TOM Bridge is that rarity a down-to-earth top chef who decries foam and froth in favour of pie and gravy.

He has written 25 books, been awarded Michelin stars, won the highest awards his profession offers and even been invited by Frank Sinatra to America to cook for his friends. But, he would be the first to admit that he’s a Bolton lad through and through – “I would never live anywhere else,” said Tom, now 67.

Brought up in Hill Street off Higher Bridge Street on the outskirts of the town centre, Tom was one of three children of a miner father. His parents had a major influence on his life, especially his mother, now 90, who taught young Tom to cook. “I always wanted to bake,” he recalled. “My earliest memories are of cooking in the kitchen with my mam.”

His parents later became long-term licensees of the Gypsy’s Tent pub in the town centre where Tom’s interest in cooking continued. So, when he left Brownlow Fold Secondary School, he went to the old Commercial Hotel in Victoria Square to work as a bottle-washer on the first step to a catering career.

He moved to the Britannia Hotel in Manchester where he became a commis chef – the tough, ground-floor route to becoming a chef. “It was all about the vegetables then,” he stated. “You had to learn how to deal with vegs, scraping and turning until it was an art form.”

His cookery career by now well and truly under way, Tom decided to move to London to further his career and there landed a job as chef at the National Liberal Club in Whitehall Place.

Next door lived Fred Pontin, founder of the famous holiday camps, who often visited the Liberal Club and became a fan of Tom’s cooking. “So he pinched me from there to go and work for him!” Tom laughed at the memory.

His role now was as executive chef, in charge of everything in the holiday camp chain from menu planning and food buying to training chefs and overseeing equipment “and I loved every minute of it.” The job also involved Tom flying to sites around the country with Fred Pontin in his helicopter.

It was around this time that Tom wrote his first book, The People of Bolton on Cookery, kickstarting a publishing career that has lasted several decades and enhanced his national reputation.

Tom returned to Bolton for a time, opening event venue The Crystal Room in an old mill with staunch support from his long-time pal, Fred Dibnah. This had a successful couple of years before Tom returned to London and a huge job in charge of catering at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena and Wembley Conference Centre.

Here, he oversaw daily food for thousands of people over the vast site “having put good people in place first, though.” Events he was involved in there included the original Live Aid concert in 1985.

During this time, he also made many friends in the entertainment world including Frank Sinatra. When the great star wanted traditional fare for his English friends, he called on his favourite English chef to come and cook it. This started a friendship with the Sinatra family which continues to this day. Daughter Nancy still sends Tom a Christmas card each year.

After establishing a catering agency and an agency for top chefs, Tom decided to return to his home town and his writing including a regular column for the Bolton Evening News.

After a “very enjoyable” venture establishing a creole restaurant in Bolton, Tom freelanced for all kinds of companies including working with Derek Warburton from the well-known bakery family and for Holland’s Pies.

He is an unashamed fan of pies of all kinds, has written books on the subject and founded his own Pie Society named in tribute to Frank Sinatra and his iconic High Society film.

Today, Tom insists that he is “absolutely retired” but is still writing a new recipe book on black puddings. “I’ve got 100 recipes but it’s difficult to find new ideas,” he admitted. “I’ve got every kind so far. Did you know that black pudding goes very well with fruit?”

Tom hates fussy chefs, is happy to be seen as traditional and names his favourite dish as “a BLT – a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich” although he regularly makes hot-pot for friends.

He feels now he has “nothing to prove” as a chef – “I’m just happy with my life”. But he admits that he “does still love a challenge” so perhaps Tom Bridge has found the right recipe for life after all.

Caption: SUCCESSFUL RECIPE FOR LIFE – Chef Tom Bridge at home