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we all know how to why the show? “Of een around since but we’re getting it as a country,” he here’s much more to those sausages. It’s ng lit and the slow re becoming a lot to do with it.” is really an introduction to barbecuing. He covers about 36 recipes, from posh burgers to rather more esoteric ingredients from around the world, over 12 episodes.
“It can be taken incredibly seriously but that’s not the focus,” he says. “Most of it is easily doable for everybody at home.”
Preparation is key. “Structure, planning, marinading, brining, all of that is very important,” he insists.
And just in case you needed to know, you can cook anything on a barbecue now, he enthuses. “Absolutely anything! We even do a cake on it in this series! It’s done in one of those egg-style barbecues. It’s kind of like a sponge, honey cake.”
The fine weather in lockdown was a bonus. “For the last two weeks of filming, we pretty much had complete sunshine. There was just one rainy day.
“The thing about this country is that barbecuing is very much suited to three or four months of the year and then the grill goes away. But with these egg-style barbecues you could do your Sunday roast in it all year round. It’s not so much about precision, it’s about driving flavour. Barbecues are very forgiving.”
Married to sculptor Beth Cullen-kerridge,tom, once a prodigious beer drinker, famously shed 12st in a weight-loss regime which he then turned into a TV show. He later launched a better eating show for families.
He’s surprised how well the weight-loss shows and books have done. “Yes, I am. I found myself in quite a lucky position with two Michelin stars but I think I’m readily relatable to people at home. I’m a bloke with a regional accent, and if I wasn’t a chef I would be on a building site somewhere mucking about!
“People think, ‘Well if he can do it, so can I’.and it’s exactly like that.”
Kerridge managed, unlike many others, to keep the weight off during lockdown. “Yes, I’ve been quite lucky. I’ve been at work nearly every day, moving about and such. I’ve also been cooking pretty healthily and been trying to keep fit by running. I’ve tried to stay on top of it.”
How does he fit this regime into his busy life? “I do try to run about 25km a week. I get up early and go for a jog. But I’ve got a four-year-old, so I’m up at 6am anyway.”
He’s been spared home-schooling. “Our son Acey’s been great. I’m very fortunate.we’ve got a garden and he’s got a swing in it.you can also stick a paddling pool down. For him, it’s been like some massive holiday at home before he starts school in September. Quite good fun.”
Kerridge’s next project couldn’t be more apt. “We’re filming a programme about pubs. It’s about the problems that they’re facing right now and moving forward, with what we have happening right now.that’s for the BBC, then the Hand & Flowers cookbook is also out in November.that’s actually been a work in progress over the past couple of years.”
● Tom Kerridge Barbecues, Food Network, July 30, 9pm