Heston Blumenthal OBE | ADHD Beyond the Label | THE ART OF QUESTIONING EVERYTHING
Description
This week on Beyond the Label, we were joined by none other than Heston Blumenthal OBE - the world-renowned chef, innovator, and pioneer of multi-sensory gastronomy. Known for pushing the boundaries of food at his three Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck, Heston has redefined how we experience flavour, memory, and emotion through food.
But behind the culinary genius is also a story of neurodivergence. Diagnosed with ADHD in 2017, Heston opened up to us about how his busy mind, boundless creativity, and ability to "fall down rabbit holes" shaped his career and inspired some of his most daring dishes - from crab ice cream to The Sound of the Sea.
We spoke about:
- The link between ADHD and creativity in the kitchen
- His childhood school reports that simply read "can do better”
- How he translated French cookbooks as a teenager and discovered food science through curiosity
- Why the way we perceive food can change the way it tastes
- His openness about ADHD and bipolar diagnoses - and the importance of raising awareness to remove shame
As Heston put it, the brain is "a very busy thing" - and learning about ADHD helped him understand not just his challenges, but also the unique strengths that fuelled his career.
In this week's episode of ADHD Beyond the Label, Heston joins Phil Anderton and John Reynolds to share his journey, from misplaced dustpans in fridges to pioneering dishes that changed the way the world thinks about food.
United States
