Guest chef: Country classics by Jamie Oliver (+recipes)

He has saved the battery chicken, and is doing his best to save the British diet with it. He's cooked his way around Italy and America. Now Britain's ubiquitous favourite foodie son Jamie Oliver is conquering Europe.

In his latest recipe book, Jamie Does... the former Naked Chef celebrates the food of six different countries all within a short flight (Icelandic volcanoes notwithstanding) of his native England.

The book includes recipes from Marrakesh, Athens, Venice, Andalucia, Stockholm and the Midi Pyrenees region of southern France.

He includes the "hero" dishes of each country - such as the risottos of Italy and the tagines of Morocco - as well as recipes he's come up with after wandering through local markets and meeting producers.

It's a mouth-watering way to travel.

Here are a couple of our favourites from the book, spaghetti vongole from Italy and Swedish skagen (prawns on toast).

* Jamie Does ... published by Penguin Group (NZ). RRP$75. Available at all good booksellers nationwide.