A MAN who cooks Thai food from scratch in a vintage 1957 split-screen Citroën H food truck has made it into a Lonely Planet food guide.

Nic Eadie is one of the 80 “most exciting culinary minds on four wheels” from around the world, according to the guide.

His ThaiAngle is one of 12 food trucks from the UK and Ireland in the just-published Around The World In 80 Food Trucks from Lonely Planet Food.

Its researchers travelled the world to source mouthwatering dishes from chefs on the road such as Mother Clucker in London, Misunderstood Heron in Killary in County Galway, Ireland, and The Spotless Leopard in Bristol.

Nic, from Brighton, whose food is “all created from scratch and includes everything from rich Massaman curries to zesty Thai salads”, has contributed his recipe for Pad Thai noodles.

The book shares recipes by chefs from every continent as well as the stories behind their passion projects.

“It’s great to be recognised and for it to be in Lonely Planet, because it was my bible when I first went to Thailand 22 years ago,” said Nic, 43.

He launched ThaiAngle about five years ago as a hobby while he was working full time as a director of a charity supporting people in immigration detention at Gatwick airport.

He said: “It started out as a labour of love and I wasn’t sure it would work.

“But I thought my food was better than other Thai food I’d tried and I went into it with passion to make my food as best I can and share it with the world.”

Nic lives in Saltdean with his wife Helen, a part-time yoga teacher, and their two children aged three and seven.

He can pinpoint the moment he fell in love with Thai food as 8.30am on December 11 1997 on the Khao San Road in Bangkok, where he enjoyed a green curry and a Pad Thai.

“I spent three years teaching English in Thailand and I did a lot more eating than cooking,” he said.

“In Thailand, food is existential to their culture and they eat on the street, where the food is cooked in front of you and you eat it straightaway.

“I loved that. I had never tried Thai food before but it’s the flavours, the colours, the textures and the smells.

“ThaiAngle was a logical choice for Around The World In 80 Food Trucks,” said Karyn Noble, Lonely Planet senior editor.

“Firstly, the food truck scene is really evolving in Brighton so we wanted to acknowledge that, but we also really applaud Nic’s dedication.”

Nic runs a pop-up takeaway from ThaiAngle HQ in Saltdean and is currently based outside the Churchill Shopping Centre in Brighton until the end of April.

During the summer, it travels to festivals around Sussex and will be at the this year’s Glastonbury and Womad music festivals and the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Visit thaiangle.co.uk.

Lonely Planet Food’s Around The World In 80 Food Trucks is out now and costs £14.99.