The Fat Duck

The story

The Fat Duck in Maidenhead: Modernist British Restaurant With Three Michelin Stars

The Fat Duck is a modernist British restaurant at High Street, Bray, Berkshire, SL6 2AQ, in Maidenhead. It holds three Michelin stars, a distinction awarded in 2026. The menus are built on Heston Blumenthal's experimental approach to British cooking.

Heston Blumenthal's cooking

Heston Blumenthal is entirely self-taught and draws on science, history and curiosity in the kitchen. The restaurant was ranked No. 1 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2005. Blumenthal has also written Is This a Cookbook?, and his recent work focuses on the microbiome and mental wellbeing.

Three menus, one kitchen

The Journey is the full exploration of the kitchen's playful, precise style. The Mindful Experience serves a scaled-back version of each dish, meant to be eaten slowly. Topsy-Turvy reverses the usual order, as its name suggests.

Drinks and the sommelier team

The drinks list is arranged in chapters, from aperitifs through to sakes and digestifs. Champagne is available by the glass, including Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 and Henri Giraud Hommage au Pinot Noir. The cocktail list includes a Barrel Aged Negroni and a PX Old Fashioned, and there is a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé for those not drinking alcohol.