Boss loses out in Heston Blumenthal bet

Martin Spedding, owner of Mornington Peninsula restaurant Ten Minutes by Tractor, made a bet with his top staff last year that if they were awarded two hats in The Age Good Food Guide 2013 he would take them to The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal's (pictured) restaurant in Berkshire, England.

Not only did they win two hats last year, they retained them in the 2014 Guide and are off to Britain in about three weeks. ''Martin said if we lost a hat this year, we'd have to take him,'' general manager Chris Hamilton says.

Spedding, Hamilton, restaurant manager Clayton Hiskins and head chef Stuart Bell will dine at The Fat Duck by the end of the month and will plan the stakes for The Age Good Food Guide 2015 at the Michelin-starred restaurant's dining table.