A mouthwatering cookbook, but one that just registered with me from the off as too verbose. The introduction is too much justification, and explanation of why this MasterChef winner feels able to combine typical French and British dishes with more than the usual Indian spice, and vice versa. Still, after the next two pages more or less defining a breakfast, and ignoring the paragraph of introduction for each and every dish, we soon see the likes of this in action – beans and black pudding on toast has the boudin noir of his French-based summer childhood holidays, combined with the masala flavour doused on the baked beans, a la his Punjabi/Leicester heritage.

Beyond a high word count, this does look classy – it's a high percentage of dishes that gets a full-page photo of the results, and there are no gloomy portraits of uncooked tomatoes, utensil racks, or worse still a hundred quid of spice and herbs just dumped in piles on a kitchen top, trying to be artistic. This knows its intentions and gets on with them – giving you a curry or chilli tinge to fish that you have to admit is a world away from the prawn dhansak, drenching bangers and mash in a Goan gravy, punching some pistawala murgh into a chicken pie. It's a bold fusion, after all – chicken liver parfait with both figs and garam masala, that looks the colour of lemon curd before you delve down to the pate. That said, the fact India has Scotch eggs made of goat meat suggests it's always been there, out of sight and waiting for a book like this.

Some people will greatly appreciate this for the way it tries to get the British cook out of a hole – dishes that typically use ghee here at times have just regular butter, and the foreword was right that it doesn't call for a hell-hole of new spices, novel ingredients and heretofore unknown equipment. That said, sprucing up a MacBurger for a tandoori wonder brunch does involve over two dozen different ingredients, from garlic granules and dried fenugreek leaves to something called "ketchup". How annoyingly vague.

It is that depth (of pre-purchasing, if not of flavour) that puts me off, at least in my situation in life at time of writing. I don't want to chase down black salt, however quirky it seems to put it and chillies into Key Lime pie. I would happily scran (as they say these days) the great bulk of these dishes, and while I'd be proud and happy to cook them myself, I would much prefer the left-overs from such cooking to be filling someone else's shelves.

All told, yes, this is a wordy piece, but that ultimately seems in keeping with the generous feel of all this. This does smack of quality throughout, and never once comes across as a gimmick – even when going a touch Tex-Mex. This could be a standout cookbook, historically, too – so often we read of how the Brits changed things in India, and how SE Asian cuisine changed British dining. This is the key to how the two worlds collide, circa 2024, in a way that is coconutty oysters, and whole rolled pork belly, and not a sniff of the fakeaway. It's an authentic fusion, if these standards and welter of choices are to go by. Perhaps only for the braver cook (than I, Gunga Din), this is a firm four stars.

Indian food has enjoyed a huge jump in popularity during the last few years. Most agree it is delicious, but some cooks are hesitant to make it at home thinking it is too difficult to make. Eddie Scott, MasterChefUK champion and amazing cook, has found ways to add an Indian nuance to everyday dishes in his excellent cookbook, Misarana: Classic dishes reimagined with the flavours of India.

The recipes are unique and appealing. There are recipes such as Laal Maas Spaghetti & Meatballs, Shahi Sheermal Buns, Butter Garlic Crab Linguine, Amritsari Fish with Mushy Peas & Tartare Sauce, Grandma Tandoori Pizza, and Kolkata Tacos – all classic dishes with Indian undertones. Most readers will need to make a trip to a good Indian grocery before making these yummy dishes, but it will be worth it.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions. There are also author’s notes at the beginning of each recipe full of vignettes, memories, and tips for successful recipes. Most of the recipes are easy enough for beginning cooks, and those with a little more experience will find them easy.

Most of the dishes include beautiful, professional photographs of the mouthwatering dishes. This makes it difficult to decide what to make next for dinner. There are enough dishes to keep cooks busy for months trying the recipes in their queue.

All told, Eddie Scott has taken a good idea and made it a reality. This is an excellent cookbook for anyone’s cookbook shelf.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

What an absolute fabulous book. My passion is curry and cake. Eddie takes you on a journey of his holiday travels with such fabulous dishes all different to what I have seen before and I have lots of curry and cake books. I can't wait to cook these dishes. The breakfasts look amazing and so do the desserts and the mains. I will buy this book when it is published. Love it.

Lots of nice tasty recipes. I like the way he takes a western dish and gives it an Indian twist. For example Salmon Coulibiac with a Cafreal Sauce - the sauce is Goan with spices and vinegar.

Nicely photographed as well and each recipe has a short (or long) intro setting the scene and providing background for the inspiration for the recipe. I’d be interested in seeing a hard copy of the book as I found it didn’t display well in the NetGalley app.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.