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Tap water honoured by Michelin-starred chef
Sharon Brennan31.07.08
London's tap water has been named as one of the best tasting in the country by a panel of chefs and sommeliers.
It also came well ahead of mineral water in the test and was praised for its bouquet by Michelin-star holder Tom Aikens.
The blind water tasting by some of the most sophisticated palates in the country placed a leading brand mineral water eighth alongside 10 tap waters from the country's regional suppliers.
Thames Water was the third favourite of both Aikens and the judging panel overall, coming in behind Severn Trent Water and Anglian Water. Aikens said the tastings showed that some areas of the country "need a little work" but that overall tap water was palatable.
London tap water also performed well in the bouquet category, coming third again, with Aikens remarking on its "coastal smell". Fellow panellist Thomasina Miers, owner of Wahaca in Covent Garden, said it had "a slight floral note to its scent". However, Thames Water fell down on its appearance, only just making the top five.
Evidence from the panel, which also included Chris Cooper, head of wines at The Wolseley, suggests consumers are becoming increasingly aware of campaigns promoting tap water. Aikens said: "In my restaurants more people are drinking tap water now than last year."
The Evening Standard's Water On Tap campaign aims to cut the negative environmental impact of bottled water by making it socially acceptable to ask for tap water in bars and restaurants.
Miers, winner of the BBC's Masterchef title in 2005, said: "It's absurd to only drink bottle water. I drink two litres of water a day and if I was drinkingbottled water it might be a more expensive habit than smoking."
Cooper added: "I don't think customers are stupid, they know what they are tasting but it's becoming more popular to choose tap as people are realising the financial side of drinking mineral water. They might be thinking of their carbon footprint too."
The taste challenge was held in Aikens's Chelsea restaurant, Tom's Kitchen, to launch environmental charity Green Thing's Drink Tap campaign. The initiative has been designed to highlight environmental reasons for people to ditch bottle water.
Green Thing's co-founder, Naresh Ramchandani, said of the difference in taste between tap and bottled water: "There is a social stigma surrounding asking for tap water in restaurants so we have to make the green lifestyle something you want to do rather than something you have to do."
