Real Cooking

by Nigel Slater

Award winning writer Nigel Slater has gathered together a superb collection of recipes that warm, satisfy and please. "Real Cooking" is not about fancy stocks, sauces and spun sugar baskets, but understanding the little things that can turn a simple supper into something sublime. "This is real cooking. The roast potato that sticks to the roasting tin; the crouton from the salad that has soaked up the mustardy dressing - these are the things that make something worth eating. And worth cooking." - Nigel Slater.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference

Paperback

First published September 4, 1997

About the author

Nigel 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.

Reviews

[Andreas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love Nigel Slater's books, but Real Cooking has been a Real turnoff for me. Sloppy editing such as recipes that were mentioned in chapter introductions but did not appear in the book, and lazy writing. I found the book so irritating that I gave it away - not something I wanted to take up space on my bookshelf! It made me wonder if anyone had proof-read the book before it went to the printers.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though Nigel Slater's writing and recipes are mostly approachable, I also find them too basic for my taste. Some people might need recipes for very basic, everyday cooking, but that's just not what I'm looking for. I don't think I'll read anymore of his books.

[Roberta Chai (Lady with so many stories) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cooking and I believe the recipes in this book really worked. In fact I actually followed and made most things I could make from this book. It did get me all hungry and it got me all experimental. One of the best recipe books so far.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rereading this, which was a souvenir purchased when we took the girls to London way back in the carefree summer of 2001 when air travel was relatively simple. This is the book that introduced me to Nigel Slater who quickly became one of my favorites both for his writing style and lovely simple recipes.

[Katherine Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A christmas present and so far I have made about 4-5 of the dishes. Excellent selection of recipes written up in an engaging style.

One never really reads a good cook book you are gaining a new mate to cook with.

[Sophie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I return to this every time. He is a really good writer, something that can get overlooked now he's on telly. Sensuous, irreverent, funny, real. That must be why all his books in this era were prefaced with that word. And I think he has the soul of a gardener; he likes to get his hands dirty.

[Bittersweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

a well-thumbed and splattered book .. and the hard back version, not paperback, so 10 years old now.

one of my all-time favourite recipes is the Roast Cod with Salsa Verde

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

great recipes and beautiful pictures.

[Anna]

and other titles

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watched a rerun of his tv series the other night and I'm always up for inspiration.

Cooked a couple of things but really I wanted the 30min cook.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Use it constantly.

[Voirrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book - not so much recipes as a chat with Nigel Slater as he describes how he likes to cook, what is good, what he doesn't like. But lots of good ideas for meals, too.

[Steve Clark]

Michael Joseph Ltd (1997)