London On Tap, the campaign promoting the capital's tap water, today officially launched the carafe it hopes to roll out across London's bars, hotels and restaurants.
The campaign, which was launched by Thames Water and the Mayor of London last year, aims to promote the use of tap water and to highlight the impact of bottled water on climate change and the environment.
The winning entry, Tap Top (pictured) by London-based designer Neil Barron, was chosen from a shortlist of 10 designs which were judged by a panel including chef-restaurateur Aldo Zilli and architect Zaha Hadid.
It is a tapered glass carafe featuring four pouring spouts, which is now on sale to hospitality operators priced £10 (excluding VAT and delivery), with £1 going towards charity WaterAid.
I fully support the use of tap water in restaurants and think diners should be able to order it freely without feeling intimidated. But at the same time, I can't help but wonder whether this carafe will take off in the capital's many high end restaurants.
Research from consumer watchdog Which? last year suggested that 20% of diners feel embarrassed when asking for tap water in restaurants and I would imagine that in a formal environment this sense of embarrassment would only be intensified.
And if you're treating yourself to a special meal at a fabulously fancy restaurant, do you really want to resort to drinking water out of the tap?
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