Diners at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, can look forward to delicious surprises such as ice cream curry and fisheye apple cocktail.
However, Heston Blumenthal’s love life is even more unpredictable.
Three days ago, I revealed the 56-year-old TV chef had split from Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child, who was regularly referred to as his “wife”.
‘I found my other half’: Heston Blumenthal announces engagement to French businesswoman Melanie Ceysson
Friends of the French real estate agent told me that she had never legally married Blumenthal, who is 21 years her senior.
Now I can reveal that he has found love with another French woman, Melanie Ceysson.
And they’re already engaged. “I found my other half,” he tells me from France, where they live in a national park.
Splits! It was revealed earlier this week that Heston had split from his “wife” and the mother of his youngest child, Stephanie Gouveia, after they unofficially married in 2018
Blumenthal’s rep reportedly said he married his former girlfriend Stephanie in the Maldives in 2018.
However, their spokesman told me this week: “The marriage should be recognized by the judicial authorities. That was not. What happened does not constitute marriage in the legally binding sense.’
This time, the chef insists the ceremony is legally binding. “I’m going to officially marry Melanie,” he tells me.
Blumenthal, who attended Latymer Upper School in west London for £22,530 a year, declined to give any further details about his new fiancée.
Example: The TV chef and the French real estate agent Stephanie went their separate ways “some time ago”.
They are said to have been a couple for a few months. She is believed to be in her 30s and worked with him, having previously worked in the hospitality industry in France.
In addition to his five-year-old with Stephanie, Blumenthal has three children with his ex-wife Zanna, from whom he divorced in 2016.
During their marriage, he had an affair with US cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who said her favorite things to do are “food and sex.”
Happier times: Friends of Stephanie say she never legally married Heston, who is 21 years her senior, although his rep has reportedly said they exchanged vows in 2018
Zanna stood by Heston’s rise to stardom in cooking and he admits she was raising their three children while he was being grafted in the kitchen.
When asked why their marriage ended during an interview with Time, Heston said, “Who knows? People are always looking for a reason and life is more complex.
“Certainly my ex-wife was a big reason for the success of The Duck… Someone had to take the kids to school and do all the work and housekeeping because I was never there.”
During their marriage, Heston had an affair with American cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who said her favorite things to do were “food and sex.”
Heston moved to Provence, France in 2018 to live near L’Oustau de Baumanière, the three Michelin starred restaurant he first visited at the age of 16.
He credits the restaurant with fueling his desire to become a chef. Heston claims he’s returned to “rediscover the magic of cooking” after falling out of love with it.
Heston remains strongly associated with its British restaurants, including Fat Duck.
First wife: Heston and his first wife Zanna, the mother of his first three children, divorced in 2016 after deciding to separate in 2011 (pictured together)