Food critic Tom Parker Bowles spills all
THE FOOD CRITIC SPILLS ALL ON THE ROYAL BABY, HIS MUM CAMILLA AND CHANNEL NINE’S FAMILY FOOD FIGHT
e’s a part of the most famous family in the world, but Tom Parker Bowles definitely walks to the beat of his own drum.
After growing up in high society and having his mother, Camilla Parker Bowles, marry into the royal family, many might expect him to be on the uptight side. But the international food critic is incredibly downto-earth when New Idea catches up with him. In fact, he doesn’t even consider himself part of the royal family!
‘It’s my mother who is part of the royal family now. I’m not,’ the 42-year-old boldly states.
‘Obviously whatever family you are in, whoever your mother and father are married to, you do see everyone occasionally at various functions. I see a lot of my step-father [Prince Charles], who is one of the nicest, kindest men you could ever hope to meet. He’s done a huge amount of good.
‘William and Harry are both very nice boys, but I’m middle-aged and have a totally different life.’
So what juicy information can he reveal about his stepsister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge’s current pregnancy?
‘I don’t know anything about that! I’m the worst person in the world – I have no idea. Of course, I’m very happy for them, but I’m afraid to say you probably know a hell of a lot more than I do about that,’ the father-of-two coyly rambles.
‘[The pregnancy] is very exciting news, definitely. They make very gorgeous children – that I totally agree with. They are lovely people, and they are happy and healthy, but I’m being very honest – in terms of actual specifics, I wouldn’t know anything!’
With a successful career in the food industry, critiquing restaurants all over the world, Tom is visiting his ‘home away from home’ – Australia – for Channel Nine’s newest cooking reality show, Family Food Fight. Tom reveals he became a food writer because he got fired from every other job he had.
‘I was crap at every other job and I got fired all the time. I was greedy and could just about string a sentence together, so it made sense to be a journalist,’ Tom, who is the author of five cookbooks, explains. ‘I’m not very good in offices, so as a journalist you write for yourself. But it was very interesting going into TV – it’s a huge group effort.’
Family Food Fight sees six diverse and multi-generational families go head-to-head, with the winning family receiving $100,000. Joining Tom to judge the families is celebrity chef Matt Moran, renowned pastry chef Anna Polyviou, and former Masterchef personality Hayden Quinn – and they all get along famously!
‘We all love food,’ Tom shares. ‘We’d go out for dinner together, we’d go out on the beers together.’
And with the show’s focus on
families working together in the kitchen, Tom says to prepare for some serious family fights.
‘Arguments are always going to happen with families,’ he laughs. ‘If I competed with my mother, father and my sister, there would be arguments in the kitchen, to be totally honest. My mum and my dad are obviously separated – divorced even – but my father is a decent cook – he’s had to cook ever since my stepmother died. He would think he knew best, I would think I knew best, my mother would say: “Hang about, I’m the one that’s been cooking for you for 20 years.”’
Tom admits he struggles with his kids’ – Lola, 10, and Freddy, seven – eating habits.
‘Kids are always fussy and mine are no exception. It’s usually Mexican or Thai for me and my wife Sara. My son eats everything – he loves oysters and clams. My daughter loves hot dogs and pizza, but they have to eat their vegies and fruit,’ he says. ‘If they have a balanced diet, then they can have some cake or lollies.’
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