He may be a familiar face on TV, but James Martin has no appetite for showbiz lifestyles. Chefs should stick to cooking, he tells Gemma Dunn

TV presenter, restaurateur, bestselling chef and one-time Strictly semi-finalist, blue-eyed-boy James Martin certainly doesn't do things by halves – and the tradition continues with his latest cookery book, Sweet.

"Every single dessert was shot at my house, and made and plated by me," reveals the 43-year-old from North Yorkshire. "My agent was shouting and screaming as they had to take three weeks off, but what with celebrating 20 years in the business, I knew we needed to do this."

Following on from 2007's hugely popular Desserts, Sweet looks set to re-establish Martin as the king of puddings, with more than 70 recipes, from simple classic bakes and family favourites, to lavish showstoppers and – wait for it – an all-important troubleshooting section (Hallelujah!).

"People always say, 'I do this but this always goes wrong', and the first thing I would say is buy quality ingredients. It can only be you or the ingredients that are the problem, so if it's the ingredients, change it."

With a culinary career that spans two decades, perfectionist Martin has a finger in many pies – but it was his stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 that landed him his biggest gig to date, as host of BBC1's Saturday Kitchen.

And despite ten years of 4am starts and 6am rehearsals ("I have a big can of Red Bull and two eye drops before I go live"), his passion for the weekend show remains.

"I love it and everything it represents. You're giving chefs that hardly ever cook on TV the opportunity to show their restaurant and skill-set off. Their reputation is on the line, so it's a huge pressure for them. Me? I've got the best seat in the world, as I get to be a commis chef in the best restaurants in the world without having to go to them."

Martin's equally content cooking undercover in his popular restaurant, James Martin Manchester, and has no qualms admitting he would happily revert back to the role should his fame game be up tomorrow.

"The public will make its own decision, and that's it. If they stop watching me, I'm quite happy to go back home and carry on working, because I've had a whale of a time for the last 20 years. I feel very privileged to do it, but when your time's up, your time's up."

One thing that is growing, however, is Martin's car collection. A petrol head and keen flyer, he puts his love for the two down to "the release; the relaxation away from everybody else".

"I've had my pilot's license for ten years; I don't have my own plane yet – I'm not Jamie Oliver! But I love it. When you're on a plane, there's no phone, nothing. You're just concentrating on staying up in the air."

Here are three recipes from his new book to whet your appetite...

Peach and creme fraiche crumble cake

(Serves 12-16)

For the cake:

450g self-raising flour

2tsp baking powder

200g butter, plus extra for greasing

350g demerara sugar

6 eggs

150g creme fraiche

25ml peach schnapps or peach juice

100ml peach puree

7 peaches, halved and stoned, or 2 x 400g tins peach halves, drained

For the crumble:

60g plain flour

1/2tsp ground cinnamon

30g butter, diced

30g demerara sugar

For the topping:

100g creme fraiche

100g cream cheese

50ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas 1 and grease and line a 24cm high-sided, loose-bottomed cake tin.

To make the cake, place the flour, baking powder and butter in a bowl and rub together to form a breadcrumb-like texture. Stir in the sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, creme fraiche, peach schnapps or juice, and puree together, then pour onto the dry mixture and mix to a thick batter.

Pour half into the prepared tin and tap the tin gently to settle the batter. Place the peach halves, cut-side up, onto the batter in concentric circles, then top with the remaining batter, smoothing over the top.

Bake in the centre of the oven for one-and-three-quarter hours until golden and risen. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean – if it doesn't, return the cake to the oven for a further five minutes and repeat. Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the crumble to go on top. Turn the oven up to 180C/Gas 4. Place the flour, ground cinnamon and butter in a bowl and rub until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Spread out over a baking sheet and bake for six to eight minutes until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool on the baking sheet.

For the topping, whisk the creme fraiche, cream cheese and double cream together, then spread over the cake while it's still in the tin – this will give you a neat finish. Scatter the crumble over the top to cover the cream, then ease the cake out from the tin.

Sweet by James Martin (Quadrille, £20)