I shouted "Oh my God!" when I found this DVD is coming soon on Amazon. So my boss now knows I surf the internet at work. But I don't care. This is exactly what I was waiting for! (Now what I sincerely hope is BBC will also publish 'Mediterranean Escapes' and 'Rick Stein and the Japanese Ambassador' on DVD soon)
I love his books, but there is a small pity - not all recipes have a picture of the finished dish. So it sometimes takes a bit of a guess work to see if you have got the dish quite right unless you have watched the programme on telly. But now we don't have to worry about it any more.
I do know that some poeple were a little puzzled / annoyed, and I did feel the same when, in this programme, he highly praised French cuisine and by contrast slugged off Britain and its food culture a little ... specially this programme was made right after his "Food Heroes in Britain" where he had praised British produce and producers.
However, in real life, we appreciate both French and traditional British cuisine at the same time, don't we? You really cannot tell which is better as they both have its own charm. What could possibly be better than having a wonderful British Pub lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon that is followed by a strong French coffee in a cafe with Sunday paper? We mix the very best of theses two different cuisines to enjoy life.
I loved this programme when I saw it on TV - this is one of the best he has ever done. Each scene is so beautifully shot, and it is plain to see that he was enjoying filming this programme - as a matter of a fact, the original idea of "French Odyssey" was tabled to BBC by Rich himself.
The tone of this series is so evocative and relaxed - that will remind you of something you have left far behind in the fast pace of the city. Just pop this DVD on when the world seems a mean cold place to you. I promise Rich Stein will transport you to where l'air du temps is much slower than where you are, and I also promise you that by the time you have seen a couple of episodes, you will feel good about most of things in life.
"Purrrrfect"