The Willy Wonka of food deserves to take a break every now and again. Here are some food journeys that the three-star Michelin chef and former winner of the World’s Best Restaurant will never forget

01
Experiencing Michelin Dining For The First Time In France

One of my favourite food memories is L'Oustau de Baumanière (a triple-Michelin starred restaurant in the South of France, where at the age of 16 he enjoyed his first gastronomic epiphany that made he want to be a chef). It’s down the road from where I live now. It’s really the whole experience.

02
Eating Cornish Pasties in Cornwall

Food and smell is the biggest trigger of memories. I remember sitting on the back of my parents’ car in Cornwall, wrapped in a car blanket and eating a Cornish pasty in a brown paper bag. Wow, it’s funny how that has just come back to me. I also remember my gran taking me to an ice cream parlour in Edgware Road every Saturday. Food has that amazing ability to connect us with a moment.

03
Enjoying Pizza In Naples

I did a TV series for the BBC called Search For Perfection years ago and the fixer said we should go to Pizzeria e Frigittoria in Naples for pizza. I thought that Italian pizza was thin and crisp, but the fixer said that was pizza from Rome and their pizza was better. I’m sure the person from Rome would have said the same. But what he gave me from this stall pizza stall in Naples has remained one of my favourites. The reason for that was the complexity of the dough. They make the dough by adding the flour to the water, not the water to the flour. They saturate the dough. Which means it’s really elastic. So when you put it in the oven it wants to expand. It’s incredible light.

04
Visiting A Legendary Team In Lyon

I would love to go back to Maison Troisgros in Ouches, France. This is a restaurant that has been at the top end of the game for years. The staff that have been there for years. There’s a youthfulness about the whole place. It’s a fabulous combination of old and new.

05
The Food Journey I’d Like To Take Next

This year I would like to go somewhere where the restaurant is rooted to place. I would like to visit Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun in Korea who starred in Netflix’s Chef Table. I am interested because it is about giving love and emotions to food. I don’t have a religious bone in my body. But when you say grace you’re being thankful for the people who grow it.

Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal was in Singapore for the World’s Best 50 Restaurants Awards. He is about to open Dinner By Heston Blumenthal at The Royal Atlantis Resort in Dubai this year. He is also working with Oxford College on a water project from his new laboratory in France.

Suggested Itineraries
Vibrant sunrise at Quiraing on the Isle of Skye, Scotland

From S$14,190 pp

Whisky & Golf in Scotland

Scotland United Kingdom Europe

  • See the spectacular Highlands of Scotland
  • Visit a Royal Distillery on a private tour
  • Play golf at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club
  • Enjoy a private helicopter trip to the Orkney Islands to see the Neolithic artefacts

When to go:

J F M A M J J A S O N D
ideal length 7 nights
Pinot noir grapes on a vine waiting to be picked in Vineyard, Tasmania, Australia

From S$198,380 pp

Ultimate Barossa Valley Wine Experience

South Australia Australia Australasia

  • Dine at Hentley Farm Restaurant, one of only two Relais & Chateaux restaurants in Australia
  • Make your own Barossa Valley wine blend under the professional guidance of ambassador for Barossa wine and chief winemaker Andrew Quin
  • Tour famous wineries such as Seppeltsfield, Wolf Blass and Jacob’s Creek
  • Take a private helicopter ride over Adelaide towards McLaren Vale
  • Dine on a personalised tasting menu surrounded by the beauty of McLaren Vale

When to go:

J F M A M J J A S O N D
ideal length 7 nights
Paradise beach on Koufonisia off the coast of Naxos, Cyclades, Greece

From S$9,440 pp

Beach, Food, & Art Summer Holiday

Greece Cyclades: Mykonos & Santorini Barcelona Madrid Spain Europe

  • Explore Athens on a private guided tour, including a trip to the Acropolis
  • Visit the sacred site of Delphi, home of the oracle of Apollo
  • Enjoy beautiful beaches and fun activities in Mykonos
  • Get a taste of Spain on a tapas tour of the Spanish capital, Madrid
  • Discover the world of Gaudi in the avant-garde city of Barcelona

When to go:

J F M A M J J A S O N D
ideal length 14 nights
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