LIFESTYLE
Tees
Lifestyle
TO N Y M O W B R AY
Q&A
INTERVIEW BY: M I C H A E L M c G E A RY
PIC TUR ES: C H R I S B O OT H
He might prefer fine dining to parmos these days, but Boro legend Tony Mowbray
remains a proud Teesside lad at heart.
Six years after his time as Middlesbrough manager came to an end, his family – wife
Amber and their three sons – remain happily settled in their Nunthorpe dream home.
That’s despite “Mogga” now spending most of his time in the North-West, where he
manages Boro’s Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers…
TEESSIDE LIFE
The Teesside restaurants I love to eat in are…As a lad
from a council estate in Redcar I should say fish and chips
but I like fine dining, and the Orangery at Rockliffe Hall is
somewhere the two of us can go and talk about the kids and
life, and eat nice food. For something more casual, Muse in
Yarm. If I’m home, I'll drop my kids off at school and go for
coffee in the Mockingbird with Pally (former Boro team-
mate Gary Pallister) and chat about football.
The meal I order most of all is…the Rockliffe tasting menu.
In my playing days it was a parmo after a night in The Mall
in Stockton – I'm giving away a few secrets here! My kids
have just just discovered parmos and I don't encourage them
to eat them often, but they can have one occasionally.
My favourite tipple is…I haven't drunk alcohol since I was
a teenager, so usually sparkling water or maybe a Sprite.
The Teesside stores I love to shop in are…Flannels. My big
mate Cyril is the CEO, so if I needed clothes, I’d go there.
When I was a young footballer it was the time of Zone in
Middlesbrough bus station and then Garage, which I had
a business interest in with Cyril, and Changes was another
iconic store.
The things I spend too much money on are…gas and
electric bills probably! I don't spend any money on myself.
For a day out, I…spend time with my family because I
spend so much time away. I like walking up Roseberry
Topping – and I'm finding that much tougher now. My wife
and kids can run up but I need to stop!
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One place on Teesside I’d like to visit is…I can't remember
ever going over the Transporter Bridge, so I’d do that.
In my downtime, I like nothing better than…watching my
kids play football on Sundays. I have a cup of tea and stand
well away from the pitch out of view. I played for Nunthorpe,
as my kids do now, so I reminisce with them about how
different it was.
My perfect night out involves…the cinema. I’ve always
loved the cinema experience. Watching a movie takes you to
a different world. I like the privacy when the lights go down,
nicking your kids’ popcorn and asking your wife to pass the
sweets. Afterwards we'll go to somewhere like Nando's and
just be a family together.
My perfect night in involves…watching a Premier League
match on the telly. I love to clear the decks, get everything
done and then I'm ready – the lights are off and I'm there.
Amber brings me a cup of tea and it's just bliss.