If Tom Kerridge was still drinking, now would be the time to crack open the bubbly and toast his success.

A new cookery book, Best Ever Dishes, an accompanying BBC Two series, a bustling pub, The Hand And Flowers in Marlow, and even an imposter pretending to be him on Twitter - it's fair to say that Kerridge is having a bit of a moment right now.

But after a massive 40th birthday celebration, which the jolly chef jokes he's "still suffering from", just a pint of diet Coke will do.

"I've knocked the booze on the head and thought I'd have a clean year. So far, we're doing alright," he says in his distinctive burr, laughing. "I haven't fallen off the wagon yet."

Giving up alcohol is just one thing that has changed in Kerridge's life since his first solo cookery series, Proper Pub Food, was aired last year. For starters, he's lost six stone, partially through the abstinence and partially through swimming. Then there's the teeming mass of fans he's gained through his TV series, book and two Michelin-starred pub.

All this could go to a man's head but Kerridge is "still the same bloke", he's always been. Indeed, before the cameras started to roll on his first series, he insisted that he remained himself and "not a cartoon character" on screen.

That people like the real him is a "huge compliment" and luckily, he likes them too.

"I'm quite fortunate that I'm one of the chefs that actually likes people," says the cheerful 41-year-old, who is married to sculptor and Hand And Flowers co-owner Beth, who he says is a "really, really good cook."

"I'm quite a people person. I'd say every day, I come across somebody who knows who I am and I have no idea who they are, and that's quite cool, because I get to find out."

Often people will stop to ask the chef about his favourite food or tweet him pictures of their versions of Kerridge's "lamb and Boulangere potatoes" which they've served up for a Sunday roast.

And Kerridge, whose new book sees him adding twists on classic dishes like tomato soups and rice puddings, is eager to encourage his fans to head to the kitchen and have a go.

"It's amazing, because it means that the book is getting cooked from," says Kerridge of the feedback he's had from readers.

"I don't want it to be a coffee table book, I want it to be cooked from, covered in grease and flour and battered."

Equally not precious about his recipes, Kerridge hopes readers and viewers will focus on flavour rather than agonise over appearance.

"I'll say this to all of my chefs here and customers alike, if you cook things with love and passion and you care for everything that you're doing, that will reflect on the flavour," he says.

"Some of the best dishes you'll ever have - a paella in Spain, a really good pizza in Italy or a really good stew in this country - never look like pretty pictures on plates, but they taste incredible - and you always remember what something tastes like.

"You come away thinking it feels like this has been cooked with love - and that's the most important thing about cooking."

Focusing on flavour is a mantra that hasn't changed during Kerridge's career. And while life shifts around him, he takes comfort in the things he's always held dear, such as the praise of his mum who raised him and his brother alone.

"She's a very proud mum, which is great," he says with a belly laugh. "Even as a 41-year-old bloke, your mum being proud of you is still cool."

COTTAGE PIE WITH BLUE CHEESE MASH

(Serves 4-6)

500g braising steak

50g plain flour

Vegetable oil, for cooking

700ml beef stock

300ml dark ale

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

500g minced beef

2 onions, finely diced

2 carrots, finely diced

2 celery sticks, tough strings removed, finely diced

2tbsp curry powder

Few splashes of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mash topping:

6 floury potatoes (King Edward or Maris Piper), about 1.2kg, peeled and diced

150ml milk

50g butter

3/4tbsp prepared English mustard

150g blue cheese (use your favourite), grated

1tsp paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas Mark 2. Cut the braising steak into 2cm dice, dust in flour and shake off the excess. Warm a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a little oil and fry the braising steak until it gets a deep, rich colour all over. Drain the steak on some kitchen paper and transfer to a casserole.

Put the frying pan back on the heat and deglaze it with the stock and ale, scraping up any tasty brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon, then pour the liquid over the beef in the casserole. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and braise slowly in the oven for two and a half to three hours, until the beef is tender. Leave to cool.

When cool, remove the cooked steak from the casserole with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl in the fridge until needed. Reserve the remaining cooking liquor.

Wipe out the casserole, then place it over a medium-high heat and pour in a thin layer of vegetable oil. Add the minced beef and cook, stirring constantly, until it's thoroughly browned. The beef shouldn't be grey, you want it to be dry, roasted and crumbly, the colour of the outside of a beef burger; this should take about 10-12 minutes. Drain in a colander to get rid of any fat, and set aside.

Return the casserole to the hob, warm a little more oil over a medium heat, and add the diced vegetables. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they soften. Add the curry powder and stir, making sure the vegetables are thoroughly coated in the spice.

Add the drained minced beef and the reserved braising liquid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and reduce the stock until it's nice and thick. Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and season. Leave to cool for 20 minutes.

When the minced beef has cooled a little, stir in the chilled, braised beef and mix thoroughly, but try not to break up the beef too much. Transfer to a large pie dish or ovenproof serving dish and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes for 14-15 minutes or until soft. Drain in a colander and leave to steam and air dry a little.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Either put the cooked potato through a potato ricer into a bowl, or mash thoroughly with a hand masher. Beat in the hot milk and butter with a wooden spoon to form a semi-firm mashed potato. Mix in the mustard and season.

Take the chilled beef mixture from the fridge and pipe the mash on top, or spread it and make little peaks with a fork. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top and dust with the paprika. At this point, you can store the cottage pie covered in cling film in the fridge for up to two days.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Put the cottage pie on to a baking tray, stick it in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until the middle is very hot. Remove from the oven and place under a hot grill, if needed, just to glaze the blue cheese. Serve immediately with buttered peas.

RED MULLET ON BAKED PROVENCAL VEGETABLES

(Serves 4)

2 large aubergines

8 ripe tomatoes

3 large courgettes, cut into 5mm slices

Olive oil, for drizzling

4 x 170g red mullet fillets, pin-boned and scaled

1tsp lemon thyme leaves (ordinary thyme if lemon isn't available)

1tsp oregano leaves

Flaky sea salt, to finish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the onion jam:

3 1/2tbsp olive oil

3 1/2tbsp red wine vinegar

500g red onions, halved and sliced

1tbsp thyme leaves

1tbsp light muscovado sugar

3 garlic cloves, grated

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Pierce the aubergines all over with a sharp knife, put them on to a plate and cover with cling film. Microwave them on full power for 8-10 minutes, until they are very soft in the middle. If you don't have a microwave, place the pierced aubergines on a baking tray and bake at 200C/Gas Mark 6 for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on their size. Keep an eye on them, as you want them to be just fluffy in the middle and for the flesh to be as pale as possible. Cool then cut them in half lengthways, scoop out the flesh, mash with a fork and season.

Make the onion jam. Pour the olive oil and vinegar into a large saucepan with the onions, thyme and sugar and cook over a medium heat for 40-50 minutes, until the onions are soft and have an almost jammy consistency. Stir from time to time and make sure the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom. Remove from the heat and add the garlic and lemon zest. Mix the onion jam into the mashed-up aubergine and spoon this into the bottom of an ovenproof serving dish.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Prepare a bowl of iced water and place it by the hob. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop in the tomatoes - count to ten, then remove and plunge them into the iced water. Peel the skins from the tomatoes and slice them into 5mm slices. Layer the tomatoes and courgettes on top of the aubergine and onion mixture in lines, or one by one, or just randomly. Drizzle on some olive oil and season. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and put the fillets of red mullet on top, skin-side up. Return to the oven and bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle on the lemon thyme and oregano and season with flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS WITH EASY STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

(Makes 6 tartlets)

For the strawberry ice cream:

1kg strawberries, hulled and halved

500ml single cream

200g caster sugar

For the sweet pastry:

250g softened butter

120g caster sugar

400g plain flour, plus more for dusting

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the creme patissiere:

580ml milk

6 egg yolks, lightly beaten 110g caster sugar

60g plain flour, sifted

90ml 8-year-old balsamic vinegar (Kerridge recommends using this aged vintage if possible)

1 1/2tsp cracked black pepper

For the glaze:

100ml water

50g caster sugar

4tbsp strawberry jam

2tbsp 8-year-old balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

To finish:

400g strawberries, the best quality you can find, thinly sliced

Some baby basil or basil cress, to decorate

First, make the ice cream. Put the strawberries in a large pan and gently stew them over a very low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they have broken down - you don't need to add any water. Tip them into a blender or food processor and whizz until smooth. Pass them through a fine sieve and leave to cool. Weigh out 500g of the puree (if you have any left over, it's delicious used to dress a fruit salad or with yoghurt). Mix it with the single cream and sugar. Place this mix in an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. Scrape into a freezer container, seal and freeze until needed. Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to serve it.

Make the pastry. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the beater attachment. When smooth, reduce the speed and slowly add the flour and start to bring to a paste. Just before it comes together completely, add the egg. When it has just come together into a paste, remove from the bowl and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out circles and line six 10cm loose-bottomed tart tins, pushing the pastry in tightly. Let the excess hang over the sides.

Line each tart with several layers of cling film or baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice or pulses. Place on a large baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry looks crisp and golden. Remove the beans and cling film and bake for a further five to eight minutes, to make sure the tartlet shells are dried out and have an even colour. Leave to cool.

To make the creme patissie re, bring the milk to the boil in a medium saucepan. In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, then whisk in the flour. Pour on the hot milk, whisking constantly, and then pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring until it thickens, and continue to cook for a further two to three minutes to cook out the flour.

Remove the cre me patissiere from the heat and pour into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the balsamic vinegar and turn on to a slow speed. Keep mixing until it cools down to a smooth paste. Add the cracked black pepper, put into a container, cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the glaze, put all of the ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil and stir until smooth and emulsified. Pass through a fine sieve and cool.

To construct and finish the tarts, trim the excess pastry from the tops with a small, sharp knife and remove them from the tins. Spoon in a generous portion of the creme patissiere. Place the strawberries in a ring around the top of the tarts, trying to ensure the slices overlap neatly, then brush the strawberries with the glaze. Place a lovely scoop of strawberry ice cream in the centre of each and decorate with a few baby basil sprigs. Serve immediately.

:: Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes is published by Absolute Press, priced £25. Available Thursday, August 28. Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes airs on BBC Two later this autumn.

THREE OF THE BEST...Comfort food classics

:: Heinz Cream Of Tomato Soup, 89p for 400g, available from major supermarkets and local shops

It's hard to beat a mug of this siren-red soup on drizzly days. For those who like their comfort on the go, Heinz have a new range of Cup Soups designed with mobility in mind.

:: Warburtons Crumpets, 89p for six, available from major supermarkets and local shops

Whether you slather them in butter, dip them into eggs, drizzle honey over them or melt blocks of cheese over the top, these reassuringly chunky crumpets hold up well to any variation.

:: Ambrosia Rice Pudding, 99p for 400g, available from major supermarkets and local shops

Autumn nights are made cosier with a warming bowl of this creamy rice pudding, topped off with sultanas or a dollop of jam.