Tom Kerridge has said he struggles to see himself as a famous TV chef and reckons he is “just a fat, bald bloke with a farmer’s accent”.

He is the new presenter of long-running BBC Two show Food And Drink and has fronted his own cooking shows, but claims he hasn’t changed despite becoming well known.

He said: “In terms of adjustment to fame, sometimes I realise in situations that people have come to see me, and I need to give them 100 per cent commitment – for example, at food festivals, demonstrations or book signings.

Tom Kerridge The Hairy Bikers Food & Drink
Tom worked with The Hairy Bikers for Food & Drink (BBC)

“I don’t think I’ve changed at all. If I had, my wife and my mates would be the first to tell me. I’m so comfortable in my skin, I pay very little attention to the fact that people know who I am, I’m just a fat, bald bloke with a farmer’s accent who cooks food.

“But every now and then, I get reminded that I do have a voice that people listen to. And that scares me a bit.”

Tom Kerridge
Tom won the chef prize at last year’s GQ Men of the Year Awards (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

Tom also admitted of serving up dishes to celebrity guests on Food And Drink: “I was terrified about cooking for all of them. As chefs, you open your soul when you cook some food and you just want it to be loved.”

Food And Drink continues on BBC Two.