Heston Blumenthal, 56, ties the knot for the THIRD time as he weds his 36-year-old partner

TV chef Heston Blumenthal married again at the weekend – and this time he made sure it was official.

The Michelin-starred owner of The Fat Duck, who’s known for delighting diners with surprising dishes such as snail porridge and egg-and-bacon ice cream, exchanged vows with entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson, 36, in her native France on Saturday. 

The wedding was held in a picture-postcard village in Provence, the area that inspired Blumenthal, 56, to become a chef.

His last wedding was in 2018 with another French woman, Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child. 

However, the Daily Mail disclosed earlier this year that the ‘impromptu beach-front ceremony’ in the Maldives was not legally binding.

The bride (left) donned a classic ivory cross-over midi dress by Emilia Wickstead, which retails for £1,420, while the groom donned a green suit by Issey Miyake

There is, however, no doubt about the legal validity of his wedding to Ms Ceysson, as the couple said ‘I do’ in a short, formal ceremony in the village’s wedding hall. 

The bride wore a classic white outfit by Emilia Wickstead, a favourite of British royals, while the groom donned a green suit by Issey Miyake.

The newlyweds later held a reception at their house nearby for around 60 guests, who included Blumenthal’s fellow TV chef Raymond Blanc, owner of the two Michelin-starred Oxfordshire restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, former BBC director-general Lord Birt and Great British Menu judge Matthew Fort.

Blanc, 73, told the Daily Mail: ‘Ever since Heston did an all-too-brief week in my kitchen, I’ve loved his fire and creativity. Over the years he’s helped me improve, and I hope I’ve also helped him. That’s our special bond, so, of course, I had to be here.’

Guests were served a series of Blumenthal’s signature dishes from his restaurants, such as jelly of oyster and passion fruit, meat fruit, triple-cooked ships and Scotch eggs.

Known as a culinary showman, Blumenthal demonstrated his playfulness by decorating the tables with candles that turned out to be edible. 

The chef’s last wedding was in 2018 with another French woman, Stephanie Gouveia, the mother of his youngest child, but was not legally binding (pictured with Ms Gouveia)

The chef has credited his first wife, Zanna, with bringing up their three children while he built his career and said previously that she was the ‘biggest reason’ for his success 

Serving the menu was a team of chefs and front-of-house staff flown in from his British restaurants, including Berkshire’s The Fat Duck (Heston Blumenthal outside his restaurant, The Fat Duck)

Raymond Blanc (pictured) was among the guests at the intimate wedding and reception. He told the Daily Mail that he ‘had to be there’ (file image)

Serving the menu was a team of chefs and front-of-house staff flown in from his British restaurants, The Fat Duck and the Hind’s Head in Bray, Berkshire, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, in London.

Blumenthal revealed in January that he had proposed to Ceysson, whom he met while she was working at a hotel in Val-d’Isere, the ski resort in the French Alps. 

He was staying there for a Christmas holiday with his table-tennis coach. 

‘I have found my other half,’ he told the Daily Mail Diary. ‘I am going to get officially married to Melanie.’

The chef, who was educated at £22,530-per-year Latymer Upper School in West London, moved to France in 2019, a year after having a child with estate agent Stephanie Gouveia, 35. 

In addition to his five-year-old with Stephanie, Blumenthal has three children with ex-wife, Zanna, whom he divorced in 2016.

During their marriage, Blumenthal had an affair with U.S. cookery writer Suzanne Pirret, who has said her favourite things are ‘food and sex’.

Blumenthal and estate agent Stephanie Gouveia pictured in 2019. They had a ‘non-legally binding marriage’ after a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in the Maldives before they separated 

Heston Blumenthal was married to ex-wife Zanna from 1989 until their separation in 2016 and they share three children 

Blumenthal had an affair with Suzanne Pirret (left) during his marriage to ex-wife Zanna. She previously said her favourite things are ‘food and sex’ 

Last month, the chef become embroiled in a spat with Waitrose after The Mail on Sunday disclosed that the supermarket chain had decided to drop him after a 12-year partnership which saw him starring in TV adverts and helping boost sales.

Bosses at John Lewis-owned Waitrose chain were said to have ended Blumenthal’s contract, worth ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds a year’, after tiring of his ‘unpredictability’.

This remark infuriated Blumenthal, who told the Daily Mail: ‘This is so disgusting. I am pleased the contract has expired.’ 

The chef’s latest innovations – including a banana and bacon trifle – did not catch on with Waitrose shoppers and were spotted in the reduced section at the supermarkets 

The supermarket chain last month decided to drop the top chef after 12 years of partnership, despite the popularity of his previous ranges 

He suggested the comment about his alleged ‘unpredictability’ was linked to his genius for creating surprising new dishes. 

‘Unpredictable, to me, is a non-linear process that turns to creativity,’ he said.

Initially focused on festive food, the Heston from Waitrose range proved hugely popular. 

One year, his orange Christmas pudding was in such demand that it was being put up for sale online at 15 times its retail price after it sold out in shops.