A WEST Devon Masterchef is keen to get people cooking up a storm with the publication of a new book.

Tavistock restaurateur Peter Gorton has just released his third book — 'Peter Gorton, An Invitation to Cook', which is filled with a host of recipes he has picked up from across the globe.

Peter was keen to get people to have fun with the recipes, which include dishes such as Brill wrapped in Parma ham with Sicilian pesto and creamy garlic polenta and rhubarb parfait with poached rhubarb and almond cake.

He said: 'This book was done more for the general public rather than "cheffy" people.

'It includes lots of different styles of cooking and the recipes don't have lots of different ingredients. The dishes look difficult but they are actually quite easy to make.'

Peter said all the recipes in the book are dishes that have made an appearance in his cooking over the years, and most of them have been tried and tested on the menu at his Tavistock restaurant Gorton's.

'I wanted to dispel the myth that dishes like these are hard to execute.

'Cooking is about having fun. The recipes are constructed so that people can pick bits out and use them in other dishes.

'Each recipe can be broken down — I don't want people to stick exactly to the recipe, I want them to choose this bit and maybe put it with that.'

Peter was keen for the book to be very visual and the book creates a feast for the eyes with photography by Exmouth photographer Adrian Oakes.

Peter is currently a very busy man. When not writing books or preparing meals at Gorton's, he spends a lot of time teaching.

He is helping to teach students at the Restaurant Academy in Plymouth — a dedicated training restaurant, allowing aspiring chefs and waiters to receive on-the-job training, and the use of Peter's contacts to find them a job in the industry once they receive their qualifications.

He said: 'I think there's a massive shortage of people wanting to become chefs.

'This for me is the future. Gorton's I am very happy with and it will continue to be my flagship and where my heart lies, but I really love education and training.

'After 32 years of being a chef, I've got to the stage where I want to give back — I want to help the youngsters develop.'

Peter is also in the process of opening a 100 seat restaurant in Manchester, organising The Big Cake Show in Exeter for March, writing for a number of publications, about to start a consultancy in a hotel in Cornwall, and helping out with Tavistock's Under 13s rugby team.

With all this in the pipeline, he is also looking to bring back a food festival in either Tavistock or somewhere bigger such as Plymouth, thinking about doing some children's cookery classes and has plans to write a few more books in the future.

On top of all that, he said he wants to spend more time with his family: 'I have a good team of people who are always supporting me but most important to me is my family.

'They are the driving force behind what I do and they never moan when I'm away for periods of time. I'm going to try to spend more time with them.'

'Peter Gorton, An Invitation to Cook' is priced at £24.99 and available from BookStop, Gorton's and most good book stores.

• The Times has a signed copy of Peter Gorton's new book to give away. Just answer this simple question:

n How long has Peter been a chef?

Send your answer to Peter Gorton competition, Tavistock Times Gazette, 14 Brook Street, Tavistock PL19 0HD, to arrive by Friday, November 29.

Don't forget to include your name, address and a daytime telephone number.

The editor's decision is final — no correspondence will be entered into.