Top food on film moments

Food glorious food… It’s even better when its on film!

There have been some delicious food on film moments since the cinema first started, from Laurel & Hardy with their custard pie fights, through to re-hydrated pizza in Back to the Future 2 and the fantastic Foodie film, Julia & Julia.

We’ve picked out some out scenes across all genres that simply got our tummy’s rumbling, sometimes with hunger but sometimes with disgust:

Cool Hand Luke: 50 hard boiled eggs in an hour

Thanks to the exploits of big eaters on TV, like the host of Man vs Food, we’re rarely dazzled by feats of gluttony any more. However, in the world of film, Paul Newman chowing down 50 hard boiled eggs in the prison drama, Cool Hand Luke, is still pretty special.

If you haven’t seen the movie, Newman stars as the stubborn and heroic Lucas Jackson, who manages to earn the respect of his fellow inmates by wolfing down 50 peeled eggs until his stomach is so bloated that it is, in the words of one prisoner “like a ripe watermelon that’s about to bust itself open.”

The Goonies: Baby Ruth

Okay, so i’ve got a confession to make here, The Goonies is one of my favourite movies, but, that being said, this scene deserves a place in the top foodie film moments.

When two misfits, Sloth and Chunk, bond over their love for Choooclaaate, Chunk takes this as a sign to toss Sloth his Baby Ruth candy bar (as he does, it whacks Sloth on the forehead and Sloth breaks loose of his chains to pick it up). He may even show off his Superman t-shirt at this point…

The Baby Ruth is the start of Sloth’s official membership to the ultimate misfits, The Goonies gang – who said you can’t make friends with chocolate? Oh, that’s right no-one!

Ratatouille (2007): Anton Ego tastes the ratatouille

If this scene didn’t get you up and cheering then you have the heart of a food critic. This was a great film for kids, adults and pets!

The climatic scene, in which the jaded food critic, Anton Ego, finally bites into Remy’s ratatouille, is brilliant in that it shows us the power of food. Sometimes it really can transport you to somewhere else. It could be the taste, it could be the smell, but in this scene, we see Ego’s eyes widen and the rest of the restaurant dropping away as he’s transported back to his childhood home in the countryside, with his mother cooking for him.

There must be some research out there that actually proves that when we eat, it does trigger our emotions, which means that eating has as much to do with how a dish makes you feel as how it tastes? I know what they mean, i’m eating a Butter Chicken Pie right now and i’m thinking of that holiday to India…

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): Snakes on a plate

This feast is definitely one for those with a strong stomach. Indy, Short Round and Andi struggle to keep their eyes in their heads when they see what is for dinner, let alone the contents of their stomach.

This exotic feast takes place at the Maharajah’s palace and features chilled monkey brains and eyeball soup. The main dish of the day really gets the taste buds squirming (so to speak) with a giant Python served up on a platter, then teeny tiny, shiny baby snakes slither out of a python’s slashed belly and onto the banquet table for a truly fearsome feast.

Lady and the Tramp (1955): Spaghetti

It’s the second cartoon that we have mentioned, but this is such a classic food romance scene that it can’t miss out. Boiled down and this is two dogs kissing and eating meatballs. Boil it down further and it’s a scene that hammers home the might of the restaurant: that no matter the background, wallet or scruffiness, great hospitality can make anyone feel like a King Charles Cavalier for the day..