Former chef owner of The Spiced Pear, Tim Bilton, given twelve months to live

The former chef owner of The Butcher's Arms and The Spiced Pear has been given twelve months to live by his doctors as he continues to fight stage 4 cancer.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, Tim, whose three cancer diagnoses scuppered what was set to be an illustrious career - but hasn't stopped him from working - has said that he is hoping to make the most of spending time with his family while he still can.

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The chef, who appeared on The Great British Menu twice and had hoped to obtain a Michelin star for his Yorkshire gastropub, was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2013. He didn't let the illness stop him in his steps, launching The Spiced Pear in Hepworth the same year, for which he received awards and high praise.

The skin cancer first appeared in his eye; he had an operation which was thought to be a success. But in 2015, he was diagnosed a second time and was forced to have half of his saliva glands and his lymph nodes removed, meaning he lost all sense of taste for more than a year.

In 2016, the chef and his wife Adele decided to sell The Spiced Pear and Tim took on a more humble role at Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley.

Despite thinking that he had beaten the condition, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in December last year. He is undergoing immunotherapy treatment, which may prolong his life, but it is unclear whether it will.

The chef is continuing to endure his illness with stoicism and doesn't plan on changing his daily routine.

“We’re being as normal as possible. I’m not sitting in a rocking chair at home saying, ‘Why me?’ I’m still going to work and taking the boys to football and cricket.”

The chef has also started writing a blog sharing his experience of having cancer, which you can view here.

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