Today, I'm joined by one of the most famous and successful chefs in the world and in history - Heston Blumenthal.  It was an unforgettable travel experience that inspired Heston to become a chef. He’s entirely self taught, and was working other odd jobs all the way until his late twenties, when he bought a small pub in Bray in Berkshire. He called it The Fat Duck, and it went on to be award three Michelin stars and to be named The World’s Best Restaurant.  A food pioneer, he’s been dubbed the Willy Wonka of cuisine, fascinated by the science behind the cooking. He’s become the king of experimental cuisine which has led to world famous dishes like snail porridge, parsnip cereal, and bacon and eggs ice cream. Oh, and did you know it was Heston who invented one of my favourite things to eat - the triple cooked chip. This is definitely an unusual episode. Yes we cover travel, it’s a fundamental part of Heston’s food, and it was so fun to hear about some of the weird and wonderful things he’s eaten on his travels - not all of them happy memories, I should add! But honestly, I really felt like I was speaking to a true genius in this chat, it’s hard to find another way to describe it, and so we also cover off the meaning of life and philosophy, quantum physics and scientific theory. He is determined to push himself and others to think beyond the confines of our small minds, when it comes to both food and life.  I really hope you enjoy it. Destination Recap: - Praa Sands, Cornwall, England - Regent’s Snack Bar, Edgware Road, London, England - Baumanière, Hôtel Restaurant, Les Baux-de-Provence, France - Les Alpilles, France - Monastery Epiphany, Les Baux-de-Provence, France - Turkey - Siberia, Russia - Iceland - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador  - Korea - The Amazon - Peru - Indonesia - Polynesia Tune in to Heston’s own podcast, Heston’s Journey to the Centre of Food which is available on all podcast apps and is great fun, it’s a must for foodies. Well, that’s a wrap for Season 4, thank you all for joining me along the way, wherever you are in the world. Thank you for spreading the word about the podcast, sharing your favourite episode on your social media, telling your friends, leaving lovely reviews and sending me the most amazing messages, it has been amazing, especially to feel so connected and part of our little travel diaries community, that you’ve all created, during a time where we often otherwise feel quite disconnected.  If you’ve enjoyed listening to the podcast, remember to press subscribe on your podcast app, it’s free, and you’ll then get notified when Season 5 begins in the summer. In the meantime, do stay in touch, I’m @hollyrubenstein on Instagram and Twitter. Remember there’s all four seasons to keep you going until then, from Rick Stein and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, to Jo Malone and Raymond Blanc. A big thank you to Ancestry and The Economist Asks Podcast for their support of today’s episode.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.