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You know what you're going to get with Rick Stein. There's a good reason why he's a television chef, successful restaurateur and author – he delivers, on the table, on the screen and on the page, the sort of food which people want to eat. In his early days , it was all about fish but in his latest book , he gives recipes for food from land and sea -inspired by his travels across the world.

If you have all, or even a good number , of his earlier books then this book might prove to be a disappointment as it's a bringing-together of over a hundred and fifty of his favourite recipes and some are going to be very familiar. If you don't have the earlier books and his style appeals to you then this is going to be an excellent investment as you're getting the best in one book.

The format is simple. The world is divided into seven regions: Britain and Ireland, Western Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, India, Far East, Australia and New Zealand and finally The Americas. The coverage is good, even if the balance in some regions is out of kilter. The Americas, for instance, are represented by fourteen dishes – seven from the USA, six with a Mexican influence and just one from South America. That's a minor quibble though as most people are going to find food to their taste. The dishes are not necessarily authentic, but they all deliver taste and flavour and range from a relatively simple cauliflower cheese to more complex dishes such as grilled cod with laska Laska noodles and sambal blachan. If that sounds rather daunting, don't worry as all the techniques you'll need are explained in simple terms and there's even a section giving basic recipes for such items as stock.

Fish is still Stein's strength though and I can vouch for the monkfish with saffron and roasted red pepper dressing. There's a sharpness in the dressing which sits well with the monkfish and I think this is where his genius shows. With meat, with vegetables and puddings , he produces excellent food of the type that would be the best in its class. With fish , he's in a different class altogether, capable of delivering something out of the ordinary.

For a book which succeeds without resorting to photography , we can recommend [[The Kitchen Revolution by Rosie Sykes, Polly Russell and Zoe Heron]]. If Rick Stein's food appeals to you then we think that you'll also enjoy [[Moro East by Sam and Sam Clark]]. We also have a review of Stein's [[Under a Mackerel Sky by Rick Stein|biography]].