Foreword

By Anneka Rice

Somehow Paul has done it again. A third book, and no spelling mistakes – this time it’s serious. Having eaten their way through East Anglia in the prologue, Paul and Jeanne then embark on an international gastronomic tour. You’ll be dazed by the hundreds of hotels and restaurants that they visit in the name of research. How they’re not 38 stone apiece is beyond me.

Fans of Paul will be pleased to note that his most endearing quality shines through in this new book – his passion. Don’t start making notes on all his “best-ever” recommendations as you’ll have filled a book by page 3. He found the best General Manager ever in L.A; the friendliest waitress ever in New York; the best Hilton and the friendliest people in the world in New Zealand, while having simply, like, the best ever trip in Australia. And along the way, he made loads of new best-ever friends.

Only Paul would go all the way to Texas to study the science of a good steak. He talks about perfect specimens in Miami, and is excited something very well hung in San Francisco. But this is not purely a gastronomic tour. No. This is also a round-the-world loo quest. If you take pleasure in the new loos at The Hoste Arms, please spare a moment to think of the air miles it took getting them just right. The hours spent in Fiji discussing how to provide not just good loos, but the best ever in East Anglia. Imagine, if you would, turquoise water, white sand, Jeanne in her bikini, and Paul on the phone to his banker discussing S-bends.

Hopefully Jeanne found her “vibe” on this extraordinary world tour. Certainly by New Zealand she couldn’t eat another thing and Paul had to bravely carry on eating for two. Fortunately, shopping comes a close second to eating in Jeanne’s realm and she was delighted to gain some bonus retail time while Paul was hidden under a pile of silver tureens in yet another restaurant.

This book is an utter joy. Reading it, I felt I’d been with Paul and Jeanne every step of the way. I was there, listening to Tony Hatch playing neighbours in Minorca, in the middle of a riot in Poland, walking the red light district in Tokyo. I was also there when King Goodwill, the King of the Zulus, came to Paul’s 50th birthday party in South Africa with 16 body guards. (Actually, I really was there for that bit.) In between I visited some of the most beautiful places in the world and had the culinary experience of a lifetime. (The stir-fried rock lobster with ginger and chilli on the Hayman Islands was especially memorable.) Hoste chefs Aaron and Rory and Rachid have compiled mouth-watering recipes to compliment the tour so you really don’t have to go anywhere at all. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy. Paul, Jeanne, it’s been a journey.