TOM Herbert would seem to have it all.

At 26 he is a director of Hobbs House bakery and he is also an award-winning baker in his own right.

He is married to childhood sweetheart Anna and the couple have two children.

Life is good for a hard-working young man whose business ethics are firmly underpinned by a strong Christian faith.

SNJ reporter David Gibbs met the rising star.

THE hustle and bustle of a weekday morning in the Nailsworth branch of Hobbs House Bakery is enveloping.

The background banter of staff and patrons together with the alluring smells of fine coffee, bread and pastries is warm, welcoming and enticing.

Tom is ensconced at the heart of the happy hubbub, apron on, proverbial sleeves rolled up, all but indistinguishable from his notably cheery troupe of staff.

When he greets you it is not difficult to understand why he has become something of a homegrown heart throb in the locality.

Mention Tom Herbert to any random Five Valleys female and her eyes will melt into dreamy pools as they reminisce about visits to Hobbs House just to steal a glimpse of the bakery beau.

"He is lush", "he is a sweetie", "He is every girl's dream," just samples of some of the responses women living in the Stroud Valleys have made on hearing I was to meet the young baker.

I quell my envy with the fact he is happily married to Anna with whom he has two children - Milo, two, named after the legendary character from Joseph Heller's satirical classic Catch 22, and six month old Beatrix.

The couple live in Horsley and are an embodiment of the aphorism that behind every successful man there is a great woman keeping life balanced and real - an all important role in a profession as time-consuming and obsessional as baking.

"Anna reminds me when I need to put a bit more time in at home," said Tom, as we chat over a steaming cup of coffee on the second floor of the Nailsworth bakery.

"It would be very easy to work more just because there's always stuff to do but that wouldn't be very sustainable so I have sort of accepted progress will only be as quick as family life will allow.

"It would be easy to stay down there until nine every night but then the family would suffer and so would work."

The pair met in their teens at a Twister party hosted by Tom's brother and their relationship has evolved into a healthy alliance.

"She has to put her foot down sometimes and say, 'will you stop talking about that shop' "She's good for discussing things and for general, all round support."

passion

The young baker is a wholesome advertisement for modesty and hard work - striking and refreshing for one who has risen to such an elevated position of responsibility at such a young age.

There are no pretensions.

"When people ask me what I do, I say I'm a baker. My mother-in-law would rather I said I'm a director but I'm definitely a baker first off. It is my passion for baking that makes the other parts seem worthwhile."

The family bakery was founded around a century ago in Chipping Sodbury by Tom's great-grandparents when changing times rendered their trade as smithies unsustainable.

"When horses became less popular they lost a lot. They needed something else to do so they used an oven to make bread and it started from there."

The bakery became Hobbs House only 15 or so years ago when Tom's mother's side of the family decided to join the business.

With the Herbert-Wells union something of a dynasty was born.

Tom counts upwards of 12 family members actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business, which employs around 100 in the shop and bakery in Chipping Sodbury as well as the Yate and Nailsworth outlets.

Tom's dad and two uncles make up the other directors.

Grandfather does some administrative work, grandmother makes the jams, auntie works in the Nailsworth shop and so do her daughters at weekends, mum helps with the washing up and both Tom's brothers played instrumental roles in setting up the shop two years ago.

Family

It is family - Waltons not Sopranos, wholesome and functional at the heart and soul of this business.

"It is a good thing," Tom explained. "It is very supportive and encouraging. Blood is thicker than water. You can't really afford to fall out over things but people can afford to be honest with each other.

"It strengthens our relationships. When you meet up there is always something to talk about - but it is always work.

"There's not really any one-upmanship or trying to get one over on someone else and we know each other quite well."

Forming a twin pillar of stability and values, alongside family, is an underlying Christian faith to which the family subscribe.

Not overbearing zealotry but an affirming spirituality.

"Our approach is maybe slightly different being we are all Christians and that, as you can imagine, does affect how we do business and how we relate to each other," said Tom.

"We are not particularly religious because that involves the ritual of going somewhere. This is more of a spiritual thing.

"It goes back quite a long way in our family history and tempers the way we do things, business decisions and how we relate to staff and customers.

"We are not driven by profit but to do the job we have been given to do, and do it well," he said. "There's a lot of satisfaction in that."

It is clear talking to him there is nowhere else he would rather be than here, now.

He started helping out at the bakery aged 14 - cleaning and washing up - combining it with Chipping Sodbury school life before bowing to the inevitable full time calling midway through his A-levels.

"The academic side suffered because I used to spend my spare time in the bakery trying to earn money for a car.

"I had a big think about it and thought I might as well be doing something I am good at." With that he started full time at the bakery, aged just 17.

Awards

Nine years later he has climbed the ladder from bottle washer to company director, winning young baker of the year at the British Bakery Awards in 2000 along the way, and becoming a partner in the business at just 22.

But despite earning his spurs the hard way he remains conscious of the diplomatic tightrope he must tread being so young.

"It has been a tough learning curve particularly in the area of people management and moving the agenda forward," he said.

"When you're baking it is a lot more clear cut. You know how each process affects the next but at this level there's a lot to learn about people.

"You have to learn the skills of communication and being assertive. A lot of my staff are quite a bit older than me and it is not always easy.

"I wouldn't like to say I'm there yet but it is very real and rewarding."

If you go down to Hobbs House Bakery in Nailsworth today you'll likely meet a gentle and self-effacing young man with a passion for his family and for his trade and a burning obligation to safeguard the future of his ancient craft.

"We have always recognised there are some things better done by hand. One of the biggest challenges is to keep the craft alive. There are not the skills around to employ so we train people up.

"They have a decent, well paid job and can count themselves as being craftsmen."

Forget the money, the directorship and the acclaim. What it all boils down to for Tom Herbert, I realise as we take our leave of each other, is the pride in belonging to a skilled caste of craftsmen and the pleasure of sharing its creations.

"We bake because it is our passion. It is in our blood," he said. " It is what we do."