Customer Reviews
Gascony & Languedoc Canal & Food Odyssey - By: Tony Mortlock, 11 Sep 2008 
Having spent numerous holidaysin the Languedoc, I really enjoyed this series. The food, the commentary, the scenery & the filming were all excellent.
There were occasional points where the sequence of places visited got slightly out of sequence, & it was a pity we kept on having to return to the same canal side kitchen, for several of the cooking shots, even though the barge had moved on to completely different areas. But this minor issue was more than offset for me, by the detour down the Canal de la Robine to Narbonne.
Hopefully looking at the food on your TV sceen will satisfy you, because eating all of the great dishes that Rick prepared, would certainly add a few inches to the waist line.
Food escapism at its best - By: J. W. Wilkinson, 29 Oct 2007 I can't praise this series enough. When it was first broadcast on BBC Televisionin 2005 I thought it was a very good but after getting the DVD I have to say it is fantastic. I find Rick Stein fascinating particularly as he adds stories or anecdotes about the various dishes that he prepares during the course of his journey from Bordeaux to Marseilles onboard the "Rosa" & the "Anjodi" which incidentally are canal barges. What is also great is thatin his quest to get to Marseilles, he does not forget Brittany which gave him so much inspiration during the early days of his seafood restaurant. You can expect to see Rick indulgingin great food (eelsin cider for example) at truck stops to roadside cafes which highlights the different attitude that the French have for food iein Britain at a truck stop it would be Beans & egg, beans on toast or just....beans!
The food that he prepares during each episode is, as always, wonderful but what stands out is the journey that Rick has through the wonderful South Western French countryside & the people he meets on the way. The whole journey unfolds like a storybook rather than a cookery programme & as indeed the title suggests, it is most certainly an Odyssey & so much better than his previous Seafood Odyssey which took him to various places around the world.
If you want to escape from the hum-drum for a few hours then throw this DVDin the player & relax with a glass of "the red stuff"in one hand & the DVD remote controlin the other as you will want to replay all those glorious bits of food & France again & again!
L'air du temps ... - By: Hiro, 06 Sep 2007 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' & 'Rick Stein & 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, & I did feel the same when,in this programme, he highly praised French cuisine & by contrast slugged off Britain & its food culture a little ... specially this programme was made right after his "Food Heroesin Britain" where he had praised British produce & producers.
However,in real life, we appreciate both French & 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 coffeein 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, & 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 & relaxed - that will remind you of something you have left far behindin 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, & I also promise you that by the time you have seen a couple of episodes, you will feel good about most of thingsin life.
"Purrrrfect"
