could take full advantage of the site's picnic area and ice-cream van. Visitors can bring along their own picnics, or stop by the cafe where food is handily served in picnic-ready packaging. Activities include the chance to see if you can move a replica of one of the circle's huge stones The one thing Stonehenge doesn't have? A playground – something that's a deliberate omission (though it does have a temporary Playhenge workshop from 23 May to 2 June). As Richard says: 'If there had been one, it would have been: 'Let's go to the playground.' That kind of deletes their interest.' The lack of a playground gives kids the message that Stonehenge itself is a place of play and exploration. 'Their playground was pulling the stone, the Neolithic houses,' he says. But it's not all play. The trip to Stonehenge gave their son the opportunity to put some of the history he's been learning at school into context. Lots of kids learn about the Egyptians and the feats of engineering and construction behind the Great Pyramids of Giza, but the archaeological marvel of Stonehenge is just so easy to get to, says Richard: 'For our son to be completely mesmerised by this really old set-up in England is amazing, because it only took us an hour and 10 minutes to get there. And he's like: 'What? This is so close to us!'' * Names withheld for privacy To find out more about Stonehenge and its many mysteries, book your visit here
Times
22-05-2025
- Times
The Barbican has never been fit for purpose — it's time to move on
Doubtless the hacks and gossips of 17th-century London laughed mockingly every time Christopher Wren announced another delay to the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral. But at least it was finished. I can't muster such optimism about some heritage projects that I was reporting on in my first years in journalism, yet which seem no nearer completion now. One is the proposal to dig a road tunnel under the Stonehenge site. It's as if we've been watching the same tedious debate on a time loop for 30 years. Recent developments? The tunnel was approved by the government (again) in 2023 and scrapped (again) in 2024. So I guess this year it's back to approval. Another never-ending saga, in the news this week? It's the project to
