Debrett's 500: Heston Blumenthal and Jason Atherton among food & drink's most influential

26-Jan-2015 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 17:31 GMT

Heston Blumenthal was listed as one of Britain's most influential individuals according to the Debretts 500

Chefs Heston Blumenthal and Jason Atherton along with restaurateurs Russell Norman and Alan Yau have made a list of the 500 most influential people in Britain according to The Peerage publisher Debrett's.

Twenty-three figures from food and drink made the list, which aims to cover 'the whole spectrum of society' - from architecture and politics to advertising and sport, with food and drink category choices made by a panel overseen by Sunday Times food writers Gizzi Erskine and Oliver Thring.

Other chefs making it onto the annual list were Angela Hartnett, Simon Rogan, Tom Kerridge, Nuno Mendes and Yotam Ottolenghi. TV cooks Jamie Oliver and Mary Berry were also featured.

Polpo co-owner Russell Norman and Alan Yau appeared alongside fellow restaurateurs Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, who founded MeatLiquor and The Wolseley owners Chris Corbin and Jeremy King.

Jonathan Downey, founder of the Rushmore Group and serial restaurant investor Richard Caring were among the others on the list, which also included restaurant critics AA Gill and Marina O'Loughlin.

Food and drink's finest appeared with a host of other individuals from British society, including Richard Branson, Tony Blair and activist Malala Yousafzai, who at 17 was the youngest to appear.

Commenting on this year's list, Joanne Milner, chief executive at Debrett's, said: "It’s a fascinating mix of people, and not entirely who you might expect. Every individual, though, demonstrates outstanding qualities of influence, achievement and inspiration."

Debretts 500 Food and Drink Most Influential: