That’s Got To Be The Perfect Diet, Surely,

SUPERCHEF Tom Kerridge is half the man he was after dropping 12st with his new diet where happiness is the main ingredient. When the Michelin-starred TV favourite hit 40, he realised the lifestyle of being a top chef was killing him. The Great British Menu winner said: “In our business it becomes an obsession to party, play hard, drink hard and eat rubbish food. “In an industry full of party animals and hard-drinking mentalists who’ll stay up drinking all night, I’d built a reputation as the last man standing. Father-of-one Tom realised things needed to change and researched all sorts of diets, from calorie counting to Atkins-style regimes. Eventually he developed his revolutionary Dopamine Diet — a low-carb, high-protein diet with a twist. In it, the proteins are chosen to trigger the release of the “happy hormone” dopamine. It is the focus of Tom’s latest book, where his “dopamine heroes” include dairy products such as double cream and yoghurt, high-quality meat including beef, chicken and turkey, along with chocolate, coffee and vanilla. The Wiltshire-born chef shed his weight over three years and admitted it was difficult to give up carbs and sugar at first.

Tom, 43, who now weighs just under 18st, said: “It was terrible, absolutely horrible. “I had headaches and the sweats but ­gradually I realised how much I hated the sugar spikes and all those highs and lows. “I realised that rather than missing other things, eating just protein was making me feel pretty good and very energetic. “I was enjoying it. Instead of steak and chips, Tom will tuck into two steaks. He will eat eggs and bacon for breakfast and feast on joints of roasted meat with crispy skin. But he credits much of the joy of his diet on an unlikely snack. He said: “Pork scratchings contain no ­carbohydrate, they’re all protein. “I’ve lost the best part of 11st while eating pork scratchings. That’s got to be the perfect diet, surely, Tom, who owns the two Michelin-starred The Hand And Flowers restaurant in Marlow, Bucks, with wife Beth, also knocked booze on the head and has not touched a drink in more than three years.

Tom also claims his new lifestyle has helped him adjust to life as a father after the birth of his son Acey, now 14 months old. He said: “Being a dad helps you to keep focused on staying healthy. “You are conscious of what you are eating and what you are doing. “Although I don’t mind coming last in the sports day race, I want to be just last. Here, we present three mouth-watering but low-carb recipes from Tom’s latest bestselling book. Preheat oven to 200C/fan 180C/Gas 6. Put lamb mince in large roasting tin and roast, stirring 3 or 4 times to break up mince, for 35-40 minutes until dark brown. Bake merguez sausages in another roasting tin, alongside the lamb, for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Tip mince into a colander to drain. Let sausages cool, cut into chunks. Pour a splash of oil into a large saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and sweat gently, stirring from time to time, for 10-15 minutes until soft. Stir in fennel seeds, curry powder, cracked pepper and cinnamon, stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in celery and browned mince. Pour in stock and add Worcestershire sauce and some salt. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 1-1½ hours, until thick and rich. Take off heat and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C/Gas 5. Stir sausages into cooled lamb, spoon into shallow ovenproof dish, about 30x22cm and 8cm deep. Level surface with back of a spoon. For the topping, bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, add cauliflower florets and simmer until tender - about 5 minutes. Drain cauliflower and place in a food processor with the butter, cream and some salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add blue cheese and blitz. Spoon the cauliflower topping evenly over the lamb and sausage mixture. Stand the dish on an oven tray and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the meat mixture is bubbling and the topping is starting to brown. METHOD: Remove skin from chicken: Work fingers under skin, over flesh, until it is loose enough to pull off.