Yes, THE Jamie Oliver, all-round good egg, food messiah and saviour of school dinners.

Others might not know who this softly spoken, passionate and Ilford-born food producer is.

And why the fuss surrounding his new book and upcoming second series of Jimmy’s Farm.

Now I am not naïve; I admit that maybe his friendship with Jamie had something to do with Jimmy getting his first show on BBC2.

But having read his first book, On the Farm, and watched re-runs of the programme, my doubts have been cleared.

Jimmy has been welcomed into the hearts and homes (via the flickering television screen) of viewers and readers, everywhere purely based on his passion for food and everything surrounding it.

And when I say everything, I mean everything.

Jimmy’s Farm, which debuted in June 2004, was an instant hit as 3.5 million of us followed him and his girlfriend, Michaela, as they renovated a derelict farm in Suffolk and established it as a successful working farm, producing the highest quality products.

We watched the couple’s trials and tribulations and rooted for them to make it a success.

And this second book, A Taste of the Country, should silence his detractors.

Flicking through, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by the amount of detail there is in this hefty tome.

Expecting to be confronted by pages of recipes, full of fiddly bits that a novice cook like me can barely come to terms with, instead, I am pleasantly surprised to find that there are actually things in here that I can make.

The 32-year-old former Newport Free Grammar School boy embarked on the path to fame in the most unlikely manner.

“After leaving school, I became an entomologist and worked at Molehill Wildlife Park, the Natural History Museum and Coventry University.”

Why entomology though? Why not, if you are as interested in farming as you say you are, do something along those lines?

“I love insects,” he replies.

“I think they are like little alien beings.”

So what happened to that love of insects?

Why leave that behind you and embark on what, in hindsight, has been a roller-coaster journey to where you are now, pig-farmer extraordinaire?

“I longed to do something else, something more hands-on.”

“Farming is a way of reconnecting with our roots and with nature.”

Yes, there is a link there… as tenuous as it may seem, one can understand why an entomologist might make a risky decision like that.

Was he 100% sure that this was the right thing for him to do?

The answer is an emphatic “yes”.

“Humour and hard work get us through the tough days.”

And surely there were many tough days, especially in the beginning, as we all saw through the eye of a camera lens.

That must have been disruptive? I personally couldn’t imagine anything worse, I say, than someone sticking a camera in my face as I write this article.

Surely that was the last thing you needed?

“After a while you become used to the camera,” the self-described food producer answers.

“It becomes more like a friend.

“You don’t see the camera anymore, only the person behind it.”

The new book, with its glossy pictures and slightly aspirational tone, is a whopping 320-pages, broken down into five sections: On the Farm, In the Wild, The Great Outdoors, In the Garden and In the Kitchen.

Not very inspiring I must admit but it lends itself to Jimmy’s own character.

The simplicity of it all (even the layout is unfussy, and the pictures are mouth-wateringly beautiful) somehow imbues Doherty with a sense of wholesomeness that is sorely lacking in the television chefs of today.

So why should we buy this book? What makes it different from the hundreds of cookbooks on the shelves today?

“It aims to show everyone how to grab a slice of the good life – not only those with land or large gardens but those with tiny patches or just window boxes.”

With over 80 delicious recipes, ranging from classic British staples such as Shepherd’s Pie, Toad-in-the-Hole and Baked Ham to more adventurous offerings like Duck with Figs, Spit-Roasted Stuffed Salmon and ‘Kentucky’ Fried Rabbit, A Taste of the Country manages to capture the elusive rural lifestyle within its pages for all to enjoy.

When it comes to deciding which recipes to include, Jimmy says: “I test out everything on Michaela and our friends.

“I try to keep the recipes as British as possible and to reflect the changing seasons and the best of British produce.”

Having been passionate about nature and farming for as long as he can remember, it’s no surprise that the book also includes tips on how to buy the right cuts of meat, planting fruits and vegetables and a section dedicated to sourcing firewood and building a fire.

“I really want this book to be a slice of the good life for everyone, be it making a crumble, keeping a few chickens or going for a country walk and picking some blackberries on your way.”

Such wholesome sentiments, and coming from anyone else, it would have had this writer gagging ever so slightly.

But somehow, you believe it when it comes from Jimmy.

Liver and Bacon recipe by Jimmy Doherty