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‘It’s part of who I am’: Heston Blumenthal on the bipolar diagnosis that saved his life, his journey of self

In a searingly honest interview, the star chef talks about the pressure of success, dealing with grief and how being sectioned by his wife changed everythingHeston Blumenthal, one of Britain’s greatest chefs, lives in a small village in Provence. When we meet, on a weekday morning in February, he is in the Hind’s Head in Bray, a stone’s throw from his very famous restaurant, the Fat Duck, which turns 30 this August. Blumenthal is in England to test dishes he hopes to recall to an anniversary menu – a kind of Greatest Hits of the Duck. “But it’s a backbreaker,” he says. “You start off with the old recipes and you realise they’re not up to scratch – we’ve moved on. So we’re tasting, tasting, tasting.” Yesterday, Blumenthal cooked four pieces of turbot, each at a minimally different temperature, to nail the dish. “At this level, those incremental differences make a massive difference,” he goes on, looking briefly bemused. “It’s been hard.”Much else has been hard for Blumenthal recently...



Heston Blumenthal discusses his bipolar diagnosis following a manic episode in November 2023 that led to him being sectioned in France. The interview covers his experiences with psychosis, hospitalization, medication, and his journey toward self-discovery and understanding of his condition, which he now sees as integral to his identity. It also touches on the impact of these events on his personal relationships and career.

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