Who says daddy can't cook?

When Tom Burrough lost his advertising job, it felt like a disaster. But becoming a stay-at-home dad led Tom to the dinner table - and an exciting new business venture. There's never a great time to be made redundant. Being told you're out of a job three days after the arrival of your first baby is especially catastrophic - but that's precisely what happened to Tom in March 2002.

"My wife, Louise, had just given birth to our daughter, Bliss, when I was made redundant, " said Tom, 43. "It wasn't great timing but it did make me realise I wasn't truly happy in advertising any more and wanted to try something different. I spent the next six months trying to move into management consultancy, but nothing came up.

"Working in advertising, I'd met a lot of people who made things, and the idea of making something myself really appealed to me. Only I had no idea what."

Louise, 34, went back to her job in advertising, while Tom took on the role of full-time house-husband and parent. The arrangement was only meant to be temporary, while Tom figured out what he was going to do next.

But, fast-forward six years, and Tom is still a house-husband and full-time parent to two-year-old Flora, as well as Bliss. And there have been countless more surprises along the way.

Tom suddenly found himself immersed in a world alien to many men, juggling nappies, shopping trips and housework.

"I didn't realise at first how tough it is being a housewife, " says Tom.

"It's not just hard for the first few months, it is the unending-ness of it - constantly being just out of control, scrambling to get somewhere on time when your baby's wet itself or won't wake up or won't walk or you can't find something like wipes. Never being able to concentrate on anything for more than five minutes."

Tom is quick to confess being a househusband has been tougher than any office job he's ever had.

"You don't get a break, " he explained. "In the office, if you have had a bad meeting, you can pop out to get a coffee. But when your baby's screaming and you're late, there is no escaping it."

Despite this, Tom has worried how other men perceive his taking on the role fulltime, instead of carrying on the tradition of playing main breadwinner.

"It's hard when you feel that when you tell blokes they are thinking 'loser, didn't cut it at work'.

They never ask what it's like - you seem to just fall off their work radar."

But the mums he met at nursery and later the school gates, have all been "very encouraging and supportive. And in the midst of the laundry, nappy-changes and mad-dash nursery runs, Tom also had the opportunity to spend more time with his children than many dads, with every day a new journey of discovery.

The change meant that things that had never been important to him before suddenly took priority.

Like baby food.

Tom, a keen cook, had always been interested in nutrition and organic foods, so he felt strongly about what he fed his children.

Researching the market, he couldn't find any baby foods that totally appealed - being both healthy and organic and delicious enough to impress a foodie. So, Tom started making his own baby food for Bliss.

When he told friends and family about his little project, he discovered that lots of parents were interested. Tom thought his new hobby could make a nice little business idea.

"I started experimenting with recipes, " he said. "I wanted to create highly nutritious foods in a range of flavours with a lot of meal choices, that were also very tasty."

Next he set up a pilot scheme, with 40 regular customers, and started researching the market, developing a brand concept and ensuring he fully understood the task in hand.

He employed a nutritionist to help him achieve his aim of maximising taste and nutrition. His baby food is cooked at 90 degrees, rather than the usual 120, which can result in many nutrients being lost.

Most of Tom's recipes are based on traditional, wholesome adult meals, in order for children to be weaned onto grown-up foods more easily. He thinks the belief that babies prefer 'bland' food is a myth. And having always been passionate about cooking, taste is very important to him.

Tom's recipes include herbs and garlic, along with vegetables that some might assume young children aren't keen on.

Thankfully, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

"Some of the parents even said they'd hoped their baby wouldn't finish it, so they could eat it," he said.

In 2004, armed with his business plan, Tom approached the banks.

After 'several false starts' he secured the funding in 2006, then found a manufacturer in Wales, where all the ingredients are sourced locally.

Next came another year-and-a-half of getting the logo and packaging sorted, and making sure his dishes met baby food regulations, Soil Association regulations and labelling rules.

This year, Burrough's Baby Food was launched and Tom takes orders from all over the UK via his website www.bbfood.co.uk. He is also in talks with stores. Options include vegetarian and dairy-free dishes.

There are elements of his office job Tom still occasionally misses, like the pay packet and office culture.

But he "gives thanks every day for the time I get to spend with my gorgeous girls". He added: "It is a privilege and a joy - although sometimes a tough one to handle.

"And it's really exciting to have your own business. I love my job, and I'm proud of where I have got to."

It's early days, but Tom hopes the business will boom and, in the meantime, lucky Flora and Bliss look forward to Daddy's delicious dinners every day.