Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey is exactly as the name would suggest; an epic journey through the cities, barren landscape and thick overgrown jungles of Eastern Asia. He has gone to many far-flung destinations in his travels and has visited rural families, street vendors and local farmers in his quest to uncover the secrets of Far Eastern cuisine.

Of course the author will need no introduction to anyone who is a fan of TV cookery programmes. Stein is easily one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs and was named the BBC Food Personality of the Year in 2004. He also received an OBE in 2003. He has many cookery titles to his name, including “Rick Stein’s Seafood”, which won the highly acclaimed James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year Award for 2005.

From the best pho soup in Vietnam to the finest jhol fish stew in Bangladesh, Stein has gone to great lengths to compile the 150 recipes in this book. For anyone who has been following the TV series of the same name, they will know how much the chef has gone through just to find the best-tasting recipes, and here he shares the finer secrets of each one.

It is easy to see that this will be a must for any lover of Eastern cuisine, but the dishes are so vast and varied that there is sure to be something that will satisfy any taste bud.  What’s more is that it is a joy to read, and the recipes are a joy to cook.