“The biggest thing that I learnt from Heston was the relentless inquisitiveness to work out how can we make things better”
Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose have parted ways
Dinner by Heston Melbourne will close on February 14th
Internet kicks back at Heston Blumenthal for telling customers not to photograph his food
Liquidators have been called in to Heston Blumenthal's Crown Casino restaurant Dinner by Heston
Monica Galetti says she hopes Heston Blumenthal's comments about female chefs were taken out of context
Waitrose has announced they have ended their twelve-year partnership with Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal in an effort to take their product development in a "new direction".
The company announced that items from the Heston from Waitrose range will disappear from shelves after Easter, with the retailer seeking to create more products using Waitrose’s in-house team of chefs.
Addressing the news in a post on his Instagram, Heston announced: "If I can’t celebrate my unpredictability (as someone said in the press), we can celebrate our potential for predictability. Unpredictable to me (not to everyone else) is creativity."
Heston added: "I am pleased that the contract has expired. We are evaluating the positioning of each product that has been sold in Waitrose -some of them are our IPs, whereas some of them are joint IPs."
Heston who owns the three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, began working with the supermarket in 2010.
Easter 2023 will see the launch of a final product in the partnership, a Chocolate Dabbit, a product which resembles both a rabbit and a duck when viewed from different perspectives.
Waitrose said its own team of development chefs and developers had been behind recent successful launches such its Levantine table and Cooks' Ingredients ranges.
The story which was first reported by Daily Mail quoted an unnamed source reporting that Blumenthal's contract had been terminated due to his "unpredictability".
Responding to the story, Natalie Mitchell, Director of Own Brand at Waitrose, thanked the chef and his team for a "tremendously creative partnership".
Speaking to the press, Natalie stated: "We've enjoyed what has been one of the most enduring relationships of its kind and we're looking forward to the next chapter and unveiling some really exciting plans in the months to come. Watch this space."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Blumenthal said that he was "pleased" the 12-year partnership had expired and planned to relaunch some of his signature products created with the supermarket under a new brand name within the next six months.
The news comes after Oli Williamson, Head Chef of Heston’s Fat Duck in Bray, announced that he would be leaving the restaurant after joining The Fat Duck in 2021.
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Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose have parted ways
“The biggest thing that I learnt from Heston was the relentless inquisitiveness to work out how can we make things better”
Dinner by Heston Melbourne will close on February 14th
Internet kicks back at Heston Blumenthal for telling customers not to photograph his food
Liquidators have been called in to Heston Blumenthal's Crown Casino restaurant Dinner by Heston
Monica Galetti says she hopes Heston Blumenthal's comments about female chefs were taken out of context
