Best exhibition title ever? Tom Jeffreys gets stuck in at Cake Britain.
“You're just a fakey-cake-maker and I ain't got time for you-oooo!” Anyone know what I'm talking about? Or do I now just seem weird? Hmmm maybe both. Anyway, it's that weird Vic and Bob Masterchef sketch where a massive-headed, cutlery-fingered Lloyd Grossman floats around the studio tasting the contestants' bizarre food. The last entrant claims to have made a cake that looks like shoe. Only snag is, it is actually a shoe. Hence Lloyd's daftly melodic put-down.
Where were we? Oh yes, cakes that look like stuff. Which brings me round to the rather splendidly entitled Cake Britain, currently on show at the Future Gallery just next to Leicester Square tube station. Apparently it's the world's first art exhibition where everything on display is edible, and my lord it's great.
Artists like David A Smith, Stuart Semple and Pete Fowler have teamed up with various cooking experts, and there's work on show by some of the big names of the current art as food/food as art thing like StenSoul, Lily Vanilli and the ubiquitous (in a good way) Bompas & Parr. 
The whole thing is a mass of creative, imaginative fun, bright colours, strange shapes, and, of course, cake. There's a toucan-type creature spread across the floor, a stripey-shirted sailor with a glowing red eye, a delicate forest, a huge pink and green pop art cake, topped by Brangelina, 940 cookies spelling out lyrics from 'The Chaos' by the Futureheads, and a near-life-size stag's head bust, lined with demerara sugar crystals. Sweet. Literally.
The whole extravaganza is the brainchild of one Miss Cakehead, with a little help from the nice sugar-making fellows at Tate & Lyle. The works – which will be eaten on the last day of the exhibition – are all on sale, with proceeds going to charities, Richard House, We Make Peace and the Fairtrade Foundation. Entry is free, but donations are encouraged. These are worthy causes and a lot of the works on show respond specifically to the charity's various activities.
Interestingly, did you know that it was Sir Henry Tate (he of Tate & Lyle fame, obvs) who actually founded the Tate Gallery, back in the 1890s? Yes 'tis true, and one imagines he'd be delighted by this wonderful, exuberant exhibition. Although perhaps the famously modest philanthropist might may have been less than impressed by the girl who saw fit to smear meringue all over my face. Oh well, fingers crossed there's no photo evidence. I can just deny it ever happened. Oh, wait...
Cake Britain is at the Future Gallery until Sunday 29th August 2010.
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