Tom Kerridge opens up on 'very difficult time' behind-the-scenes while filming new show

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has opened up about a "difficult" time he experienced when he hit the roads in a custom-built 1950s truck for his new TV show.

Tom, 50, a judge on the BBC's Great British Menu, recently left his restaurant in the rear view mirror to film Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, which sees the chef travelling across the UK in his food truck.

In an effort to understand the origins of the food we eat, Tom meets with farmers, fishermen and producers, but travelling up and down the country wasn't all plain sailing.

Tom told Bella: "But there were points where the wind was blowing so hard, I was twisting the salt and pepper and instead of aiming on top, I was doing it from like a metre away, and the wind was blowing it towards the plate!

"You have to embrace it and make fun of it, enjoy being in that space. The food truck was a proper experience. I miss it, although it was very difficult to drive through country roads, and it wasn't very quick on the A-roads."

Tom's accustomed to alfresco cooking, however, as he does "quite a lot of outdoor cookery" and likes "setting fire to stuff", describing his latest venture as comparable to an "outdoor mobile barbecue".

The cooking was dependent on the ingredients that were available in the area where the filming took place, with Tom dubbing the local item the "hero of the dish".

However, prospective chefs who wish to follow along at home can breathe a sigh of relief, as Tom has tried to keep the recipes "quite simple" and "not too complicated".

No stranger to the benefits of locally-sourced food, Tom, who runs the two Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow, recently issued a warning to Jeremy Clarkson.

In an episode of Good Morning Britain this month, Tom weighed in after the Clarkson's Farm star revealed he was opening a Cotswolds pub that would serve food made from British ingredients.