It’s the middle of the afternoon in Provence, 35C and rising, and Heston Blumenthal is telling me why he finds The Bear’s kitchen a little hot. “It’s too manic for me,” he says of FX’s award-winning drama about a struggling Chicago restaurant. “I’ve tried it twice. For some reason I just can’t watch it.” The reason, perhaps, is that The Bear’s head chef Carmy Berzatto, and the world around him, is frantic, frenzied and absolutely no fun at all. Blumenthal’s approach to cuisine has always been the polar opposite – playful, joyful, down-the-rabbit-hole. Snail porridge and egg-and-bacon ice cream. Parsnips that taste like a bowl of Frosties. Edible playing cards. Fun.
If you saw Heston: My Life with Bipolar, shown on BBC Two on Thursday, you’ll know that things have changed for the grand ringmaster of British cuisine. In November 2023, Blumenthal was forcibly sectioned following concerns from his wife, Melanie, that his manic behaviour was out of control and he was becoming a danger to himself. After being dragged away from his home by French police officers and firemen, Blumenthal woke up in a psychiatric hospital – “a really dodgy place” – where, two days later, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The diagnosis, he says, saved his life.
