Sticking to healthy eating is much easier if you actually enjoy what’s on the menu. LAUREN TAYLOR speaks to Tom Kerridge about dieting the delicious way.

DIET food has a bad rep. It conjures up images of chewing on cardboard-like rice cakes and low-fat packet soups packed with preservatives, while you dream of a comforting bowl of pasta and battle cravings for anything that so much as resembles dessert.

Enter Tom Kerridge. He not only runs the UK’s only pub with two Michelin stars (The Hand And Flowers in Marlow), but he knows a thing or two about weight loss - having shed a staggering 12 stone himself. Now back with a second diet book, Lose Weight For Good, and accompanying BBC programme, he’s determined to demonstrate that calorie-controlled meals can be delicious - and easy to whip up at home. And who better to create a weight-loss plan that you actually want to stick to, than someone who loves really, really loves food?

He describes his new book as a “celebration of great-tasting food”, with an emphasis on recipes that use everyday ingredients and come in portions big enough to fill you up. It’s full of nutritious but hearty recipes, and some that might surprise you, like spicy lamb burgers, pork samosa pie and pizza with parma ham and mozzarella.

Here are some recipes from the book...

Courgette and cardamom cake

(serves 8 - calories per serving: Sunflower oil spray 250g half-fat margarine 100g caster sugar 4tbsp granulated sweetener 3 large free-range eggs 250g self-raising flour 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 1tsp ground cardamom 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped Finely grated zest of 2 limes 200g courgettes, grated For the icing: 100g icing sugar 1tbsp light cream cheese 1tbsp lime juice To finish: Grated zest of 1 lime Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/gas 4. Spray a 900g (2lb) non-stick loaf tin with a few sprays of oil.

Using a stand mixer or electric hand whisk and large bowl, cream together the margarine, caster sugar and sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom together over the mixture, add the vanilla seeds and lime zest and fold in gently, using a spatula, until just combined. Lastly, fold in the grated courgettes.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and gently level the surface. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 minutes. To test, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake: it should come out clean; if not give it a little longer.

Once cooked, leave the cake to cool in the tin for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, in a bowl, whisk the icing sugar, cream cheese and lime juice together until smoothly combined.

Spread the icing on top of the cake and sprinkle with the lime zest. Cut into eight thick slices to serve.

Baked cod with beans, courgette and chorizo

(serves 2 - calories per serving: 535) Tom Kerridge has created a range of recipes for his new book, Lose Weight For Good book, which won’t leave you feeling hungry or craving junk food. This clean fish dish includes a small amount of chorizo to add a tasty, crispy layer, so you won’t feel like you’re depriving yourself too much. It’s bound to be a hit...

2tsp flaky sea salt 1tsp hot smoked paprika 2 cod fillets (200g each) 3 medium courgettes, cut into chunks 4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced 200ml fresh fish stock 1tsp dried oregano Olive oil spray 400g tin butter beans, rinsed and drained 200g cherry tomatoes on the vine 40g pitted green olives 8 thin slices of chorizo Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to finish Mix the flaky salt with half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and sprinkle over both sides of the cod fillets. Place them on a plate, cover with cling film and refrigerate for one to two hours.

Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/gas 4. Line a roasting tin with baking parchment.

Place the courgettes in the roasting tin. Add the garlic and pour on half of the fish stock. Sprinkle with the oregano and some salt and pepper. Spray with 25-30 sprays of oil. Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the fish from the fridge, wash off the salt and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Take the tray from the oven and mix through the butter beans. Nestle the fish fillets into the mixture, along with the cherry tomatoes and olives. Pour on the rest of the fish stock. Lay the chorizo slices, overlapping, on top of the cod fillets.

Sprinkle the lemon zest and juice and the remaining half teaspoon of smoked paprika over everything and season with salt and pepper. Spray another 20 sprays of oil over the surface and bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

shakshuka breakfast eggs (serves 2 - calories per serving: 375) If you’re on a January health-kick, making sure you get a nutritious breakfast is essential. Eggs - naturally high-protein with loads of good vitamins - have been found to keep you fuller for longer than things like cereal or toast. Shakshuka, eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, is traditionally from North Africa, but the dish is gracing Instagram accounts everywhere now. Crack on...

1tsp light olive oil 1 red onion, finely sliced 1 large red pepper, cored, deseeded and diced 1 large green pepper, cored, deseeded and diced 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced 1tsp ground cumin 1/2tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp hot smoked paprika A pinch of flaky sea salt 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 4 medium free-range eggs 50g half-fat feta A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped Freshly ground black pepper Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan (that has a lid) over a high heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes, then add the peppers and garlic and cook for a further four minutes. If the veg begin to stick, add a splash of water to the pan.

Stir in the cumin, cinnamon, paprika and salt and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, until the spices become fragrant. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, stir to combine and lower the heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

Make four small wells in the tomato sauce for your eggs. Crack an egg into each well and place a lid on top of the frying pan. Leave the eggs to cook for five minutes or until the whites are just set.

Crumble the feta over the surface and finish with the chopped coriander and a grinding of pepper. Serve straight from the pan.