Peter Smith obituary
My father, Peter Smith, who has died aged 97, set up a pioneering health food store in the unlikely setting of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, in the late 1950s, at a time when the pursuit of vegetarianism and healthy eating was a fringe interest.He ran the shop until the mid-1960s before spending a number of years living and teaching in Japan and then opening up another health food outlet in Surrey in the early 70s, guiding it successfully into the late 90s, by which time his advocacy of healthy diets had become much more mainstream.Born in Cottam, on the Nottinghamshire-Lincolnshire border, to Jack and Doris (nee Womble), Peter was raised in the lively setting of their pub, the Railway Inn in Leverton, where he flourished.As a child he showed a talent for snooker, touring local halls to play in charity matches and displaying the confidence that would mark his later life.After leaving Scunthorpe technical high school he did three years of national service from 1946 to 1949 with the Royal Air Force as an engineer and was posted to Iraq, an experience that sparked a fascination with foreign cultures, food and travel.
A vegetarian from a young age, he also became interested in the relationship between diet and wellbeing.On his return Peter worked at Scunthorpe steelworks as a maintenance engineer until 1957, when he opened the Healthy Food Stores in Scunthorpe, the first venture of its kind in the town and one of only a few such shops in the entire country.In 1959 he left the business in the charge of his sister, Betty, to embark on a five-month “vegetarian expedition to India”, converting an old post-office truck and driving it more than 4,000 miles to study regional diets and traditional approaches to health.Once he was back he continued to run the shop in Scunthorpe until it was sold in 1964, after which he moved to Tokyo.He spent seven years there, teaching English at Toyojoshi high school while also studying ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and exhibiting his work.
In Japan he met Mitsuko Takano, a secretary, whom he married in 1969.Back in the UK with Mitsuko, in 1974 Peter established another shop, Health Foods, in Cheam village, Surrey, and ran it successfully over the next two decades until retiring in 1997.He showed few signs of slowing down, continuing with his travelling well into his 90s, eventually visiting 72 countries.He was a gentle, optimistic man who found interest and beauty in everyday things, and his life was a testament to open-mindedness, cultural exchange and the belief that good health – and a good life – begin with curiosity.He is survived by Mitsuko, their children, Kasumi and me, and grandchildren Emilia, Maia and Sofia.
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