The year of eating dangerously - Tom Parker Bowles

Tired of the bland, processed pap served up in supermarkets and identikit restaurants across the UK, food writer Tom Parker Bowles embarks on a picaresque global odyssey in search of culinary extremes.

The first to admit he has a timid tummy, Tom eschews the Michelin-starred restaurants he's grown accustomed to and seeks out the most authentic regional foods he can find. Full of trepidation, he puts his prejudices behind him and samples seahorse satay and millipede skewers in China, indulges in stomach-popping competitive eating in the States, and tentatively consumes the world's most poisonous fish in Japan.

Brilliantly written and often laugh-out-loud funny, this is an eye-opening adventure in the company of a man who may not be brave, but is certainly curious. Tom's visceral account of his journey will make your mouth water ... most of the time.