MICHELIN starred chef Tom Kerridge might only be half the man he was after losing 11 stone in weight but he was a big hit when he visited Devizes.

Mr Kerridge, who buys his restaurants' meat from butchers Walter Rose & Son in Sidmouth Street and has become a friend of the Cook family who run the shop, was in town on Friday to promote his new book Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet.

The TV chef drove himself to Wiltshire after appearing on Chris Evans' radio show and then had time for everyone who queued to meet him.

Shop owner Steve Cook said: "He is a truly lovely man. He had time for everyone and he looks fantastic now.

"He really is a walking advert for his change in lifestyle. He chatted to everyone and had selfies taken with them. He was very natural with people. We have known him for years and he is a close friend of my brother Andrew.

"For Tom this dopamine regime isn't just a diet it is a complete change. He has given up drinking and he is a real inspiration. He made me feel a bit self-conscious but I don't think I could do that long term."

But many visitors to the shop thought his book would be the kick-start they needed to a new healthier eating pattern.

The recipes he has chosen feature ingredients that trigger the release of the happy hormone dopamine in the brain, and he believes it’s a diet that will not only help people to shed unhealthy pounds but will also make them feel good.

Mr Kerridge, 43, who was born in Salisbury, said he was inspired to change his diet as he approached his 40th birthday and felt the time was right to overhaul his lifestyle.

He is reported as saying: "I was a good party animal. Chefs have a reputation for being up late and playing hard. I was world class at that. I decided that maybe I should look at it.

"Diets don't work. If you go on one and then go back to what you did before it doesn't work. It needed to be a lifestyle change."