CELEBRITY chef Tony Tobin believes there is a very real danger that the art of cooking could be dead in 20 years' time, killed by convenience foods and changing lifestyles.

That is why the former Stratford College catering student and star of the BBC TV's Ready, Steady, Cook is actively campaigning for cookery to be reintroduced onto the school curriculum.

"Nobody cooks at home like they used to so children aren't learning to cook," says 37-year-old Tony, who apart from his TV appearances runs the highly-acclaimed restaurant Tony Tobin at the Dining Room in Reigate, Surrey.

"In 20 years' time people won't know how to cook," he adds.

Tony, who is appearing at the Stratford Food Festival next month, began his own cooking career at the tender age of 14 at the popular Butcher's Arms in Priors Hardwick.

"I was doing a washing-up job and I saw these crazy guys running around in their chef's whites and I thought that looked like fun," he recalls.

He carried on cooking at The Butcher's Arms until he was 18, studying catering at Stratford College during the day. He reckons his formal training was invaluable.

"It's absolutely necessary. There are lots of chefs who say they are self-taught and you don't have to go to college. That's rubbish," says Tony. "I'm a huge believer in getting kids into cookery."

Tony, who has three young children, is patron of the charity The Kids Cookery School that provides places in cookery classes to children who would not normally get the chance.

"We have children with hearing disabilities and behavioural problems. Once you give them a piece of pastry to work with you'd never know," he says.

Another of his concerns about the future of cooking is that youngsters entering the catering industry only want to work in top restaurants or become celebrity chefs.

"We have got a lot of very good restaurants but we have also got a lot of pubs and that's all part of the industry. The guys working there are doing a bloody good job," says Tony, who has been signed up by Scottish & Newcastle Brewery as an advocate for working in pub catering.

His own break into TV came about because he was in the right place at the right time.

"Richard and Judy were filming This Morning in a hotel where I was working. I was just being nosy and got chatting to the producer - I can chat the hind legs off a donkey.

"I was 23 years old and he asked me if I wanted to come and cook on the show. After that it was a slow snowball effect," says Tony.

Despite his current fame he has remained down-to-earth , keeping in touch with Stratford College and regularly visiting his mum and dad Peter and Brigid, who live at Priors Hardwick.

He is delighted to have been asked to give a cookery demonstration at the first Stratford Food Festival on Sunday, November 3.

"I hope it goes really well. I will stay around throughout the day and talk to anyone and sign autographs. Let's get people interested and supporting the local farmers," says Tony.

The Stratford Festival of Food and Drink runs from Friday, November 1, to Sunday, November 3, at Stratford Civic Hall in Rother Street. Tony Tobin will be giving demonstrations at 1pm and 3.30pm on the Sunday. Other celebrity chefs appearing at the festival are Sophie Grigson and Brian Turner.

For information and tickets to the event call the Civic Hall box office on 01789 414513.