[close] “Right food, right place, right time. It is my belief—and the point of this book—that this is the best recipe of all. A crab sandwich by the sea on a June afternoon; a slice of roast goose with apple sauce and roast potatoes on Christmas Day; hot sausages and a chunk of roast pumpkin on a frost-sparkling night in November. These are meals whose success relies not on the expertise of the cook but on the more basic premise that this is the food of the moment--something eaten at a time when it is most appropriate, when the ingredients are at their peak of perfection, when the food, the cook and the time of year are at one with each other.”
—Nigel Slater, The Kitchen Diaries

Nigel Slater writes about food in a way that stimulates the imagination, the heart, and the palate all at once. The Kitchen Diaries brings an especially personal ingredient to the mix, letting us glimpse his pantry, tour local farmers' markets with him, and savor even the simplest meals at his table.

Recording twelve months in his culinary life, Slater shares seasonal dishes and the intriguing elements behind them. As someone who celebrates each visit to the cheese shop or butcher, he enthusiastically conveys the brilliant array of choices and encourages his view of food shopping as an adventure rather than a chore. A rainy day in February calls for a hearty stew; summertime finds him feasting on a lunch as simple as baked tomatoes with grated Parmesan. If an exotic mood strikes him, slow-roasted duck with star anise and ginger is in order. In The Kitchen Diaries, Nigel interweaves his meditations on how food should be enjoyed and prepared with his delicious recipes. No matter the season, The Kitchen Diaries offers a year-round invitation to cook and dine with the world's most irresistible lover of food. BACKCOVER: Praise for Nigel Slater

“His writing could not be more palate-cleansing… his acidic riffs put you in mind of Nick Hornby, Martin Amis and Philip Larkin all at the same time.”
—The New York Times

“Nigel is a genius.”
—Jamie Oliver, author of Jamie's Kitchen, The Naked Chef, and Happy Days with the Naked Chef

“unpretentious, delicious”
—Nigella Lawson, author of How to Be a Domestic Goddess

“The recipes sound uniformly delicious, rustic and tasty...but they're also straight forward: easy to follow, easy to cook.”
—Independent on Sunday

“joyous”
—Guardian Weekend

“Slater wants his food, above all, to be uplifting. As a cookbook, The Kitchen Diaries succeeds brilliantly.”
—William Leith, Observer (London)

“it's a collection of scrumptious recipes, somehow written in such a way as to make your mouth genuinely water.”
—Rebecca Seal, Observer (London) [close]