Biography

Heston Blumenthal is a totally self taught chef who was awarded a second star in the Michelin Guide 2002.

His passion for food was kindled at the age of 10 by a family visit to Provence and as a teenager he started to experiment in the kitchen. As a young adult he spent his holidays on gastronomic pilgrimages to France and his nights were dedicated to his twin obsessions, kick boxing and cooking.

Finally, in 1995, aged 29, he opened The Fat Duck in Bray and word spread fast. It is now regularly booked solid and has received ecstatic reviews and guide book recommendations. The Good Food Guide awards 9 points (out of a possible 10) and says: 'the sensual food is like early Picasso, in that it breaks moulds, and crosses boundaries, while tasting utterly delectable'. Only two other chefs scored higher: Marco Pierre White and Nico Ladenis.

The Michelin Guide awarded The Fat Duck its first star in 1999, which was retained in 2000 and 2001 and he has been awarded a second star in 2002. He has recently opened the Riverside Brasserie also in Bray. Heston is the first winner of the new "Chef of the Year" award in the 2001 Good Food Guide, and The Fat Duck has been made the AA Restaurant of the Year.

Heston's style marries the French bourgeois tradition with an experimentation born of boundless curiosity and the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. His combinations are legendary - cod with cockscombs and liquorice, foie gras with marinated salmon and cuttlefish cannelloni of duck and maple syrup. His recipes can be seen regularly in the Guardian on Saturdays. His first book, Family Food, was published by Penguin in November 2002.

Heston has also filmed his own 6 X 30-minute TV series Kitchen Chemistry, which aired on the Discovery Channel. This series looked at the latest scientific research on food. He has been profiled by a number of publications including Caterer & Hotelkeeper and The Independent and his book, Family Food is available from Penguin. BBC Radio 4 broadcast Kitchen Cornucopia, a three part series presented by Heston. He has also appeared on the BBC show Ever Wondered.