While Tony Singh, one half of BBC Two's The Incredible Spice Men, has tucked into some of the finest food in the world, for him, fancy fodder is nothing without good people to enjoy it with.

"Food is half of a good meal," explains the Edinburgh-based chef who starred in the cookery series with his pal Cyrus Todiwala.

"[You could have] a basic cheese sandwich or a roast chicken which is a little bit dry, but if you're in the right company, who cares?

"Food is about sharing. You're nurturing the body and the soul if you're with the right people."

In addition to this, food culture for Singh is about being as accessible as possible, which is why his new book Tasty includes plenty of recipes which use common shop-bought condiments like chilli sauce, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and of course, his beloved baked beans.

"I know lots of people view food as fuel, and yeah, it is fuel, but we're fortunate enough to be able to choose what we eat and drink," says Tony, who enjoys breaking the bread with his four children and wife Bechan.

"But not to the extent where it's divisive, you know. When you get foodies who say you can only have foraged this and foraged that... I'll tell you the truth, you can have beans out of a tin! As long as you're cooking, I think that's great."

And if you fancy eating the evidence, here's a great new recipe (this one using frozen peas) from Tony's new book Tasty...

NASI GORENG PATTAYA (Serves 4)

Vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 shallots, finely chopped

1 red Serrano chilli, finely chopped (or 1/2 a regular red chilli)

1tsp garam masala

1tsp vegetable stock powder (I use Marigold bouillon powder)

100g white cabbage, finely sliced and washed

A handful of mushrooms

400g cold cooked rice

100g frozen petit pois

2tbsp chopped coriander

8 eggs

Salt and pepper

Chilli sauce, to serve

Here's how you do it

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute. Add the shallots and chilli and cook for one minute. Add the garam masala, bouillon powder, cabbage and mushrooms. Cover with a lid and cook for two minutes (there should be enough water on the cabbage to steam it so that everything cooks without sticking). Add the rice and keep moving it about til broken up and hot, then stir in the petit pois and leave for one minute. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the coriander. Leave aside while you make the omelettes.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan for the omelettes. In a small bowl, beat two of the eggs very well with a pinch of salt. Add to the pan and swirl it around to make a very thin omelette. When the omelette is almost cooked through, remove and transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining omelette mixture.

Gently reheat the rice mixture over a very low heat, or ideally reheat single portions in a microwave. Add one portion of fried rice to one half of each omelette and carefully fold it over. Slide on to a plate and serve with chilli sauce.

Tasty by Tony Singh is published in hardback by Headline, priced £20. Available now