EmpoWEriNg pEoplE through cookiNg
GROWING UP WITH FOOD RATIONING HELPED TONY GIBBONS LEARN SKILLS HE’S NOW PASSING ON TO THOSE LIVING ON A TIGHT BUDGET
BORN at the start of World War II, Tony Gibbons learned at a young age the value of making a little food go a long way.
Living on rations gave him a lifelong passion for cooking, which he is now passing on by teaching disadvantaged families how to make healthy meals.
Even a stroke and knee replacement surgery have not slowed down this self-taught chef. Tony, 81, has spent the pandemic delivering thousands of food parcels to his students, complete with recipes and online tutorials.
Now the ex-college lecturer and restaurateur’s commitment to improving the diets and life skills of others has been recognised with a National Lottery Award.
Tony explains: “I was born in 1939 and raised on sugar and margarine sandwiches. My dad had two allotments, and he’d pick up a dead rabbit off the road for us to eat. “Nothing was wasted. You had to be resourceful and I’ve never forgotten it.” While his family made use of every scrap, Tony still enjoyed slipping into the kitchen at night to make himself This passion for creativity led to a career as a college lecturer in design and photography, as well as running a studio dream of opening a restaurant on the beach in Dorset. But when retirement beckoned, Tony opted not to put his feet up and instead started up The Friendly Food Club – a project giving people of all ages the skills to cook.
Before Covid-19 hit, Tony was running weekly cookery classes
– an initiative funded by The National Lottery – for families on free school meals.
The food fanatic from Bridport says: “I’ve always families well fed. Students received a weekly parcel containing all the ingredients to make lunch with their kids, including instructions and some fun facts about the dish. Tony also demonstrated the recipes – from falafels to Spanish eggs – on YouTube and encouraged families to share their feasts on flats with no garden and it was a good way to keep the kids busy.”
Almost 5,000 incredible individuals were nominated for a 2020 National Lottery Award – the annual search for the UK’s favourite National Lotteryfunded people and projects. The awards celebrate the inspirational people who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.
By buying your ticket you raise £30million* every week for good causes like Tony’s. He plans to use his £3,000 award prize money to create a special Christmas Cookbox for the families he has worked with. “There is still so much to do and not much time. I have thousands of recipes to share. Once a kid can make their own omelette, there’s no stopping them.”