\n<\/p>\n
When gazing at the bill after a Michelin-starred meal, the average diner\u2019s first thought is not usually: \u201cI wish I\u2019d got less food for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Heston Blumenthal has come up with a new menu catering to just that sentiment, tailored to reflect a growing demand for smaller portions, driven by weight-loss drugs.<\/p>\n
The restaurateur and TV chef says his alternative selection of tasting courses at the Fat Duck will provide the same flavour and theatre for less-hungry guests \u2013 including those taking appetite-suppressing drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro \u2013 but in reduced quantities.<\/p>\n
When booking at the world-famous restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, diners can choose the Mindful Experience, which offers all the same creations as the usual menu, the Journey. These include the Nitro-Poached Aperitif, a frozen cocktail puff made with liquid nitrogen, and the Crab and Passionfruit 99\u2032, which reimagines a seaside ice-cream cone.<\/p>\n
However, portion sizes are reduced by about 20%-30% per dish, and in some cases by up to 50%, while the price is \u00a375 a head cheaper at \u00a3275.<\/p>\n
The offering reflects a rush to accommodate changing tastes as other GLP-1 drugs such as Saxenda become more common in the UK as treatments for obesity.<\/p>\n
Blumenthal has himself been prescribed Mounjaro to help manage weight gained as a side-effect of his medication for type 1 bipolar disorder. \u201cWhat struck me was the feeling of not being hungry,\u201d he tells the Guardian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still wanted to eat, but I didn\u2019t feel that drive. It made me think \u2013 this is going to kill the restaurant industry, because if people aren\u2019t eating as much, restaurants won\u2019t be as enticing. I\u2019m not sure what will happen to supermarkets either.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think this change is bad for health. It could actually be very good for people. But it will affect alcohol, wine, food consumption, even supermarkets. I\u2019ve even heard airlines could save money on fuel. This is only going to escalate in the next couple of months, and already millions of people are on these drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/span>The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.<\/span> Photograph: Tim Ockenden\/PA<\/p>\n According to the industry publication Food Manufacture, 37% of UK consumers now cite weight loss as their top health priority. Research presented at a UKHospitality seminar earlier this year showed that 7% of UK adults, about 3.6 million people, used these drugs.<\/p>\n Businesses whose models have been upended include Weight Watchers, which has emerged from bankruptcy protection in the US after amassing more than $1.4bn (\u00a31bn) of debt and is now recommending GLP-1 jabs alongside its usual lifestyle-change advice.<\/p>\n The wider food industry is also bracing for change, though the effects could be gradual. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate that the consumption of fizzy soft drinks, baked goods and salty snacks in the US could fall by up to 3% by 2035.<\/p>\n However, some in the industry have said they do not anticipate a big impact on sales as take-up of the drugs could remain relatively low. Other food manufacturers are already making changes: Nestl\u00e9, for instance, is developing higher-protein and nutrient-dense products to meet the needs of consumers eating less overall.<\/p>\n The consumer champion Martin Newman says: \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing other hospitality businesses pivot. In the US, brands like Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Panera have expanded lighter, protein-rich menu ranges designed for people eating less \u2026 Here in the UK, restaurant groups are widening \u2018lighter choice\u2019 menus, and delivery platforms like Deliveroo are making calories and protein far more visible.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Sign up to Business Today<\/span><\/p>\n Get set for the working day \u2013 we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cWeight-loss drugs are no longer niche \u2026 It\u2019s a lifestyle change and not a fad. Therefore, eating out must adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n Newman says some operators may worry about \u201cspend per head going down\u201d with smaller portions, but that \u201cmisses the bigger picture\u201d. He added: \u201cIf you can align eating out with people\u2019s health goals, you\u2019ll increase frequency and protect loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n Blumenthal, who has built a career on innovation and exploration of the science of food, says his new menu reflects these shifts. \u201cMillions of people are eating much less food, drinking less, losing interest in restaurants, losing interest even in food,\u201d the chef says. \u201cFor more than a decade I\u2019ve been saying that mindful eating is one of the keys to happiness and mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n Blumenthal adds that mindful eating can be applied beyond fine dining, even to simple meals. But in the case of the Fat Duck, the new menu is designed specifically to meet shifting appetites. \u201cSometimes, less really is more.\u201d<\/p>\n Trish Caddy, of the analysts Mintel, argues that while weight-loss drugs are beginning to affect dining out in the UK, their impact remains limited. \u201cThese drugs are expensive and highly regulated, restricting their use typically to wealthier consumers. Heston Blumenthal\u2019s smaller-portion menu seems tailored to this group, highlighting a shift toward health-conscious dining rather than a mass-market change.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fat Duck says the price of both menus reflects the labour-intensive nature of service at the restaurant, which operates with almost as many chefs and waiters as guests during a sitting.<\/p>\n The restaurant is celebrating its 30th anniversary, three decades after opening on 16 August 1995. Originally a brasserie, it soon became famous for its experimental molecular gastronomy, producing dishes such as snail porridge and nitro-scrambled bacon-and-egg ice-cream. The restaurant rose rapidly through the Michelin ranks, gaining three stars by 2004, and in the following year was named the world\u2019s best restaurant, the only British venue to ever take the top spot.<\/p>\n \u201cAppetite suppressants are here in significant numbers,\u201d Blumenthal says. \u201cThe way we eat is changing. Restaurants will have to change with it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When gazing at the bill after a Michelin-starred meal, the average diner\u2019s first thought is not usually: \u201cI wish I\u2019d got less food for that.\u201d But Heston Blumenthal has come up with a new menu catering to just that sentiment, tailored to reflect a growing demand for smaller portions, driven by weight-loss drugs. The restaurateur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[11700,13497,13498,13495,13496,1475,2535,13494,1474],"class_list":{"0":"post-22014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-blumenthal","9":"tag-blumenthals","10":"tag-diners","11":"tag-duck","12":"tag-heston","13":"tag-jabs","14":"tag-menu","15":"tag-thin","16":"tag-weightloss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}