It’s often the simplest of dishes that are the most satisfying in life. A perfectly poached Clarence Court egg with its rich, orange yolk; a delicately grilled Dover sole; a sea-fresh oyster with a little squeeze of lemon… when you’ve got great produce with incredible natural flavours, then you don’t need to mess with it. One of the best plates of food I’ve eaten this year has been a simple pile of jamón Iberico Manuel Maldonado at Pizarro (reviewed in the last issue); it was so good I actually felt a pang of loss when I’d finished. If I hadn’t already sent a team to the ham’s homeland of Extremadura in Spain, then I’d have been on the next plane myself. Which brings me neatly to our feature, see for yourself what this wonderful region has to offer in Gourmet Traveller. Other culinary adventures we’ve embarked on in this issue include trying the delicious ‘shrimp’ of Charleston, USA, experimenting with roses and recreating the flavours of Vietnam and Turkey. We’ve even found time to sail the Med and visit Southeast Asia.

P.S. Don’t forget to vote in our first-ever Reader Awards; first-round voting closes on 4 May 2012. http://foodandtravel.com/awards