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Chef Liam Penn will launch a newly written 2026 edition of his Great British Animation ‘Edible Storytelling’ menu on 23 May, bringing a new narrative-led tasting experience to Bristol.
Known for creating immersive tasting menus that combine storytelling, theatre and modernist technique, Liam has spent the past three years building a loyal following through a series of ambitious pop-ups, each centred around a distinct theme and designed to unfold like a story told through food.
Previous menu themes have included A Trip to the Seaside, An Edible Ode to Roald Dahl, The Perfect Date, An Enchanted Walk, Edible Histories and The Feast of St Nicholas.
While Liam first explored the Great British Animation theme last year, it’s back by popular demand and has been newly written, featuring seven entirely new dishes inspired by seven new animations, alongside three reworked versions of dishes from the original concept.
For Liam, revisiting a theme is not about repetition, but progression – refining ideas, approaching them from a different angle and continuing to evolve dishes over time. This year’s return also lands in Aardman’s 50th anniversary year, giving added resonance to a menu inspired by joy, imagination and nostalgia.
Rather than using animation simply as a visual reference point, Liam uses it as a route into something more emotional: childhood memory, comfort, character and wonder. The menu is designed to tap into that sense of childhood joy, while still delivering the precision and detail of a serious dining experience.
‘Modernist plant-based cuisine’
Liam has developed his own modernist plant-based British cooking style, shaped by seasonal produce, foraging and ingredients he grows himself. His background includes time in some of the UK’s most celebrated kitchens, having worked with Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, Simon Rogan at L’Enclume and Andrew Dargue at Vanilla Black.
That combination of fine-dining pedigree and highly personal creative direction has helped Liam carve out a niche of his own, treating dining as something expressive, immersive and emotionally engaging.
He said: “Every menu I create starts with a story. I’ve always been interested in the emotional side of dining — the way a dish can trigger memory, surprise or nostalgia as much as flavour.
“When I first wrote Great British Animation last year, I found so many animations I wanted to include that I knew I’d never be able to fit them all into one menu. Bringing the theme back this year has given me the chance to explore new ideas, introduce new dishes and revisit a few favourites from a different angle.
“For me, this menu is really about childhood joy; those stories and characters that stay with you, and that feeling of comfort, excitement and imagination they can bring back. It’s playful, but it’s also technically ambitious, and I want people to come away feeling like they’ve had a genuinely great dining experience as well as being transported somewhere unexpected.”
Launching on 23 May at Emmeline, Spike Island (close to Aardman’s Bristol home) Liam’s Great British Animation menu is expected to run for the next three to four months, giving guests a limited window to experience this newly written version of one of his most popular concepts.
The launch marks the latest step in Liam’s longer-term journey as he continues to grow the Edible Storytelling concept – and build towards his goal of opening a bricks-and-mortar site in Bristol.