Feast India - Season 1

Ghanerao is a small town in central Rajasthan, which bursts into life for a classic Hindu wedding. A family of cooks come to town and set up a makeshift kitchen to cater for 500 guests, while everyone waits for the moon. Jaisalmer is a magical sand castle fortress, on the frontier of the Pakistani border, were a family of sweet-makers have been pounding out local delicacies for ten generations, and a camel ride away, the Desert of the Thar makes the perfect stage for a twilight concert of Rajasthani music. The mystical holy city of Pushkar, home of the famous annual Camel Fair, with 50,000 camels taking part in a beauty pageant, a carnival with giant Ferris wheels and male ‘Go Go' girls, and a lake where you can wash away the sins of a lifetime.

The busy bazaars of Jodphur dazzle with vividly clad Rajasthani tribal women haggling for bangles. In contrast, down the quiet back streets of the old city, is the serene coolness of the blue houses. The salt mines of Baap Rin are a stark, silent, white expanse, tended by a handful of workers in the desolate Thar Desert. A Bishnoi village, a long camel cart ride through the desert, is the place to learn about the strength of a community, the importance of water and to take part in a traditional opium ceremony.

The beating heart of Delhi is Old Delhi, where the impressive Moghul architecture looms above the narrow lanes, where delicious Muslim food is served up in an atmosphere of friendly chaos. Unusual delicacies are on offer and the highly pungent labyrinth of one of the largest wholesale spice market in Asia, beckons the soul of a chef. There's a glimpse into the spirit of a compassionate religion, in the communal kitchens of a Sikh temple where enough food is cooked to nourish tens of thousands of pilgrims each day.

On the humid, lush Keralan coast, the famous Chinese fishing nets operate as they have for over 600 years, and the coconut is almost everything. In Kochi , the delicious street food, the anonymous fish and strange vegetables, vie for attention in the local markets. The lively Snake Boat races burst with pride and glorious colour. Cruising the palm fringed backwaters and dining on delicious Indian thalli, gives one a taste of life in a South Indian, island village.

The Malabar Coast is home to essential ingredients in every Indian meal. Black pepper, cardamom, ginger and tea plantations flourish in God's Own Country; the wet, green mountains of the Western Ghats. The daily cardamom auctions, where buyers and sellers converge in a spirited display of commerce, are fast and heady. The history of spice can be seen in the architecture, and the infinite variety of its uses, are both a tonic and an inspiration. Kumily, the town that is the centre for spice production in the South is one of the most fragrant and historically desired places in the world.

The chaos and hum of this great commercial city is seductive. From an early morning session at a ‘laughter club' to herbal remedy shops and famous Muslim sweet stalls. Mumbai, the city that nobody wanted, where famed Dabbawallahs perform the daily ritual of getting thousands of home-cooked meals delivered to the right offices, and make it into the Guinness Book of Records. Not to be confused with the Dhobbiwallahs who seem to wash the clothes of the entire city in a gigantic open laundry. The day ends with a promenade and a feast of snack food enjoyed at the nightly carnival-on-the-sand, at Juhu.

Diwali is India's New Year. It's a five day festival that ends with a bang - literally. Fireworks light up the sky across the length and breadth of Mumbai. Huge quantities of sweets are consumed, colourful lanterns are bought, gifts are exchanged...it's a lot of fun and Barry gets a taste of it all.

Inspired by the people and the food of India, plus a fresh understanding and respect for the balance of spices that make up the myriad flavours he has enjoyed. Barry applies his imaginative touch to a selection of simple, tasty dishes that are deeply Indian at heart.