How to Cook Like Heston - TV review

How to Cook Like Heston is certainly an ambitious programme, and it's probably not doing the chef-cum-scientist a disservice to say the vast majority of the viewing public find Nigella easier to follow.

Many of Blumenthal's ideas remain exotic and mysterious to his fellow TV chefs, so how are us humble amateurs supposed to emulate him?

This half-hour homage to cheese was supposed to help, but whether it really did is doubtful. The recipes Heston was revolutionising were simple enough – cheese sauce, macaroni cheese, fondue – but his innovations were either beyond our means or our methods.

Perhaps aware of his 'out there' reputation, Heston tried to prove he can connect with the masses by enlisting a crew of firefighters to show him their take on cauliflower cheese. The exercise showed firemen are as adept at cooking up a storm in the kitchen as they are at dealing with flame-fuelling disasters, as they each served up tasty looking takes on the classic dish.

Heston seemed to have achieved his aim as the crew heartily endorsed his version, even vowing to 'do it like that in future'. Sadly he'd already ruined it by then, by dripping in decidedly decadent truffle oil. It's hard to imagine a bottle of that being handy in many a fire station pantry . . .

But if cooking like Heston was seeming like an impossible dream by now, at least watching him is fun. Who else could delight in stretching a fondue cheese-string 18ft, beating his 'previous record'? Or produce three ironing boards to answer the question which has been bugging chefs for generations – which has the highest melting point, parmesan, Red Leicester, or goat's cheese?

And who knew that the perfect topping for that digestive biscuit you've been craving is stilton and mascarpone, with a port drizzle?

Yes, this was culinary insanity at its best, and our man wasn't about to disappoint with a less-than-barmy flourish to end the episode. This pièce de résistance combined a crazy concept with exquisite execution to produce a meal which Heston admitted could be starter, main or dessert.

This was grilled cheese on toast, turned into an ice cream sundae, topped with a Parmesan wafer. To make this, Heston pulled out his party piece – dry ice, chilled to minus 78C. "Don't let this touch your bare skin," he cautioned, keeping up his cheery pretence that anyone at home will be attempting to cook like Heston.

Nobody will dare try, but we'll still enjoy watching him rip up the rulebook.

Heston offered an insight into the inspiration behind his choice of career as he and two friends tried to make his seriously stringy fondue reach a river running (sort of) near his property.

"You know how your mum always said, 'never play with your food'?" he said, grinning at the camera, delighting in the fact he is making a substantial living out of doing precisely that.

Mark Mudie