Southern Thailand April 2017

Every year our head chefs Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie take trips to Thailand. As well as spending some time in Bangkok - sourcing equipment and ingredients and eating street food - these stints tend to involve getting out to the Thai countryside, where some of Thailand's most exciting and varied dishes can be found.

Below is a gallery with some images from Andy's most recent visit to Phatthalung Province in Southern Thailand, where he spent time cooking with locals at a homestay and visiting the inland saltwater lakes and marshes, where fishing and rice cultivation are still central to village life.

The abundant tray of produce you see in one of the pictures was all picked from the modest homestay garden in just a few minutes.

On the menu at the homestay were classic Southern Thai dishes including: gaeng tai pla (fish innards curry), nahm phrik boo doo (a relish of fermented ocean fish sauce, green mango and chilli) and kai jee-o (thai style omelette), all eaten with the delicious local red rice husk-flecked rice and plenty of fresh vegetables and herbs.