Book review: Gordon's Great Escape

Gordon's Great Escape

by Gordon Ramsay, Harper Collins, $59.99

I'm not a fan of reality TV - I don't like the yelling, the arguing, the tears. So, as you can imagine, I am definitely not a fan of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. And Ramsay himself really isn't someone I would care to  spend time with ... or so I thought.

However, Gordon's Great Escape has won me over.

Ramsay is pictured on the cover, arms folded and a cheeky little smirk on his face. Inside he's there again smiling and looking, well,  nice.

Gordon's Great Escape takes in the traditions and foods of four countries: Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, with Ramsay embarking on a pilgrimage to discover fresh flavours and exploring what is, for him, virgin culinary territory.

It's full of beautiful photographs, not just of Ramsay or food, but of the people he has met on this journey  and with it their lives and their culture.

It's a travel adventure as well as  a recipe book.

In an earlier book,  Ramsay went to India, where he says he found the best way to understand the food of another nation was to experience it in the country itself.

This book, he says, led him on an unforgettable roller-coaster ride of culinary delights.

He attributes the book to the people he met on his journey.

"So many complete strangers shared their stories and recipes with me, and for a brief moment in time each and every one of them helped to understand their lifestyles and passion for food."

The book is divided into food groups rather than countries, from snacks to stir-fries, desserts and drinks.

Sometimes the list of ingredients seems rather lengthy,  but from what I have already tried, a lot will be in your pantry, and the rest relatively easy to find.

The Green Mango Salad and King Prawns and Sweet and Sour Cabbage salads were winners. I  gave the Crispy Pig's Ear Salad a miss, though.

The book is a treasure trove of  unusual and very tasty recipes and some lovely stories from Ramsay ... he has a heart after all.