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The Heston Blumenthal Team

02/03/2026

Great British Pies…

Who doesn’t love a pie? And our devotion to them goes all the way back to the 13th century, although what people were eating then wasn’t quite what we’d recognise today.

For a start, the pastry case wasn’t meant to be eaten at all. It was a hard, almost rock-like shell, the medieval equivalent of airtight Tupperware, built simply to protect and preserve the meat inside. Function over flavour.

It wasn’t until the 16th century that fat began to appear in pastry recipes, and suddenly everything changed. The case itself became delicious. Fast forward a century or so, we’re in a golden age of pies and, with it, the rise of specialist pastry chefs.

It’s a surprisingly deep subject, full of unexpected twists, which inspired me to explore it further on Great British Food, Episode 4.

If you’re curious, you can watch it via the link below.

https://bit.ly/404C5UM

25/02/2026

Mindful eating can be a way of reconnecting with yourself, letting stress, worries, and distracting thoughts fade into the background.
For me, this is part of the magic of food. If we let it, if we allow the stimulation to flow and truly register it as it happens, it can slow the frenetic pace of life, sharpen the senses, and create a feeling of fulfilment rather than fullness.

So why not take this experiment with me, and who knows, maybe this will be the best raisin you’ve ever eaten.

https://thefatduck.co.uk/files/HB_Mindful-Raisin.mp4

20/02/2026

Tasting the smell

When I was working on the Counting Sheep dessert, I began exploring one of the most nostalgic childhood scents: baby powder. I wanted to taste it not literally, of course, but through an idea I had explored at The Fat Duck, the concept of tasting a smell.

The aim was to create a dish that tastes like the smell of baby powder, in a way that is genuinely delicious to eat.

To do this, I started by understanding the aromas that make up baby powder. Working alongside master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, we uncovered a surprisingly long list of aromatic components.

This led us to research food ingredients with similar notes, including vanilla, milk, tonka bean, lavender, coriander and orange blossom, all of which are now part of the dessert.

18/02/2026

Ideas for dishes are often not from a single source. They can and do come from anywhere. It’s always a mix of inspiration, experimentation and sometimes pure luck. One of the most unexpected, not to say unusual, examples was Counting Sheep, inspired by the phrase itself and that strange, fleeting state between being awake and asleep.

Where have you found your inspirations?

14/02/2026

Together with Professor Robin Dunbar, we explored how a scent can draw others in.

Our sense of smell plays a crucial role in how we perceive taste. When food is cooked, chemical reactions occur that produce aromatic compounds.

These compounds are volatile, meaning they easily mix with the air and are carried to the smell receptors in our nose.

Foods such as meat or bread have little or no flavour when raw, but when heated they release distinctive cooking aromas. These scents are often so recognisable that, the moment we enter a kitchen, we know exactly what is being prepared.

12/02/2026

With the guidance of Professor Francis McGlone, scientific research, and the experiment in this episode, we explore the intricate relationship between pain and pleasure.

When eating spicy food, the compound capsaicin binds to receptors on the tongue, triggering a sensations of heat and pain, leading to the spicy or hot feeling.

The sensation can lead to the release of endorphins in the brain to reduce the perception of pain, resulting in a pleasurable experience.

The pleasurable sensation varies depending on individual preferences and tolerances for spicy foods.

When the pain starts to subside, there’s a feeling of relief and our sense may feel more alert and attentive.

10/02/2026

With insights from historian Dr Jennifer Evans, we ask: is the greatest aphrodisiac in the world our own imagination?

Food has the power to influence our emotions and well-being. It can make us happy, excite us, bring us together or perhaps awaken deeper desires.
Over the years, certain foods have been labelled aphrodisiacs, celebrated for their supposed arousing properties and their ability to connect us.

Today, foods such as red wine, oysters, and chocolate are enjoyed as rich culinary and sensory experiences, rather than simply as aphrodisiacs.

09/02/2026

When I opened The Fat Duck in 1995, I never considered the possibility of three Michelin stars. I thought perhaps one day I’d get one and that was enough. I never chased greatness; I simply wanted to be understood.

To now be holding six in the UK and one in Dubai still feels completely surreal.

Congratulations to The Fat Duck, Dinner by Heston and The Hind's Head. What an incredible team. I hope you’re all celebrating the hard work behind this moment, at the Michelin Awards 2026, in Bray and in London.

07/02/2026

It’s fascinating how food has always been at the heart of how we celebrate life. One of those celebrations, Valentine’s Day, comes with its own delicious traditions, myths and… aphrodisiacs.

As there are so many connections between food and romance, when I did a TV show on the subject, I worked with a range of experts to explore the topic fully, including Francis McGlone (neuroscientist), Dr Jennifer Evans (historian), Professor Robert Dunbar (evolutionary psychologist), Oliver Joseph (physicist) and Chris Cox (magician). Together, we found answers to many of the questions that had been puzzling me, about scent and attraction, pain and pleasure, and the sensuality of sound. Based on what we discovered, I created a menu of dishes where each course offered its own small revelations for our special guests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf0IjQtx9uk&t=332s

23/12/2025

For me a roast is above all about the roast potatoes. Because no matter how delicious everything else is, if the roasties aren’t quite there, it’s a bit of a let-down.

Which is why I once became obsessed with getting the perfect roast potato texture: crunchy on the outside, and soft and fluffy within. So, if that’s also how you like your potatoes, you’re in for a treat.

10/10/2025

It’s not a potato potahto when it comes to potatoes.

Last year, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Terra X production team to share my very first recipe, the recipe for Triple Cooked Chips. I took the crew down the rabbit hole where we meticulously compared different varieties, examined their starch content the old-fashioned way, juiced and tasted the water, and even ended up stuffing a chip with ketchup because… why not?

As Terra X is German TV, the episode is in the native language. But if you’re a dab hand at Deutsch, want to practise your German, or simply believe cuisine transcends conversational constraints, you can watch me make chips here: https://www.zdf.de/play/reportagen/terra-x-chemie-des-kochens-mit-mai-thi-nguyen-kim-dokureihe-100/terra-x-chemie-des-kochens-wasser-mit-mai-thi-nguyen-kim-doku-100

08/10/2025

San Sebastián holds a very special place in my heart. It was here that my cooking was first truly appreciated, even before it was in England. Coming back brings back so many meaningful memories and the chance to see old friends.

To return now and receive the San Sebastián Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country 2025 Tribute Award makes it all the more emotional.

I’m grateful to be part of this incredible community, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came to say hello during the convention.

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