Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal is responding to the rise of GLP1 medication with a reimagined fine-dining menu at the Fat Duck, designed for a new era of conscious consumption. Olivia Palamountain reports

Heston Blumenthal’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Berkshire, the Fat Duck, is once again challenging culinary conventions with the launch of the Mindful Experience - a new version of its Journey tasting menu designed for diners whose appetites, and attitudes towards food, are changing.

The pared-down menu, which is now live for bookings, aims to reflect a growing societal focus on health, moderation and mindful eating, while preserving the sensory complexity that defines Blumenthal’s cooking.

The Mindful Experience offers a smaller, more considered version of the Fat Duck’s multi-course tasting format, retaining its intricate flavours, textures and theatrical presentation but reducing the overall portion size. Both menus - the Journey and the Mindful Experience - allow guests to choose the experience that best suits their personal relationship with food.

Blumenthal’s decision to introduce a lighter tasting menu reflects an extraordinary moment of change in how people eat. According to Food Manufacture, 37% of UK consumers now cite weight loss as a top health priority, while research from UK Hospitality suggests that 7% of adults - around 3.6 million people - are using weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. As more people reduce portion sizes and alcohol consumption, restaurants across the UK are being forced to adapt to a shift in demand that’s redefining what dining out means.

Blumenthal, who has long been interested in the links between food, emotion and gut health, is among the first chefs to directly engage with this new landscape. A chapter in his book Is This a Cookbook? explores the concept of mindful eating, and his 2019 podcast episode "The Best Raisin You’ll Ever Eat" invited listeners to slow down and truly notice the act of tasting. Now, the Mindful Experience applies those principles to fine dining itself, creating what he calls “a more focused, sensorially attuned form of indulgence.”

“Millions of people are eating much less food, drinking less, losing interest in restaurants, even in food itself,” Blumenthal says. “For more than a decade I’ve said that mindful eating is one of the keys to happiness and mental health. One of the unexpected effects of taking Mounjaro myself has been becoming even more aware of how hunger works - eating more slowly, more deliberately, and more joyfully. Sometimes less really is more.”

He adds that the Mindful Experience is not about restriction, but about precision. “Depending on how you’re feeling - physically and emotionally - you might desire less of everything. This menu is designed to meet that moment, giving diners the chance to savour each mouthful and explore its effect on all the senses.”

With portions tailored to reflect shifting appetites, the Mindful Experience signals a subtle but significant evolution in the world of luxury dining. At £275 per person, the price reflects the restaurant’s extraordinary level of craftsmanship, with nearly as many chefs and waiters as guests in service each night.