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Ex-chef can cook in his sleep, and sometimes does

As a former chef, Robert Wood could rustle up an omelette in his sleep. Except he does. And stir fries, and even spaghetti bolognaise, all without waking from his nightly slumbers.

Now the 55-year-old Wood, from Fife in Scotland, is seeking help for the sleepwalking which sees him heading for the kitchen of his Glenrothes home four or five times a night.

Wood has suffered from somnambulism for 40 years, but says he and his wife, Eleanor, are growing increasingly concerned at his culinary exploits. Mrs Wood has witnessed her husband doing everything from setting the table to pouring a box of cereal and a carton of milk into a tiny bowl. She has foun him making omelettes and spaghetti bolognaise and even putting on the chip pan.

The couple say they can get only a few hours sleep a night and are getting worried that Mr Wood could start a fire without realizing it.

"The first time it happened I was 14. My parents heard me wandering downstairs in the middle of the night. Now I get up four or five times a week and I mainly seem to head to the kitchen, though I have also put the television on very high and run the bath," he said.

Mr Wood has been referred for specialist help. Chris Idzikowski, of the Edinburgh Sleep Clinic, said they hoped to be able to help.

"We believe Robert may be suffering from breathing problems that are affecting his quality of sleep," he said.

Mrs Wood says that while the food looks lovely, she has never eaten it.

"Every night, I have to think `Is Rab going to cook?' The last time he was in the kitchen, he spilt milk all over the place," she said.
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