Roast beef inspires the thought of a creaking leather saddle, while boiled carrots pertain to the noise of a balloon bursting in this series from the mind of James Wannerton, who has the rare condition lexical-gustatory synaesthesia. Experiencing a sensory crossover where words and sounds are encountered as taste, Wannerton interpreted the ingredients of a British roast dinner, captured here by Dominic Davies for food journal The Gourmand. “When James hears things like bubble-wrap popping he tastes pork,” explains Davies, who worked with Heston Blumenthal on The Fat Duck Cookbook. The photographer enlisted art director Andrew Stellitano to conjure up five montages inspired by Sunday meals, plus a round of drinks for good measure. “The project is the first time Wannerton has had to reverse-think—for example, he is used to meeting people and thinking, ‘Ok he tastes like carrot cake,’ but we asked him to answer questions such as: ‘What gives you the taste of pork? Of roast potatoes? Of apple sauce?’ The photos represent his answers.”
Issue 03 of The Gourmand is available to order online from December 8.