RICHARD COOKE

Writer and broadcaster Richard Cooke went to Macedonia and was taken by surprise. “To be honest, when I found out that Macedonia’s national dish is baked beans, I didn’t have high hopes,” he admits. “But I ate and drank as well as I have in years, most of it locally produced and often served by the person who made it.” He explores this compelling and underrated land of lakes, ancient architecture and complicated history on page 156. “And the beans turned out to be delicious.”