TV chef Mike Robinson covered over 24,000 miles in his first year as an Isuzu brand ambassador and gives an insight into his daily life and how well his Rodeo pick-up meets his needs in an exclusive video at the official Isuzu UK YouTube channel.

Mike’s 3.0-litre Isuzu Rodeo Denver Max Plus pick-up is his daily workhorse and he estimates that more than 20 per cent of his driving is off-road. As well as getting him across the challenging terrain of local country estates, the Rodeo also carried Mike the length and breadth of Britain while filming his new cookery show, Countrywise Kitchen, which starts at 7.30pm tonight on ITV1.

Aside from his television commitments, Mike owns and runs The Pot Kiln pub and restaurant, a catering business and a game cookery school in Frilsham, Berkshire, as well as jointly owning the only Michelin-star pub in the UK, The Harwood Arms in Fulham, West London. These all have game meats at the heart of their offerings, which are often stalked, shot or caught by Mike on a 30,000 acre estate in Berkshire.

Robinson comments: “As well as cooking, for several years I’ve managed a country estate, keeping wildlife and game stocks controllable and sustainable. I needed a dependable workhorse pick-up and bought my first Rodeo in 2005. It proved incredibly robust, utterly reliable and virtually unstoppable off-road, but it was also comfortable and quiet on the motorway.

“I was very pleased to become a brand ambassador for Isuzu UK last year and my second Rodeo has probably had an even tougher life, especially during the production of this latest TV series. We’ve had the pick-up in some very sticky spots that, to my astonishment, it managed to get itself out of. It’s as important a companion to me as my dog, my rifle and my binoculars. Without my Rodeo, I couldn’t do my job.”

William Brown, general manager of Isuzu UK, commented: “Mike is an exceptional brand ambassador for Isuzu, and it’s exciting for us that his profile will rise as a result of his new TV series. He knows what it means to work in the country, and needs and expects his equipment to work faultlessly, whatever the conditions. What’s most pleasing is that he genuinely uses his Rodeo to the very limit of its capabilities on a daily basis and can comment on it as a bona fide customer.”