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Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food [A Cookbook]
Britain's foremost food writer returns with a deliciously simple collection of over 600 ideas for satisfying meals that are quick and easy to get to the table. In this little book of fast food, Nigel Slater presents a wholly enjoyable ode to those times when you just want to eat. Pairing more than 600 ideas for deliciously simple meals with the same elegant prose and delightful photography that captivated fans of Tender, Ripe, and Notes from the Larder, Eat is bursting with recipes that are easy to get to the table, oftentimes in under an a humble fig and ricotta toast; sizzling chorizo with shallots and potatoes; a one-pan Sunday lunch. From quick meals to comfort food, Nigel Slater has crafted a charming, inspired collection of simple food—done well.
838 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2013
301 people are currently reading
683 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Slater
83 books429 followersNigel Slater is a British food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for The Observer Magazine for seventeen years and is the principal writer for the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Prior to this, Slater was food writer for Marie Claire for five years. He also serves as art director for his books.
Although best known for uncomplicated, comfort food recipes presented in early bestselling books such as The 30-Minute Cook and Real Cooking, as well as his engaging, memoir-like columns for The Observer, Slater became known to a wider audience with the publication of Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, a moving and award-winning autobiography focused on his love of food, his childhood, his family relationships (his mother died of asthma when he was nine), and his burgeoning sexuality.
Slater has called it "the most intimate memoir that any food person has ever written". Toast was published in Britain in October 2004 and became a bestseller after it was featured on the Richard and Judy Book Club.
"I think the really interesting bits of my story was growing up with this terribly dominating dad and a mum who I loved to bits but obviously I lost very early on; and then having to fight with the woman who replaced her ... I kind of think that in a way that that was partly what attracted me to working in the food service industry, was that I finally had a family." As he told The Observer, "The last bit of the book is very foody. But that is how it was. Towards the end I finally get rid of these two people in my life I did not like [his father and stepmother, who had been the family's cleaning lady] - and to be honest I was really very jubilant - and thereafter all I wanted to do was cook."
In 1998 Slater hosted the Channel 4 series Nigel Slater's Real Food Show. He returned to TV in 2006 hosting the chat/food show A Taste of My Life for BBC One.
Slater has two elder brothers, Adrian and John. John was the child of a neighbour, and was adopted by Slater's parents before the writer was born.
He lives in the Highbury area of North London, where he maintains a kitchen garden which often features in his column.
Although best known for uncomplicated, comfort food recipes presented in early bestselling books such as The 30-Minute Cook and Real Cooking, as well as his engaging, memoir-like columns for The Observer, Slater became known to a wider audience with the publication of Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, a moving and award-winning autobiography focused on his love of food, his childhood, his family relationships (his mother died of asthma when he was nine), and his burgeoning sexuality.
Slater has called it "the most intimate memoir that any food person has ever written". Toast was published in Britain in October 2004 and became a bestseller after it was featured on the Richard and Judy Book Club.
"I think the really interesting bits of my story was growing up with this terribly dominating dad and a mum who I loved to bits but obviously I lost very early on; and then having to fight with the woman who replaced her ... I kind of think that in a way that that was partly what attracted me to working in the food service industry, was that I finally had a family." As he told The Observer, "The last bit of the book is very foody. But that is how it was. Towards the end I finally get rid of these two people in my life I did not like [his father and stepmother, who had been the family's cleaning lady] - and to be honest I was really very jubilant - and thereafter all I wanted to do was cook."
In 1998 Slater hosted the Channel 4 series Nigel Slater's Real Food Show. He returned to TV in 2006 hosting the chat/food show A Taste of My Life for BBC One.
Slater has two elder brothers, Adrian and John. John was the child of a neighbour, and was adopted by Slater's parents before the writer was born.
He lives in the Highbury area of North London, where he maintains a kitchen garden which often features in his column.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 16, 2015
Post-cooking review:
Nah mate, this is not a good cookbook. Nigel says the recipes are 'inspired by tweets' (which, firstly, sounds like pure wank) - is that a covert way of saying they haven't been properly tested? Because I am a pretty competent cook, but NOTHING from this book has worked the way Nigel says - either recipes are almost inedibly bad or sad, or they need really substantial, base-level altering to work out. For a book that's meant to inspire quick dinners, such unreliable recipes are really not on. And it's extra sad because normally I love Nigel... until he started joining the food writer scramble to churn out a cookbook a year
Original, just received as a present, review:
Nah mate, this is not a good cookbook. Nigel says the recipes are 'inspired by tweets' (which, firstly, sounds like pure wank) - is that a covert way of saying they haven't been properly tested? Because I am a pretty competent cook, but NOTHING from this book has worked the way Nigel says - either recipes are almost inedibly bad or sad, or they need really substantial, base-level altering to work out. For a book that's meant to inspire quick dinners, such unreliable recipes are really not on. And it's extra sad because normally I love Nigel... until he started joining the food writer scramble to churn out a cookbook a year
Original, just received as a present, review:
May 10, 2024
O livro é um bom manancial de receitas rápidas de Nigel Slater. Gostei de tirar ideias para novos cozinhados cá em casa!
August 1, 2014
Okay, so here is the problem. I love food. I love cooking food. But there are times when I want simple, fast, and delicious food because I don't have the energy to cook a 12 ingredient 20 step meal. Fast food and gourmet are words that don't always share the same sentence. So when I see cookbooks like that, written in more than two pages, my brain shuts down. Nigel Slater' Eat is a cookbook that addresses that problem.
Compact. This is how many recipes in the book can be described. I was excited when reading the introduction as Slater announced that some of them were the size of a tweet. Food economy and word economy combine in the page and the result is a book that has tons of suggestions on cooking easy, yet delicious fast (super fast) food.
Eat contains recipes for all moods and situations. You can find an assortment of dishes you can eat in your hand or perhaps to sit down and enjoy in a bowl. Different flavors, textures and ingredients are combined in the creation of speedy recipes.
So I put the book to the test. The recipe I tried was the "Tomato Focaccia". Five ingredients, two paragraphs, tons of flavor, ate it with one hand. Most elaborate part of the dish was cutting the tomatoes. An in a few minutes I had a fragrant sandwich in my hands, which I ate very gladly.
I got this book from NetGalley.
Compact. This is how many recipes in the book can be described. I was excited when reading the introduction as Slater announced that some of them were the size of a tweet. Food economy and word economy combine in the page and the result is a book that has tons of suggestions on cooking easy, yet delicious fast (super fast) food.
Eat contains recipes for all moods and situations. You can find an assortment of dishes you can eat in your hand or perhaps to sit down and enjoy in a bowl. Different flavors, textures and ingredients are combined in the creation of speedy recipes.
So I put the book to the test. The recipe I tried was the "Tomato Focaccia". Five ingredients, two paragraphs, tons of flavor, ate it with one hand. Most elaborate part of the dish was cutting the tomatoes. An in a few minutes I had a fragrant sandwich in my hands, which I ate very gladly.
I got this book from NetGalley.
March 28, 2023
this book is food porn. I just got it as a gift for my birthday and I've already marked five or six recipes that I want to try just in the first part of the book. The recipes are just charming. I can't wait to get coking.
May 19, 2014
Well, Slater definitely loves chorizo...
July 23, 2023
Lovely book! Plenty of good recipes, and lots of good suggestions for alternatives and replacements. Most of the recipes are for 2-4 people which is always handy - I've already made a couple of them and they have been great:)
March 26, 2017
I really liked the simplicity of the recipes in here. Most of them have very few ingredients, which makes the food quick to prepare. Some of the recipes aren't quite as simple as they seem, but I've enjoyed everything I've made in here. I really like how a lot of the recipes suggest tweaks you can make once you get tired of the original.
July 18, 2019
Some more simple, delicious recipes from Nigel Slater. His food is always unapologetically British, but also incredibly tasty.
4/5 stars.
4/5 stars.
September 29, 2014
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was attracted to this cookbook because the description advertised quick and easy meals. I'm a bit of a novice in the kitchen, so 'easy' is definitely what I need. And I always wait until the last minute to cook, so 'quick' was another a big draw for me.
The recipes are nicely organized based on how you cook them (e.g., in the frying pan, on the grill, in the oven, in a wok, etc.). There is also a quick guide to recipes based on the main ingredient at the beginning of the book (e.g., chicken, beef, cod, vegetables, etc.). The back of the book has an alphabetized index based on ingredients. This allows you to look for recipes based on things you may already have (or have a craving for), which is really cool! The ingredients are listed at the top of the recipes, but the amounts are not listed until the instructions. There are also a bunch of really appetizing photos to go with many of the recipes!
The recipes are quite versatile, with quite a few that were not really my style. However, with over 600 options, that wasn't really a problem. There were a number of recipes that I bookmarked for follow-up, with my favorite being the Bacon Boulangere! It's simple (only 3 ingredients!), combines my favorite foods, and doesn't take a lot of work!
The book description for Eat suggests that the recipes might appeal to busy parents and while I agree that they might appeal to the parents, the children might not be a huge fan. At least the children in my life. They tend to be really picky eaters that don't appreciate good food, if that makes any sense. However, the novice cooks and discerning food aficionados the book description also mentioned would definitely love the recipes in this book and that is who I would recommend it for!
I was attracted to this cookbook because the description advertised quick and easy meals. I'm a bit of a novice in the kitchen, so 'easy' is definitely what I need. And I always wait until the last minute to cook, so 'quick' was another a big draw for me.
The recipes are nicely organized based on how you cook them (e.g., in the frying pan, on the grill, in the oven, in a wok, etc.). There is also a quick guide to recipes based on the main ingredient at the beginning of the book (e.g., chicken, beef, cod, vegetables, etc.). The back of the book has an alphabetized index based on ingredients. This allows you to look for recipes based on things you may already have (or have a craving for), which is really cool! The ingredients are listed at the top of the recipes, but the amounts are not listed until the instructions. There are also a bunch of really appetizing photos to go with many of the recipes!
The recipes are quite versatile, with quite a few that were not really my style. However, with over 600 options, that wasn't really a problem. There were a number of recipes that I bookmarked for follow-up, with my favorite being the Bacon Boulangere! It's simple (only 3 ingredients!), combines my favorite foods, and doesn't take a lot of work!
The book description for Eat suggests that the recipes might appeal to busy parents and while I agree that they might appeal to the parents, the children might not be a huge fan. At least the children in my life. They tend to be really picky eaters that don't appreciate good food, if that makes any sense. However, the novice cooks and discerning food aficionados the book description also mentioned would definitely love the recipes in this book and that is who I would recommend it for!
December 9, 2015
Nigel Slater is my absolute favorite food writer, cook, kitchen-gardener and all round food enthusiast. He has a way of waxing lyrical about the simplest of life's culinary pleasures and humblest ingredients, that sets him apart...His writing is passionate and evocative, yet somehow down to earth.
This book may be diminutive in size, but it is really quite beautiful. The text, cover design & photography (which Slater art directs himself) are utterly gorgeous- but it's the philosophy of the book that really won my heart. It's a book of dinner inspirations rather than strict recipes, of making the mundane and every-day, just a little bit more special. All you need are a few fresh ingredients (often only four of five) and the most basic of equipment. This wonderful book will sit on my desk at work, where I hope a quick browse can encourage me to create my own little bit of deliciousness, when I need a spot of inspiration...
This book may be diminutive in size, but it is really quite beautiful. The text, cover design & photography (which Slater art directs himself) are utterly gorgeous- but it's the philosophy of the book that really won my heart. It's a book of dinner inspirations rather than strict recipes, of making the mundane and every-day, just a little bit more special. All you need are a few fresh ingredients (often only four of five) and the most basic of equipment. This wonderful book will sit on my desk at work, where I hope a quick browse can encourage me to create my own little bit of deliciousness, when I need a spot of inspiration...
December 6, 2017
I have an old paperback of the Nigel Slater book, Real Fast Food, (and a couple of others) and love its simplicity and wealth of ideas (and lack of illustrations). This new one was, I thought, not quite as good, being a little more 'style over substance' with lots of white space and perhaps less actual content. Some of the recipes are not what I would call 'fast', such as stews and slow roast meat dishes etc so not sure the title is quite right for this collection. Nevertheless I did find some great ideas which I've bookmarked and look forward to trying.
Review of an advance digital copy from the publisher.
Review of an advance digital copy from the publisher.
May 25, 2014
I've been a fan Nigel Slater for a while now. I believe he is more practical with his instructions and less of a pedant which is very welcome in a field dominant by pedants. This book is an extension of first, but is still able to hold on its own. The recipes are eclectic and drawn from different cultures and cuisines. They are easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available in the market. A handy investment if you are a novice or have early level interest in cooking.
August 2, 2015
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley on behalf of the publishers
a simply presented cook book full of amazing dishes & delicious deserts
a simply presented cook book full of amazing dishes & delicious deserts
October 5, 2022
I like Nigel Slater we hail from the same neck of the woods around the same time, and I quite liked this smallish chunky book with around 400 recipes in it. However I have to confess some of the ingredients I hadn't heard of such as bresaola, coppa, speck, judion beans, labne, morcilla, provolone cheese, ras en hanout and umeboshi plums, they don't stock them in my local co-op. If I've not been able to guess what they are from the recipe then I don't know with what to substitute. So I came to the conclusion that although the recipes looked nice and didn't need 21 ingredients to make a beefburger (see Tom Kerridge book), they clearly don't seem relevant to oinks like me!
Nigel did on the odd occasion suggest an alternative for the odd ingredient for instance for umeboshi plums you could just use ordinary plums, but then I do know what a plum looks like so I could have made a wild guess there!
So on the whole not a good book for me, but I have gone out and brought some butterbeans, black beans and chickpeas to cook some of the recipes which I liked the look of. Maybe this midlander girl can manage the ones with the more known ingredients!
Nigel did on the odd occasion suggest an alternative for the odd ingredient for instance for umeboshi plums you could just use ordinary plums, but then I do know what a plum looks like so I could have made a wild guess there!
So on the whole not a good book for me, but I have gone out and brought some butterbeans, black beans and chickpeas to cook some of the recipes which I liked the look of. Maybe this midlander girl can manage the ones with the more known ingredients!
October 3, 2024
This is the type of cookbook that makes you excited to try new foods and flavor combinations. It is NOT the type of cookbook that busy parents can use to put a meal on the table.
These are recipes written in a conversational style that omits important facts like the temperature to use on the stovetop or the length of time in the oven. It's more "a little of this, little of that and cook 'til it looks right." Most recipes serve one or two, and I envision this being the type of book that would work well for someone who is cooking for themselves.
I made the risotto which resulted in undercooked rice. I cooked for the recommended 20 minutes, but the recipe was silent on the temperature needed so maybe my medium heat was too low. I also made the potatoes with spices and spinach and discovered that even if you double the potatoes, you don't need to double the spices. Whoa was that spicy but totally user error for that one.
Overall, a book I would recommend for adventurous eaters who enjoy cooking.
These are recipes written in a conversational style that omits important facts like the temperature to use on the stovetop or the length of time in the oven. It's more "a little of this, little of that and cook 'til it looks right." Most recipes serve one or two, and I envision this being the type of book that would work well for someone who is cooking for themselves.
I made the risotto which resulted in undercooked rice. I cooked for the recommended 20 minutes, but the recipe was silent on the temperature needed so maybe my medium heat was too low. I also made the potatoes with spices and spinach and discovered that even if you double the potatoes, you don't need to double the spices. Whoa was that spicy but totally user error for that one.
Overall, a book I would recommend for adventurous eaters who enjoy cooking.
March 2, 2022
I would no doubt eat everything in this book if it were set in front of me, but I probably won’t make many of the recipes. I’m lacking potatoes, or I would try this one for supper tonight:
James’s Potato Tortilla egg, potato, shallot Cut an unpeeled medium to large potato into very, very small dice—a brunoise, as they say in cheffy circles. Melt a thick slice of butter in a small, shallow 6-inch (15cm) pan. Add the potatoes and cook till soft and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Add a large shallot, peeled and very, very finely sliced, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Beat an egg with seasoning, then pour it over the onion and potato. Cook for about 3 minutes, until it puffs up around the edges, then finish cooking it under a hot broiler, leaving it liquid in the center.
…But I think it would seriously need cheese. And now I’m hungry.
Great index. Recommended.
James’s Potato Tortilla egg, potato, shallot Cut an unpeeled medium to large potato into very, very small dice—a brunoise, as they say in cheffy circles. Melt a thick slice of butter in a small, shallow 6-inch (15cm) pan. Add the potatoes and cook till soft and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Add a large shallot, peeled and very, very finely sliced, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Beat an egg with seasoning, then pour it over the onion and potato. Cook for about 3 minutes, until it puffs up around the edges, then finish cooking it under a hot broiler, leaving it liquid in the center.
…But I think it would seriously need cheese. And now I’m hungry.
Great index. Recommended.
August 9, 2020
This book is fantastic. Nigel Slater has an instinctive way with food, what goes together, how we want to eat and how to make it quickly. I especially liked the first chapter on 'food to hold in your hands'. I made a pulled pork roll for dinner one night inspired by this and my son couldn't praise it highly enough. If you too have a thirteen year old who usually communicates by grunting, you'll know this is revolutionary stuff.
I originally borrowed this from the library, having stumbled across it on the shelves. I loved it so much I bought a copy. I'm very choosy about cookbooks as they can proliferate, but I'm very glad to have this as an addition to my shelves.
I originally borrowed this from the library, having stumbled across it on the shelves. I loved it so much I bought a copy. I'm very choosy about cookbooks as they can proliferate, but I'm very glad to have this as an addition to my shelves.
January 21, 2024
Very Interesting
I have only recently become familiar with this cook and author by watching his shows on BBC Food. I find his food looks quite good and is relatively easy to make. I love the pictures of the food and the variations of the recipes. I look forward to trying some of these recipes. Spices seem to be the key to tasty food in his recipes and to the food on his TV shows. I have only recently Bern using more spice and can see the difference in some of the dishes I am making, so I am glad I purchased this book and recommend it for anyone interested in simpler, but delicious food.
I have only recently become familiar with this cook and author by watching his shows on BBC Food. I find his food looks quite good and is relatively easy to make. I love the pictures of the food and the variations of the recipes. I look forward to trying some of these recipes. Spices seem to be the key to tasty food in his recipes and to the food on his TV shows. I have only recently Bern using more spice and can see the difference in some of the dishes I am making, so I am glad I purchased this book and recommend it for anyone interested in simpler, but delicious food.
May 13, 2019
Nigel Slater's love of food is contagious and it leaks into every page of this book. The recipes are generally simple and, of things I've made so far, tasty, without too many extraneous or hard to track down ingredients. The recipes aren't always the most dinner-friendly -- a few more "serving suggestion" type comments wouldn't have gone amiss. I pretty much sat down and basically read this book cover to cover like a novel, so honestly I'd say it's worth a look solely for his infectious enthusiasm for uncomplicated food, the actual recipes aside.
December 28, 2018
Probably my most used cookbook. There are recipes I come back to time and time again, ones I have tweaked and adjusted over time and many I am yet to try.
The recipes are simply written, assuming some competence in the kitchen, variations and options are provided.
If I had to live with only one cookbook, this would likely be it, for the sheer number of options alone. Nigel never disappoints.
The recipes are simply written, assuming some competence in the kitchen, variations and options are provided.
If I had to live with only one cookbook, this would likely be it, for the sheer number of options alone. Nigel never disappoints.
November 27, 2018
Many excellent recipes here that are simple to make and the ingredients are easy to source. As a bonus it's beautifully written, it's like you're having a conversation with Nigel about food. The recipes go off on tangents which is both charming and useful.
January 1, 2023
One of my favorite cookbooks of all time. Accessible recipes from classics to bold new global flavors. I’ve been eating and cooking from here since it’s been published when I was in grad school and keep coming back for more.
July 30, 2017
Brief but beautifully written. Actually tried a few recipes which were very simple and only needed a few basic ingredients. What can I say? They tasted great!
January 31, 2018
The bangers and mash recipe in this book has become my go to go sausages. This is why it got a 4. Not a 5 though because I had it from the library and don't feel the need to go and buy it.
March 27, 2019
This little book is full of good recipes! Sometimes you want to eat well but also eat quickly, and this book has the recipes! I want to try so many recipes from this book.
January 7, 2021
Jedna z ulubionych!
Read
February 6, 2021Not rating this book because I only used 1-2 recipes, mainly because of a lack of ingredients and an unwillingness to further crowd an already stuffed spice cabinet. I mean cabinets.
April 4, 2021
Love this little cookbook. Great recipes — fairly simple prep and delicious results. Cider chicken is a favorite.
September 13, 2022
Perfect for lovers of intuitive cooking and food writing.
July 28, 2023
Just the way every recipe is described rather than listed makes each a work of humble, joyful art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews