Tom's work

Tom Parker Bowles loves food. When asked what made him become a food writer, he considers the question for a moment before replying. "Greed. Yes, definitely greed."

I first met him a few months ago when I appeared on Market Kitchen, a television programme he presents with the equally foodie Mathew Fort. They were delightful together and brilliant to see in action; they bickered like an old married couple and finished each other's sentences.

"Mathew Fort is an absolute joy to work with," says Tom. "I've always enjoyed reading his stuff and it's great to know that he's as knowledgeable and kind in real life as he is on television."

I ask Tom how he became involved with Market Kitchen and his reply is typically laid-back. "I don't really know how it started. I was asked to do it as I'd worked with the producer Pat Llewellyn before and I really love and trust her, so I said yes."

Second book: an account of his year-long global odyssey in search of culinary extremes

In Tom's case greed is most definitely good. His passion for food has led him to become a respected writer on the subject. He has two high-profile and successful columns on the subject - one in the Mail on Sunday's Live Night and Day magazine and the other in Tatler. He's also the author of two books on food. The second, The Year of Eating Dangerously, is an account of his year-long global odyssey in search of culinary extremes.

So  what  did  he  discover?

"The thing I really learned is that there is no such thing as extreme food. People eat bugs, dogs and cats, but then the Chinese think we're weird eating mouldy, gone-off milk in the form of cheese.

"I think some people would find dog the most extreme. It tasted a bit like mild lamb, but it was the smell that was really awful - sort of like wet wild dog. I tried to go with an open mind and tried to be objective, but your own experience colours how you think.

"I'm a dog lover, so it's difficult. My main concern is with production and how they're brought up in extreme and cruel conditions. I don't think the organic dog movement has reached China yet! But that's true of every kind of meat - how it's brought up is the most important thing."

 

"Supermarkets  have  hijacked  organic  food.  The  basic  truth  is  that  all  food  should  be  produced  well  and  in  a  fundamentally  humane  way.  I'm  not  a  supporter  of  huge  movements.  I  think  what's  much  more  important  is  knowing  your  producer,  trusting  your  farmer  and  your  butcher."

 

His  views  on  food

Now he's back home and his diet has returned to normal, Tom's approach to food is refreshingly down to earth.
 
"I think there's a lot of rubbish talked about organic food. It's a middle class thing. I want to see good food for everyone. It's ridiculous to buy organic food that has been flown in from Kenya and Spain. I'm a huge supporter of the Soil Association and the Slow Food Movement. I often visit farmers whose families have been producing food the same way for 300 years, but this generation can't afford to have organic certification.

"Supermarkets have hijacked organic food. The basic truth is that all food should be produced well and in a fundamentally humane way. I'm not a supporter of huge movements. I think what's much more important is knowing your producer, trusting your farmer and your butcher.

"I occasionally go to Tesco to buy washing-up liquid, but I find it dispiriting and depressing. I find it unpalatable [that] people go to the supermarket and buy organic food to salve their conscience.

Food has been a life-long love for Tom. One of his early memories is of picking peas and broad beans and podding them. "The garden was just where we got them from. We didn't think there was anything special or unusual about it."

Growing up

His childhood kitchen, too, has left a lasting impression on him.

"We had an Aga when I was growing up. My mother won't cook on anything else. She simply refuses. The Aga is an iconic part of British life. For us at home, it was the centre of the house. You sat on it, dried the washing above it, there were dogs in front of it. It was much more than just a cooker - it was the heart of the house.

"I think Agas are just wonderful. They're an icon and not just for the cooking. They're an important part of our life. They're one of those things that make you pleased to be British. I don't want to go all Land of Hope and Glory but it's part of me - as much part of me as my heart.

"I love food and was always in the kitchen when I was growing up. My mother, father, stepmother and friends all had an Aga. And now they're hugely trendy in America."

 

"We  had  an  Aga  when  I  was  growing  up.  My  mother  won't  cook  on  anything  else.  She  simply  refuses.  The  Aga  is  an  iconic  part  of  British  life."

 

Soon Tom will have his own child pottering around in the kitchen.

"My wife Sarah's having a baby in October. I don't police her eating as she does that herself. She always eats very healthily. I'm deeply excited, but it's much worse being the lady.

Food: a life-long love for Tom

"There's lots of rubbish about what you can eat when you're pregnant. The blanket ban of unpasterised cheese is ridiculous. I understand not eating some soft cheese, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with an 18-month-old Montgomery Cheddar.

"Then they say you shouldn't drink at all when you're pregnant. My mother often says she had a glass of wine when she was pregnant and I turned out all right. Our lives are constantly being meddled with.

 

 

"There's more and more we can't do and now there's this smoking ban. It's a constant chipping away of our lives by the government."

Tom and Sarah will stay in London once the baby is born. "We're both total urbanites. I grew up in the country, but Sarah grew up in London. If I ever go back to the country I'll definitely have an Aga."

 

Tom Parker Bowles' 'The Year of Eating Dangerously' is published by Ebury Press, priced at £7.99 for the paperback.

To order your copy visit Amazon online.

Market Kitchen is on UKTV Food. Times vary