The 'Heston Effect' Hits Home

TV chef and restaurateur extraordinaire Heston Blumenthal has inspired a nation of kitchen show-offs, according to the Waitrose magazine. Blumenthal, Waitrose’s food ambassador, has driven the ‘Heston Effect’ into UK homes.

A report carried out by Russell Hobbs concludes that the domestic kitchen has become a stage, as the general public aspire to emulate TV cookery shows featuring innovative chefs. Brits are introducing a sense of drama to home cooking, and nearly a third of people questioned likened cooking for friends to a theatrical experience, and a quarter had taken part in a Come Dine With Me-style dinner party competition.

According to Tom Savigar  from Think tank The Future Laboratory, “Home cooking and convivial kitchen theatre are becoming a solidifying experience. Cooking for friends and family is treasured as lifestyles become increasingly individualised, and families increasingly fragmented.”

Men are twice as likely as women to want to prove their culinary skills, whilst over half enjoy cooking, compared to only 14% who don’t enjoy it and see it as a chore.