A Dorset farmer who rose to internet fame during the pandemic with his cooking and dancing skills, is now releasing his own cookbook.

After accumulating more than 400,000 followers on TikTok with his hearty traditional recipes, Jim Chapman, aka JimLad, is putting all his social media recipes together into his first cookbook called Roast It Up.

The farmer and dad from Charmouth explained how he was initially a social media novice, and it was his daughter who initially prompted him to start an account.

What started as a fun hobby eventually proved to be his ticket to fame.  

“Before lockdown I didn’t really know anything about technology and wasn’t on any social media. It was my daughter who said we should put some videos on TikTok, so it was just of us dancing around at first.

“Then she suggested that I should post some of my food and it got such a good response, and I was really enjoying it, so I started to post more and more recipes.”

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As well as working on the family beef farm, Jim also runs a camping and caravanning site as well as a huge Christmas tree forest, so finding the time to create recipes and post them online is a big commitment.

But he managed to find the time to turn his hobby into a new form of income.

“I first started cooking when we had kids. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed but having a cookery book is something I never could have imagined.”

He is collaborating with online print company Found, which turns content from social stars into stylish books, with the creator getting a percentage of each copy sold.

Sales of Jim’s book are already doing well, which has delighted him and his family.

“If someone had said to me a year or so ago that I would have a book I would have thought it was a joke. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I’m loving every minute of it,” he said.

Copies of Jim’s book are available at £24.99. He is also selling his own range of merchandise including a calendar, diary, apron, and mug.

More information about Jim and his products can be found on the Found website: https://found.us/creators/jimlad