Gordon Ramsay’s wife voted Mum of the Year

Tana Ramsay, wife of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, has been crowned Mum of the Year and said ”patience” is the most important quality for a parent.

Mrs Ramsay, 35, who has four children, describes herself as a traditional mum who is always learning new lessons about being a good parent.

Ramsay received the Tesco Magazine Mum of the Year award at a ceremony in central London.

She beat off competition from celebrity mums including broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky, Emmerdale actress Linda Lusardi and EastEnders models Patsy Palmer, Jo Joyner, Jessie Wallace and Lucy Benjamin.

Asked what makes a good mother, Ramsay, who has written three bestselling cookbooks and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, said: ”It’s a big learning curve. It’s a journey.

”It’s important to be close to them, but that becomes difficult as they get older and become more withdrawn and enter their teenage years… but just be there, be their friend.”

She said parents need ”the patience of a saint”, adding: ”You talk to them and listen to them. As they get older, that’s what I’ve always learned is just to listen. Some things that you might think are not important to them are big issues.”

Ramsay, mother to Megan, 11, twins Jack and Holly, 10, and Matilda, eight, said: ”As they get older it’s more important for them to spend more time with Gordon, more time with me and with us.”

She said her husband, who is known for his foul language, behaves completely differently at home.

She said: ”At home it’s different, it’s not a stressful environment.”

She continued: ”I follow my mum’s example in the way she mothered.

”Computers and phones make parenting quite difficult. Where do you draw the line? You don’t want your child to stand out and be a different child to their friends but you want them to follow tradition, you want to see them studying in the library and going to the phone box to call you but that’s not realistic any more.”

Ramsay, who has been married to her husband for 14 years, supports a number of charities including the Scottish Spina Bifida Association, Woman’s Aid and the Meningitis Trust.

The marathon fundraising event raised more than £900,000 for charity.

The overall Tesco Magazine Mum of the Year award went to Jane Gates, from Binfield in Berkshire.

Mrs Gates set up the charity after her nine-year-old son, Sebastian, died of a rare form of kidney cancer on Christmas Eve 2003.

Mrs Gates, 47, was nominated by her mother, Pamela Walters, who told the magazine about her daughter’s hard work in setting up Sebastian Action’s Trust.

Her son’s final wish was to set up a hospice for sick children and their families.

She said: ”Sebastian’s last wish was to raise money to build a hospice. He set up the charity and 12 days before he died he launched a fundraising campaign to build this unique hospice for sick children.”

Since her son’s death, the charity has raised £1.2 million and Mrs Gates hopes to take in a hundred families a year when the home opens in Hampshire.

Mrs Gates was selected from a record 4,000 nominations by a panel of judges including the Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown.

She said: ”We are all working hard to make a real difference to the lives of children facing uncertain futures.

”Today I am accepting this fantastic award in recognition of the incredible work of everyone involved in the trust.

”Today is a day to celebrate the achievements of so many people who have given so much to our communities, to recognise that every individual can make a difference and that we are a very powerful force.”

The visit to Number 10 Downing Street will be all the more poignant as it was the last place she visited with her son, nine days before he died.

He was then taken to a hospital in Oxford and his condition rapidly deteriorated.

”It will be a moment of sadness but also of great pride,” she said.

The ceremony, hosted by GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips, took place at the Waldorf Hilton in central London.

Ms Brown said: ”Once again, the 2010 nominees are truly inspiring and I am proud to be part of celebrating Britain’s hidden army of incredible women who never give up or give up and who are dedicated to their children.”