Heston's Feasts

Last updated

Heston's Feasts
Genre Cooking show
Starring Heston Blumenthal
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer Patricia Llewellyn
ProducerPatrick Furlong
Production locationsLondon, England
CinematographyDanny Rohrer, Sarah Myland
EditorJohn McNamee
Camera setup Multi camera
Running time42–48 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release3 March 2009 (2009-03-03) 
18 May 2010 (2010-05-18)

Heston's Feasts is a television cookery programme starring chef Heston Blumenthal and produced by Optomen for Channel 4. The programme follows Blumenthal as he conceptualizes and prepares unique feasts for the entertainment of celebrity guests. The first series premiered on 7 March 2009, followed by a second series of seven episodes beginning in April 2010.

Contents

Summary

In each episode, Heston Blumenthal invites six celebrity guests to a four-course feast in which the dining room, food, and presentation are themed around a period of history. Blumenthal begins by researching the history, science and myth surrounding dishes of the past. He often experiments with exotic ingredients or tests unusual cooking techniques to remake historical dishes in his own style. Often, he will chase a lead and not serve the dish for various reasons such as impracticality or taste. In the dining room, Blumenthal presents each course with theatrics for the purpose of entertaining or even shocking his guests. The guests are different every episode and have included comedians, British nobility, and journalists.

Reception

In 2010, Heston's Feasts won the Royal Television Society Award for best features and lifestyle series. [1]

Writing for The Guardian , TV critic Sam Wollaston praised the episode "Heston's Chocolate Factory Feast" as "an extraordinary cornucopia of joy and wizardry and humour." [2]

List of episodes

Series one

Episode #TitleOriginal air date
1"Heston's Victorian Feast"3 March 2009 (2009-03-03)

The basis for this episode was the Victorian era and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . The six guests are Journalist & Broadcaster Rageh Omaar, Actress Jemma Redgrave, TV Journalist Dawn Porter, Author & Broadcaster Toby Young, Author Kathy Lette and TV & Radio Presenter Richard Bacon.

  • Aperitif: Drink Me Potion
  • Starter: Mock Turtle Soup
  • Main Course: Edible Insect Garden
  • Pudding: Jelly & Ice Cream
2"Heston's Medieval Feast"10 March 2009 (2009-03-10)

Blumenthal serves a feast themed around the Middle Ages, when chefs used gastronomic trickery to entertain the royal court. The six guests are Chef Andi Oliver, Actor Bill Paterson, Choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, Prof. Germaine Greer, Singer Liz McClarnon and Actor John Thomson.

  • Aperitif: Meat Fruit
  • Starter: Lamprey
  • Main Course: Blackbirds Baked in a Pie
  • Pudding: Illusionist Dessert
3"Heston's Tudor Feast"17 March 2009 (2009-03-17)

For his Tudor period feast, Blumenthal draws inspiration from the extravagant royal banquets of Henry VIII. The six guests are DJ & Presenter Alex Zane, Entertainer Cilla Black, Journalist Kelvin MacKenzie, Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Hotelier & Restaurateur Ruth Watson and Journalist Jay Rayner.

  • Aperitif: Butterbeer
  • Starter: Blancmange
  • Main Course: Cockentrice
  • Pudding: Rice Pudding
4"Heston's Roman Feast"24 March 2009 (2009-03-24)

Blumenthal creates a feast inspired by the gluttonous meals of the ancient Roman Empire. The six guests are Alexander Armstrong, Danny Wallace, Greta Scacchi, the Marquess of Bath, Lisa Butcher and Matthew Fort.

  • Aperitif: Pig's Nipple Scratchings
  • Entrée: Calf's Brain Custard
  • Main Course: The Trojan Hog
  • Pudding: Ejaculating Cake
5"Heston's Christmas Feast"18 December 2009 (2009-12-18)

Blumenthal serves his guests a Christmas-themed banquet.

  • Aperitif: Ambergris
  • Entrée: Dormouse Lollipop
  • Main Course: King's Venison
  • Pudding: King Wenceslas' Wonderland

Series two

Episode #TitleOriginal air date
1"Heston's Chocolate Factory Feast"6 April 2010 (2010-04-06)

Blumenthal draws inspiration from the psychedelic 1960s and emulates his fictional hero, Willy Wonka of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . The six guests are TV presenter Ben Shephard, singer Mica Paris, TV presenter Tim Lovejoy, entertainer Patti Boulaye, actress Tamsin Egerton and broadcaster Mike Read.

  • Amuse-bouche: Lickable Wallpaper
  • Starter: Magic Mushroom Soup
  • Main: Duck à l'Orange
  • Dessert: Chocolate Waterfall
2"Heston's Fairy Tale Feast"13 April 2010 (2010-04-13)

The basis for this episode was children's fairytales, and also the extravagance and gluttony surrounding the Regency Era. The fairytales that inspired dishes in the episode are Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel. The six guests are television presenter Jenni Falconer, television and radio broadcaster Caroline Feraday, writer Hardeep Singh Kohli, actor Alex Norton, actress Fay Ripley and historian Dan Snow.

  • Amuse-bouche: Cinderella Pumpkin
  • Starter: Cock's Testicles
  • Main: Stuffed Boar's Head
  • Dessert: Hansel and Gretel House
3"Heston's Titanic Feast"20 April 2010 (2010-04-20)

The inspiration for this episode is the Edwardian Era, particularly explorers such as Robert Falcon Scott and Lawrence of Arabia, and the Titanic. The guests are newsreader Michael Buerk, writer Edwina Currie, dancer Adam Garcia, comedian Olivia Lee, journalist Donal MacIntyre, and actress Nadia Sawalha.

  • Amuse bouche: Curry Ice Cream
  • Starter: Scott of the Antarctic Roll
  • Main: Camel Burger and Humpy Meal
  • Dessert: Titanic Flambée
4"Heston's Gothic Horror Feast"27 April 2010 (2010-04-27)

The inspiration for this episode are horror novels from the 19th century, particularly Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dracula and Frankenstein. The guests are TV presenter Donna Air, presenter Ulrika Jonsson, presenter Colin Murray, broadcaster Nicholas Parsons, actor Phillip Rhys and actress Laila Rouass.

  • Amuse bouche: Dr Jekyll's Magic Potion
  • Starter: Dracula's Blood Risotto
  • Main: Doctor Frankenstein's Monster
  • Dessert: Marquis de Sade
5"Heston's 1970s Feast"4 May 2010 (2010-05-04)

The inspiration for this feast was to take the guests back to the 1970s era. The guests are Jo Whiley (DJ and '70s Schoolgirl), Rosie Boycott ('70s Journalist and Feminist), Jo Wood (Businesswoman and '70s It Girl), Noddy Holder (Singer in '70s supergroup Slade), Trevor Bannister (Mr Lucas in Are You Being Served?) and Mike Batt (Composer of The Wombles theme tune).

  • Amuse Bouche: Retro Ice Lollies
  • Starter: Pot Noodle
  • Main: School Dinner
  • Dessert: 1970s Pick and Mix
6"Heston's 1980s Feast"11 May 2010 (2010-05-11)

The gadgets and excesses of the 1980s inspire this feast, complete with edible sushi money and "brick" mobile phone, a "power lunch" and a gourmet toastie in a giant Breville machine. The guests are impressionist Jon Culshaw, singer Jamelia, critic Caitlin Moran, actress Debra Stephenson, and comedians Mark Watson and Johnny Vegas.

  • Amuse Bouche: Yuppie's Delight
  • Starter: Gourmet Toasted Sandwich
  • Main: Lobster Power Lunch
  • Dessert: Weightless Dessert
7"Heston's Ultimate Feast"18 May 2010 (2010-05-18)

In this episode, Blumenthal picks his favourite dishes from the first series, and create what he calls "the feast of all feasts".

  • Hors d'oeuvre: Meat Fruit
  • Entree: Mock Turtle Soup
  • Main: Cockentrice
  • Dessert: Ejaculating Cake

Specials

Episode #TitleOriginal air date
N–A"Heston's Fishy Feast"14 January 2011 (2011-01-14)
Heston creates a feast of unusual and sustainable seafood. His guests are Jonathan Ross, Ronni Ancona, Morwenna Banks, Ray Mears, Denis Lawson, and Zöe Salmon.

Related Research Articles

<i>Have I Got News for You</i> British television panel show

Have I Got News for You (HIGNFY) is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one always captained by Ian Hislop and one by Paul Merton, each plus a guest panelist, answering questions on various news stories on the week prior to an episode's broadcast. However, the programme's format focuses more on the topical discussions on the subject of the news stories related to questions, and the satirical humour derived from these by the teams. This style of presentation had a profound impact on panel shows in British TV comedy, making it one of the genre's key standard-bearers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delia Smith</span> English cook and television presenter

Delia Ann Smith is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills in a no-nonsense style. One of the best known celebrity chefs in British popular culture, Smith has influenced viewers to become more culinarily adventurous. She is also notable for her role as joint majority shareholder at Norwich City F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Blanc</span> French chef (born 1949)

Raymond Blanc OBE is a French chef. Blanc is the chef patron at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scored 9/10 in the Good Food Guide. He is entirely self-taught, but has himself taught or employed other chefs including Heston Blumenthal, John Burton-Race, Michael Caines, Paul Liebrandt, and Marco Pierre White.

<i>Friday Night with Jonathan Ross</i> Former British television chat show

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band. First broadcast on 2 November 2001, the show began its final series in January 2010 and ended on 16 July 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heston Blumenthal</span> English chef

Heston Marc Blumenthal is an English celebrity chef, TV personality and food writer. Blumenthal is regarded as a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking, food pairing and flavour encapsulation. He came to public attention with unusual recipes, such as bacon-and-egg ice cream and snail porridge. His recipes for triple-cooked chips and soft-centred Scotch eggs have been widely imitated. He has advocated a scientific approach to cooking, for which he has been awarded honorary degrees from the universities of Reading, Bristol and London and made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fat Duck</span> Restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, England

The Fat Duck is a fine dining restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, England, owned by the chef Heston Blumenthal. Housed in a 16th-century building, the Fat Duck opened on 16 August 1995. Although it originally served food similar to a French bistro, it soon acquired a reputation for precision and invention, and has been at the forefront of many modern culinary developments, such as food pairing, flavour encapsulation and multi-sensory cooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Pierre White</span> British chef and restaurateur

Marco Pierre White is a British chef, restaurateur, and television personality. In 1995, aged 33, White became the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. He has trained notable chefs such as Mario Batali, Shannon Bennett, Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone, Phil Howard and Stephen Terry. He has been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" and the enfant terrible of the UK restaurant scene.

<i>Life on Mars</i> (British TV series) British television fantasy drama series (2006–2007)

Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between 9 January 2006 and 10 April 2007. It follows Sam Tyler, a Manchester policeman in 2006 who wakes up after a car accident to discover that he has time-travelled to 1973, where he works the same job in the same location under the command of Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt while attempting to solve the mystery of what has happened to him.

<i>Saturday Kitchen</i> British TV series or programme

Saturday Kitchen Live is a British cookery programme that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV.

<i>Genius</i> (British TV series) British TV series or programme

Genius is a comedy game show on BBC Two, adapted from the original radio series hosted by the comedian Dave Gorman. On Genius, members of the public submit a range of unusual ideas and inventions for Gorman and guest celebrity judges to decide whether the idea is "Genius". The first series began airing on 20 March 2009, following the success of an unbroadcast pilot.

Jason Atherton is an English chef and restaurateur. His flagship restaurant Pollen Street Social gained a Michelin Star in 2011, its opening year. He was the Executive Chef at Gordon Ramsay's Michelin starred Maze in London until 30 April 2010. In 2014 he co-hosted the Sky Living TV series My Kitchen Rules.

<i>Ramsays Best Restaurant</i> Television series

Ramsay's Best Restaurant is a television programme featuring British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay broadcast on Channel 4. During the series restaurants from all over Britain competed in order to win the "Ramsay's Best Restaurant" title. The initial 16 restaurants were selected by Ramsay from a pool of some 12,000 entries submitted by Channel 4 viewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinner by Heston Blumenthal</span> Restaurant in London, England

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is a restaurant in London, England, created by Heston Blumenthal. Opened in January 2011, it received a Michelin star within a year and earned its second in 2014. In April 2014, it was listed fifth on The World's 50 Best Restaurants in Restaurant.

The Revolution Will Be Televised is a British television satire show starring Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein, which was first screened on BBC Three in August 2012. Writing for The Guardian, Sam Wollaston said it's "Sacha Baron Cohen with a bit more substance then, or Mark Steel with a few more laughs". At the 2013 British Academy Television Awards, the show won Best Comedy Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hind's Head</span> Gastropub in Bray, Berkshire, England

The Hinds Head, is a gastropub in Bray, Berkshire. The pub dates from the 15th century, and was converted into a restaurant in the 1920s. It was awarded a single Michelin star in the 2013 edition of the Michelin Guide and has retained it ever since. It has been owned by chef Heston Blumenthal since 2004.

<i>Hestons Fantastical Food</i> British TV series or programme

Heston's Fantastical Food is a television cookery program starring chef Heston Blumenthal which broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK during late 2012. The programme follows Blumenthal as he supersizes a variety of food for presentation to members of the public.

Luke Thomas,, is a celebrity chef, author and entrepreneur who made headlines when he was just eighteen years old, being named the youngest head chef in the United Kingdom. Thomas is the brand owner of the historic social club known as Blacks, located in a restored 18th-century Georgian townhouse in Soho London, as well as the chef-owner of Luke's Dining Room located at Sanctum on the Green, in Cookham. Thomas has also appeared as himself in a number of television shows produced in the United Kingdom, including Russell Howard's Good News, the Great British Menu and Junior MasterChef, as well as the BBC Three documentary titled Britain's Youngest Chef featuring the trials, tribulations and meteoric rise of a young Chef Luke Thomas.

James "Jocky" Petrie is a Scottish professional chef, best known for his work alongside chef Heston Blumenthal as head of development of the Experimental Kitchen at The Fat Duck, and as Group Executive Development Chef for Gordon Ramsay. He has regularly appeared as mentor and judge on a number of television shows including MasterChef, Heston's Fantastical Food, In Search of Perfection, and Top Chef Suomi.

Asim Chaudhry is a British comedian, writer, director and actor best known for playing Chabuddy G in the BBC mockumentary series People Just Do Nothing, which he co-created. He is often known as Chabuddy G since the show's release. For this role, he won a Royal Television Society Award and was nominated for two British Academy Television Awards.

Big Zuu's Big Eats is a British comedy television series that premiered on 15 May 2020, on Dave. It stars rapper and grime artist Big Zuu, along with friends Tubsey and Hyder. In each episode they meet a celebrity and discuss memorable and favourite foods, following which the trio cook a meal for the celebrity.

References

  1. "RTS award winners and nominees". The Guardian. 17 March 2010.
  2. Wollaston, Sam (6 April 2010). "Heston's Feasts - TV review". The Guardian.