Celebrity chef and Honorary RSC Fellow Heston Blumenthal appears on Desert Island Discs

Celebrity chef and Honorary RSC Fellow Heston Blumenthal has appeared on legendary BBC Radio Four programme Desert Island Discs.

He appeared at 11.15am on Sunday October 29, with the show due to be repeated on Friday November 3.

Each week on the show, a different well known guest is asked which eight records they would take away with them on a desert island - and are asked the reasons behind their choices. Guests also discuss their careers and future plans.

Mr Blumenthal, who owns the internationally acclaimed Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, is also to star in his own cookery series In Search of Perfection, which premieres on BBC2 on Tuesday October 31 at 8pm.

Throughout the series the three Michelin-starred chef applies his unique chemical approach to revolutionise some of the nation's favourite dishes, including fish and chips, roast chicken and Black Forest gâteau.

He was awarded an Honorary RSC Fellowship for his collaboration with the society in producing the much acclaimed Kitchen Chemistry, which explained the chemical changes that take place during cooking in an entertaining yet educating manner. The book was sent to every secondary school free of charge by the RSC.

Dr Simon Campbell, who was RSC president when the Fellowship was presented, said at the time: "The scientific community admires and respects the research that Mr Blumenthal has performed to harness cuisine to science. Through his inquisitive and innovative approach to food he has underlined spectacularly how chemistry permeates all aspects of texture, taste and smell.
 
"People tend to forget that food and drink are composed of chemicals, as are our bodies, and all the materials that make up our world.  However, "chemicals" are frequently projected in derogatory terms in the marketing of foods in the UK, although Mr Blumenthal's ability to integrate chemistry and cooking clearly shows that is not the case."

He added: "The creativeness and élan that Mr Blumenthal has demonstrated in all his work in recent years has done much to further the case that chemistry plays an essential part in bringing pleasure and enjoyment to people as well as contributing vastly towards the health and wealth of the nation."