Book Synopsis:
For years, Nigel Slater has kept notebooks of curiosities and wonderings, penned while at his kitchen table, soaked in a fisherman’s hut in Reykjavik, sitting calmly in a moss garden in Japan or sheltering from a blizzard in a Vienna Konditorei.
These are the small moments, events and happenings that gave pleasure before they disappeared. Miso soup for breakfast, packing a suitcase for a trip and watching a butterfly settle on a carpet, hiding in plain sight. He gives short stories of feasts such as a mango eaten in monsoon rain or a dish of restorative macaroni cheese and homes in on the scent of freshly picked sweet peas and the sound of water breathing at night in Japan.
This funny and sharply observed collection of the good bits of life, often things that pass many of us by, is utter joy from beginning to end.
Out 26th September 2024
My Review:
A Thousand Feasts is a fascinating insight into Nigel’s thoughts and experiences during his time as a professional chef. Through him we visit a range of different countries while he samples a variety of different foods, some of which I hadn’t heard of before reading this book so I enjoyed searching for on the internet. Some of his descriptions were incredibly vivid and I often found my mouth watering as I read, wanting to go out to purchase them immediately. I’m not much of a chef but I found myself getting inspired as I read and wanting to try to cook some of the delicious sounding food as well.
The entries vary in length, with some being just a sentence while others are considerably longer taking up a couple of pages. Each entry gives the reader more of an insight into Nigel’s personality and I often found myself smiling at how much he seems to enjoy the simple pleasure in his life. His appreciation for everything he experiences really shines from the page and it was nice to gradually learn more about his life throughout the book.
If you are a foodie or just someone who like memoirs I think you would love this book. It’s cosy, easy to read format will make it perfect for snuggling up with this Autumn.
Huge thanks to Indie Thinking and 4th Estate Books for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Nigel Slater is the author of a collection of best-selling books and presenter of BBC 1’s Eating Together, Simple Cooking and Dish of the Day. He has been food columnist for The Observer for over twenty years. His books include the classics Appetite and The Kitchen Diaries and the critically acclaimed two volume Tender. His award-winning memoir Toast – the Story of a Boy’s Hunger won six major awards and is now a BBC film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore. His writing has won the National Book Awards, the Glenfiddich Trophy, the André Simon Memorial Prize and the British Biography of the Year. He was the winner of a Guild of Food Writers’ Award for his BBC 1 series Simple Suppers.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
I enjoy reading Nigel’s column in the Observer magazine every Sunday. I especially like the way he uses seasonal produce. Helps me out when I have too many damsons or courgettes from the garden!
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Sounds fascinating!
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