Packed with art and craft activities, the Blue Peter annual has helped many children while away the hours in school holidays.

For Paul Taylor, it was not so much sticky-back plastic and card that drew his attention, but cookery ingredients.

“I remember using one of my annuals to make biscuits,” he recalls. “I must have been about ten. I made them for my mum and dad.”

That early passion remained with Paul, who has taken the reins in the kitchen at the Woodlands hotel and pub in Oakenshaw.

The creative chef, who lives and breathes his profession, is in his element, rustling up a varied, mainly traditional, menu. Home-made soups are followed by hearty mains including steak and ale pie, vegetable stroganoff, chicken and mushroom pie, and chilli. Desserts feature jam roly poly and custard, treacle sponge and Bailey’s cheesecake “to die for – people come back again and again for those,” says Paul. “We serve food that our customers tell us they like.”

He heads a four-strong team in the kitchen. “There’s a good atmosphere,” he adds. “And I can be creative.”

Where possible, ingredients are sourced locally. “I can see the butcher’s shop from here,” says Paul. “It is really important to us to support local suppliers and match our customers’ needs – nowadays more people want to know where their food comes from.”

With deep burgundy walls and soft lighting, the hotel, in Mill Carr Road, is homely and inviting. “It is very relaxing, and we have many regulars,” says Paul, 41, who left his Leeds high school to follow a career in catering. A course at the reputable Thomas Danby College in Leeds followed, and he later found work at a large hotel in the city. Over the years the father-of-three has experienced a cross-section of the industry, standing him in good stead for his role as head chef. “I’ve been a waiter, maitre de, commis chef, silver service waiter, chef de partie, sous chef – the whole range.”

Most memorable was his time working in the restaurant at a Butlins holiday camp. “It was the best job in the world – it is more of a lifestyle than a job, and so much fun.”

He also ran his own restaurant on the East coast. “That was hard work,” he says. “You have to be made of strong stuff.”

At one time, he says, he “fell out of love” with cooking. “I would get upset when something went wrong. Preparing food is a very personal thing.” He credits the teachings of American social scientist Jacques Fresco with giving him a much-needed confidence boost.

“He inspired me and made me realise that it is okay to accept criticism, and I now realise that you should not be afraid of anything and that by getting things wrong you learn how to do things right.”

Paul lives at Odsal Top with his wife Jayne and three children. He continues to be passionate about his art.

“I love cooking – it whets your creative juices and is a great stress-beater. You don’t go into this profession if you don’t have a passion for it.”