Food was my son Freddie Braithwaite-Smith’s true love. Often reserved and quiet, he would become animated if asked how to make pizza from scratch and what the essential toppings should be.
He was something of a purist, so it would be homemade tomato sauce, proper mozzarella, basil and olive oil. He would never tire of trying to perfect the combination of these simple ingredients.
Fred would happily spend all day preparing one meal. The attention to detail in his shellfish tagliatelle, for example, was truly astonishing. It was the last proper meal he ate before his death, aged 12, prepared under close instruction as he was no longer able to do it himself.
During his two years with brain cancer and leukaemia, Freddie had many amazing experiences thanks to the charities that support terminally ill children — he fed lions, mushed huskies in Sweden, truffle-hunted in Italy and snorkelled over a town destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius.
But it was food that was his focus. He ate his way through, and reviewed, 59 restaurants this year alone, ranging from local curry houses to Michelin-starred dining rooms, and had decided he would like to be a food critic. He joined the kitchen brigade as sous chef at restaurants from the New Forest to the Scottish Highlands, also seeing behind the scenes of kitchens led by Angela Hartnett and Sat Bains along the way.
What Fred discovered in his food adventures was that it is often the simplest things, found on our doorsteps, that give us the most pleasure. No matter how often you might have done something, you should approach it as if it’s the first time.
Freddie’s other big love was knowledge and learning; he loved museums and would take hours reading every scrap of information. He relished all aspects of his education and school was his happy place.
He was born in Derby, the first of two children for my wife, Karen Braithwaite, and me. His mother worked until recently as head of operations at Nottingham Veterinary School, and I am professor of geography at the University of Birmingham. Fred went to Norbury C of E primary school, and from an early age he was creative. The design and technology facilities he got his hands on after winning a scholarship to nearby Denstone college supercharged his relish for making things, including the personalised wooden spoons given to people at his funeral.
Talented and determined, Freddie had paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, received the Chief Scout’s Medal for Meritorious Conduct and won the best cookery exhibit at our village show.
He was also gentle, kind and a loyal friend. His mother and I hope people might take a little piece of Fred’s enthusiasm and joy for living into their own lives.
He is survived by Karen and me, and by his sister, Bessie.
