TV chef Heston Blumenthal got married again this weekend – and this time he made sure it was official.
The Michelin-starred owner of The Fat Duck, who is known for delighting diners with surprising dishes such as snail porridge and egg-and-bacon ice cream, exchanged vows on Saturday with entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson, 36, in her native France .
The wedding took place in a picture-postcard village in Provence, the area that inspired 56-year-old Blumenthal to become a chef.
His last marriage was in 2018 to another French woman, Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child.
However, the Daily Mail announced earlier this year that the “impromptu beach ceremony” in the Maldives was not legally binding.
The Michelin-starred owner of The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal (left), exchanged vows on Saturday with entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson (right), 36, in her native France
The bride (left) wore a classic ivory crossover midi dress by Emilia Wickstead, which retails for £1,420, while the groom donned a green suit by Issey Miyake
Heston Blumental and Raymond Blanc at Blumenthal’s wedding on Saturday
Heston Blumental and Melanie Ceysson at their wedding, eating edible candles
However, there is no doubt about the validity of his marriage to Mrs Ceysson, as the couple said ‘yes’ in a short, formal ceremony in the village wedding hall.
The bride wore a classic white outfit by Emilia Wickstead, a favorite of British royals, while the groom donned a green suit by Issey Miyake.
The newlyweds later held a reception at their home nearby for around 60 guests, including Blumenthal’s fellow TV chef Raymond Blanc, owner of the two-Michelin-star restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, former BBC director-general Lord Birt and Great British Menu Judge Matthew Fort.
Blanc, 73, told the Daily Mail: ‘Since Heston spent a far too short week in my kitchen I’ve loved his fire and creativity. Over the years he helped me get better, and I hope I helped him too. That’s our special bond, so of course I had to be there.’
Guests were served a range of Blumenthal’s signature dishes from his restaurants, such as oyster jelly and passion fruit, meat fruit, triple cooked chips and Scotch eggs.
Known as a culinary showman, Blumenthal demonstrated his playfulness by decorating the tables with candles that turned out to be edible.
The chef’s last wedding was in 2018 to another French woman, Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child, but was not legally binding (pictured with Ms. Gouveia)
The chef has credited his first wife, Zanna, with raising their three children as he built his career and previously said she was the ‘biggest reason’ for his success
The menu was served by a team of chefs and front-of-house staff flown in from his UK restaurants, including Berkshire’s The Fat Duck (Heston Blumenthal outside his restaurant, The Fat Duck).
Raymond Blanc (pictured) was one of the guests at the intimate wedding and reception. He told the Daily Mail that he ‘had to be there’ (file image)
The menu was served by a team of chefs and front-of-house staff flown in from his UK restaurants, The Fat Duck and the Hind’s Head in Bray, Berkshire, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, in London.
Blumenthal revealed in January that he had proposed to Ceysson, whom he met while she was working at a hotel in Val-d’Isere, the ski resort in the French Alps.
He stayed there for a Christmas vacation with his table tennis coach.
“I’ve found my other half,” he told the Daily Mail Diary. “I’m officially getting married to Melanie.”
The chef, who trained for £22,530 a year at Latymer Upper School in west London, moved to France in 2019, a year after having a child with estate agent Stephanie Gouveia, 35.
In addition to his five-year-old with Stephanie, Blumenthal has three children with ex-wife, Zanna, whom he divorced in 2016.
During their marriage, Blumenthal had an affair with American cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who has said her favorite things are “food and sex.”
Blumenthal and realtor Stephanie Gouveia pictured in 2019. They had a ‘non-legally binding marriage’ following an impromptu ceremony in the Maldives before separating
Heston Blumenthal was married to ex-wife Zanna from 1989 until their divorce in 2016 and they share three children
Blumenthal had an affair with Suzanne Pirret (left) during his marriage to ex-wife Zanna. She previously said that her favorite things are “food and sex.”
Last month, the chef became embroiled in a feud with Waitrose after The Mail on Sunday revealed the supermarket chain had decided to drop him after a 12-year partnership in which he starred in TV adverts and helped boost sales.
Bosses at the Waitrose chain, owned by John Lewis, are said to have terminated Blumenthal’s contract, worth ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds a year’, after growing tired of his ‘unpredictability’.
This comment infuriated Blumenthal, who told the Daily Mail: ‘This is so disgusting. I’m glad the contract has ended.’
The chef’s latest innovations – including a banana and bacon trifle – failed to catch on with Waitrose shoppers and were spotted in the discounted section of supermarkets
The supermarket chain decided last month to drop the top chef after 12 years of cooperation, despite the popularity of its previous ranges
He suggested that the comment about his perceived “unpredictability” was related to his genius for creating surprising new dishes.
“Unpredictable to me is a non-linear process that turns into creativity,” he said.
Initially focused on festive dishes, the Heston from Waitrose range proved hugely popular.
For one year, his orange Christmas pudding was in such demand that it was listed for sale online at 15 times the retail price after selling out in stores.