It's been a year since she won MasterChef, but life is still throwing up surprises for Natalie Coleman.

There was the MasterChef: The Finalists cookbook, which she co-wrote with runners-up Dale Williams and Larkin Cen, some very exciting work placements in the kitchens of celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge, Michel Roux Jr. and Marcus Wareing, and the hours she passed chewing the fat with childhood hero Ade Edmondson, who won Celebrity MasterChef last year.

"Jennifer Saunders tweeted me, because I was going up to the BBC Good Food Show and [her husband] Ade was going to be there," recalls Natalie, laughing as she admits she "screamed" with joy when Saunders followed her on Twitter.

"I spent a whole day with Ade. We were just geeking off about cooking and talking about recipes and gadgets. That was crazy," she adds.

She received another 'pinch-me' moment a few days after scooping the coveted MasterChef winner title (which she earned with her highly-praised pork belly and Scotch egg dish).

"I had a tweet from Nigella," says the 31-year-old former credit controller, referring to her long-time food idol, Nigella Lawson.

"It was something like, 'Just back from Brazil... OMG so happy my girl Natalie Coleman won'. It was about 11 o'clock at night on a Friday... well, I called everyone, didn't I? I was like, 'Nigella tweeted me!' I was so happy," recalls the foodie, who was born and bred in East London.

Natalie jokes that she'll be putting her newfound status to good use, to help her with a meal she's included in her new cookbook, Winning Recipes For Every Day.

In it, she offers up her late Nan's corned beef hash pie as a tribute to the "brilliant cook", who often whizzed up cakes and treats for her granddaughter.

On a similar note, she hopes her recipes will inspire home cooks to experiment in the kitchen.

The thought of her cookbook sitting on shelves alongside the Smiths, Olivers and Lawsons is mind-bending for Coleman.

"It's mad really, isn't it? Even looking at the copies [of my book], it doesn't feel like it's all real yet," she says.

"It's all a bit hard to take in, really. It is a bit overwhelming... It really does open up so many doors, that competition."

If you fancy opening the door to some of Natalie's culinary delights, here is a top recipe from her new book.

SLOW ROASTED LAMB WITH BUTTER BEANS AND SALSA VERDE

(Serves 4-6)

For the lamb and beans:

2.5kg lamb shoulder

4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

2 rosemary sprigs

2 red onions, peeled and quartered

2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

2 celery sticks, cut into chunks

100ml white wine

3 x 400g tins of butter beans, drained

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the Salsa Verde:

Juice of 1 lemon

100ml olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 red onion, roughly diced

1tsp Dijon mustard

15g fresh parsley, leaves and stalks roughly chopped

10g fresh basil, leaves and stalks roughly chopped

15g fresh dill, leaves and stalks roughly chopped

15g fresh mint (leaves only), roughly chopped

6 anchovies

1tbsp capers

Salt and pepper

Here's what you need to do

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3.

Use a small paring knife to make eight insertions into the lamb shoulder. In each hole, put half a clove of garlic and a small sprig of rosemary.

Put the onions, carrots and celery in a large roasting tin and place the lamb shoulder on top. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the wine and 200ml of water into the roasting tin, cover with foil and cook in the oven for two hours and 15 minutes.

After this time, remove the foil, add the butter beans and cook for a further 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Salsa Verde. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend into a fine puree. Season with salt and pepper and set aside until ready to serve.

When the lamb is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with the butter beans, vegetables and Salsa Verde.

Winning Recipes For Every Day by Natalie Coleman is published in hardback by Quercus, priced £20. Available now