Universally acclaimed restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, located on the third floor of Crown Towers Melbourne, is celebrating the launch of a brand new dessert, Vegemite Ice Cream. Inspired by our love for the quintessentially Aussie breakfast spread, the team, led by Group Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts has been exploring the origins of the Australian pantry staple, resulting in a dessert that amplifies the distinct flavour of the beloved spread.

Served on a biscuit sourdough crumble base with toasted puffed spelt, cocoa nibs, burnt honey and macadamias, the dish offers a complex mix of flavours and textures. There are elements of salted caramel with a barley chocolate ganache and a verjuice curd, with the ice cream nestled amidst these complementing flavours. At the table, the dish is expertly finished by the waiter who will drizzle a rich caramel sauce directly from a vegemite jar.

Vegemite’s Category Manager Tania Trapla was invited to taste the dessert ensuring this very precious ingredient was honoured. She applauded the end result saying, “It was a great tribute to have chefs of Heston and Ashley’s calibre work with our product. We have always been aware of the versatility of vegemite’s taste and to have their innovative take on our famous Australian spread was truly remarkable. They have managed to take vegemite to another dimension”.

The dessert will be launched on Australia Day, 26 January 2017, at a special 4-course lunch celebration presented by Ashley. The lunch will feature the very best of Australian produce and wines, including the new Rosella Wine cocktail, inspired by the jams of the Rosella Preserving and Manufacturing Company.

With both Heston and Ashley calling Australia their second home, Ashley says there was no other Australian ingredient that they were more intrigued by than the cult spread, “I had never really eaten Vegemite until I came to Australia”, explains Ashley Palmer-Watts, “It was great fun exploring the flavours which led to actually a pretty complex dessert from a real cult Australian product”.

For all general reservations including the Australia Day Lunch reservations visit www.dinnerbyheston.com.au.