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Heston Blumenthal has become the third British chef in history to achieve three Michelin stars. The chef-proprietor of the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, learnt of the news while attending the Madrid Fusion gastro-summit held in Spain last week (see opposite).
Blumenthal joins an elite group of just three restaurants to claim the status in the 2004 Michelin Guide, which was published last Friday (16 January). The Waterside Inn, owned by chefpatron Michel Roux and situated in the same village as the Fat Duck, and restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London's Royal Hospital Road are the only other three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Ireland.
Blumenthal, 37, said that the accolade came as a complete surprise to him. "First, I didn't think the guide was due out for another week, and sec ond, I just didn't expect it. When I got the news I was in total shock. I was lost for words."
Blumenthal officially heard the news from Michelin guide editor Derek Bulmer.
Mobile phone
"Because we found out that Heston Blumenthal was in Spain and we weren't able to see him in person, we had to contact him on his mobile phone," said Bulmer.
Obviously, it would have been nice to have seen him face-to-face - that's something we do for all new three-star chefs - to let them know before the phones start ringing. But he seemed very surprised on the phone [when I told him] - at one point I had to say, 'Are you still there?'"
The Fat...