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The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater,

Jonathan Lovekin (Photographer)

4.29 · Rating details · 2,270 ratings · 118 reviews

"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 ex ...more

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Hardcover, 416 pages

Published October 19th 2006 by Gotham (first published 2005)

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· 2,270 ratings · 118 reviews

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Sep 04, 2009 Miriam rated it liked it

Shelves: culinary, non-fiction

The title does not lie: this really is a culinary diary and not a cookbook. There is an entry for every day of the year: always food-related but sometimes merely about shopping for food, or what's growing in his garden, or what he bought and ate. Only occasionally are actual recipes spelled out in a way that can be reproduced. More often, a dish is described sufficiently that a reasonably experienced cook could figure out how to make something similar -- if she could find the ingredients.

Fresh,
The title does not lie: this really is a culinary diary and not a cookbook. There is an entry for every day of the year: always food-related but sometimes merely about shopping for food, or what's growing in his garden, or what he bought and ate. Only occasionally are actual recipes spelled out in a way that can be reproduced. More often, a dish is described sufficiently that a reasonably experienced cook could figure out how to make something similar -- if she could find the ingredients.

Fresh, seasonal, high-quality ingredients are key to Slater's culinary philosophy, and if you don't live in England and have plenty of disposable income many of the components probably won't be available, or if you do find them they'll be imported and not fresh. For instance, I've never come across partridge even in the swank import grocer here. However, he does eat mackerel a LOT, so if you're looking for new mackerel ideas I recommend this book.

It was hard not to feel a bit envious of Slater: he seems to have nothing to do but wander about the garden, shop in fancy food stores, and cook. Once he mentions a meeting (at his home) and seems to find it quite tiring. I guess he made a lot writing those food columns! Or perhaps he's retired now; as an American I forget that in some other countries people can still retire without penury.

Or possibly there's all sorts of things going on, work and parties and whatnot, that Slater just doesn't mention. This diary is not intimate in the way the author's earlier Toast, unless you consider admitting lack of self-restraint in eating fresh fruit to be a highly personal confession.

Lastly, a note about the photography. It is again by Jonathan Lovekin, whose work I mentioned liking very much in my review of Plenty. I didn't love it quite as much here, but I don't think that's Lovekin's fault. One, the paper quality was softer and the images didn't come out as sharply. Two, Slater's food is not as colorful as Ottolenghi's. I was impressed at how Lovekin suited his style to the simpler and homier kitchen-garden feel of this book -- many excellent photographers (or writers or artists) and not so flexible.

(Pork belly with cannellini beans) ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Tamara rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Beware: this is possibly the longest review I've ever written of a book I have only skimmed.

Three things I disliked about this book:

1. I had a very hard time convincing myself to “read” a cookbook. I usually skim. But when I skimmed I missed things!
2.I hate it when authors live in much more advanced, metropolitan areas and think that it’s easy to find 10 farmer’s markets “on the way home.” This just makes me jealous.
3. I find it suspect that someone would keep an ingredient such as rhubarb “ Beware: this is possibly the longest review I've ever written of a book I have only skimmed.

Three things I disliked about this book:

1. I had a very hard time convincing myself to “read” a cookbook. I usually skim. But when I skimmed I missed things!
2.I hate it when authors live in much more advanced, metropolitan areas and think that it’s easy to find 10 farmer’s markets “on the way home.” This just makes me jealous.
3. I find it suspect that someone would keep an ingredient such as rhubarb “on hand.”

Despite all of that, each diary entry that began with a description of the sky made my mouth water. (See quotes below.) This man clearly loves food and nature, and can ruminate very eloquently about both. Bravo, Nigel. Bravo.

"A sky as clear and bright as iced water; plum and pear blossom breaking out in the garden; the hot scent of grated ginger coming from the kitchen. If only all days could prick the senses like this one."

"A still, quiet morning, as humid as a Turkish bath. I sit barefoot in the garden, sipping green tea and listening to the sound of church bells."

"Arms red and tingling from the sun and sea air. We have huge, kite-sized pieces of flounder in batter, with lemon and thick fried potatoes, eaten on the beach. Worth the wait, the drive there and the drive back home in the dark with the windows open and the music on too loud."

"Hazy morning, the air silent and heavy. The garden is turning from pink to orange, aflame from midday, when the sun comes over the top of the house and floods the garden with burning light. Montbretia, nasturtiums, Indian Prince marigolds, dahlias, zucchini flowers, hot-eye watering flowers in bright sunlight line the beds. The tomatoes are ripening, a single eggplant is hanging down from the purple-leaved plant in a deep pot on the back steps. The garden is suddenly a vibrant, vulgar, scorching place to eat."

One of the few paragraphs that make beets sound appealing: "Two of us ate the beets and their greens with slices of crumbly goat cheese, hacking off bits of cheese and pushing them on to the still-warm beets with ruby-stained fingers. After the fudgy, chalk-white cheese and sweet, claret roots, we filled up on slices of thick buttered soft white bread…"

Something I very much want to do when I am rich: “One of the reasons I bought this house was because the doors to the small, narrow kitchen opened out on to the garden and when I found them to be rotten, I rejoiced and replaced them with a much wider pair, hanging them on parliament hinges so each door could be pushed flat against the outside walls, giving the effect of kitchen and garden as one. I cook with the doors open on even the wettest day. The smell of spring rain as I chop and stir brings with it a gentle freshness and energy…every plant, tree and bush seems to have woken up this week."
...more

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Dec 31, 2007 Shimelle rated it it was amazing

I read this slowly and surely over 2007 and it has been such a life-altering experience. We live without television, so I couldn't tell you the first thing about Slater being a TV chef. We received Appetite as a gift a few years ago and fell in love with the simplicity of his recipes. Our favourite dish is from that book and it requires three ingredients, yet I guarantee it wouldn't be out of place with a high price tag at a good restaurant. So last year I picked up The Kitchen Diaries as a Chri I read this slowly and surely over 2007 and it has been such a life-altering experience. We live without television, so I couldn't tell you the first thing about Slater being a TV chef. We received Appetite as a gift a few years ago and fell in love with the simplicity of his recipes. Our favourite dish is from that book and it requires three ingredients, yet I guarantee it wouldn't be out of place with a high price tag at a good restaurant. So last year I picked up The Kitchen Diaries as a Christmas gift to my other half, but it was me who fell in love with the idea of a narrative that takes one through a full year of honest, good food.

We are split over this one in our house: I like it because of the diary format, which gives me more information about what the experts look for...but without it feeling like I am being lectured. The boy of the household prefers Slater's recipe-only books because he can flip right to something and make it, no-nonsense. But then, that exemplifies the differences in our personalities. I had to resist the urge to read the whole thing like a novel over a few days, and instead read a little each month to see if he would be right about what beauties I would find at the farmer's market and so forth. Of course he was. Plus the diary format makes it feel like you're getting to know a chef's secrets. And we all like to have a few of our secrets in the kitchen to make our guests ask how on earth we could have made something so lovely.

While I am honestly a bit sad to get to the end of the book...and as a vegetarian, I knew the big finish of a Christmas dinner would not be my favourite part of the book...but I am inspired. This month I started keeping my own notes, and for 2008 I am planning to keep my own kitchen diary as a personal journey. I have to salute the writer here for never boring me with talk of vegetables, but also for letting us all know that even famous chefs have days where they grab bread from the local bakery and make a sandwich with the leftovers. Hurrah for humanity. ...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Sheena Lambert rated it really liked it

Shelves: cookery-books

Another great book by Nigel Slater. This time he cooks his way through the calendar year. As with APPETITE (his other book I own) this book reads as well as any novel, and introduces its recipes like anecdotes. I love being able to refer to the date (or month anyway) I am myself cooking in to see what might be a suitable recipe/shopping list for the day's dinner.
My one gripe with the format of the book, is that Nigel comes across as a little annoying insofar as all he seems to spend his day doin ...more

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Apr 23, 2017 Beth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: food

Seriously one of the best books about food I have ever read. This was a birthday gift - and it was written by someone I'd never heard of. But he eats like I want to eat, and thinks about food the way I think about food.

There are recipes. Some that I will be trying. However, there is a lot of ideas in here. Attitudes towards food, eating, and cooking. A happy relationship.

There are some well planed meals in her but it is a food diary for a year so somedays there is nothing in the fridge, and som ...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Philippa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2010

So many of my foodie friends talked about this book and now I know why. It is quite possibly the best cookbook I've ever read. Inviting, sumptuous, but never prentious, Nigel Slater talks us through a year of meals he cooks and eats, tantalising with delicious details. He eats seasonally, so each month reflects the best of what is naturally available at that time of year, which is the ideal way to cook and enjoy food. As well as recipes, there are just loads of great ideas - things to pull toget ...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Garry rated it really liked it

A lively read. Nigel Simpson writes "recipes" in the style of Elizabeth David. He does not number every little step and he is not always super precise in his measurements - "a good handful," "a glass of," and the like appearing more often than, say, "one and a half teaspoons" -- and employing lively, evocative descriptors like "enthusiastic boil" over traditional cookbookspeak. What is most interesting are the days when he confronts leftovers or seeks inspiration from what is on hand in his hous ...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Anula rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cookbook-chefs-rest-celebs, cookbook-memoir-stories-foodrelated

Nigel proves (not for the first time) that he is as great a storyteller as he is a cook. I could hear his voice and accent in my head, when reading it, as it was probably designed - each day of the diary on it's corresponding day during the year, my year. It allowed me to experience this book in it's fullest potential, and provided some great recipes throughout the year!

I truly enjoyed this sneak peak into Nigel's everyday life. His (almost) everyday account and thoughts about changing seasons, ...more

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Aug 11, 2014 Margaret rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-challenge, food

Very interesting read.

Didn't find any recipes that inspired me, but I very much enjoyed what was, essentially, Nigel's food diary.

Lusciously illustrated and a superb way to while away a few hours.

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Dec 11, 2015 Valerie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction-printed, reviewed, owned-by-me, cookery

I've got a confession to make. I'm in love with Nigel Slater's cooking and his recipes and he could come to my home and be my kitchen slave forever. Needless to say, despite ogling his dishes on the television, I bought his books. Well, I bought two: The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen (2005) and The Kitchen Diaries 2 (2012). Not only are they filled with great recipes but, importantly to me, the text in between the recipes is engagingly descriptive and effortlessly witty.

Nigel Slater is I've got a confession to make. I'm in love with Nigel Slater's cooking and his recipes and he could come to my home and be my kitchen slave forever. Needless to say, despite ogling his dishes on the television, I bought his books. Well, I bought two: The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen (2005) and The Kitchen Diaries 2 (2012). Not only are they filled with great recipes but, importantly to me, the text in between the recipes is engagingly descriptive and effortlessly witty.

Nigel Slater is my kind of cook as his recipes are straight-forward, easy to understand, and generally use ingredients that are either already in our cupboards, fridges and freezers, or readily available to most of us. I suppose I fell in love with Nigel's cookery skills by watching his television programmes. He has such a relaxed way about him, such an ordinary way of speaking to the viewer, such a no-nonsense approach to cooking, that he convinced me absolutely that 'I can do that'. Which actually remains to be seen, of course. His Kitchen Diaries books are like that. They are far more than just recipe books. They are, as they state, diaries. The narrative from the author, Nigel Slater, is almost poetic with descriptions of his garden, the plants, the weather, the shops that he frequents, the produce that he so loves. You can sit and happily read these books as if they were simply delightful novels that paint vivid pictures with words. They are treasures to be cherished. Really.

Extract: "April 17 ... "Could there ever be the perfect day? Maybe not, but today is as close as it gets. Bright sunshine and cool breeze, the scent of wallflowers and narcissus on the air; a farmers' market with sorrel, young pigeons and good rhubarb, and an afternoon so hot and sunny you could fry eggs on the pavement. I gave in and bought my first tomatoes too, a vine or two of the early Campari..." (Slater, N. 2005, 'The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen', London, Fourth Estate, p.123

http://movies-and-books-world.blogspo...

...more

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Feb 29, 2008 Hallie rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, cooking-eating, memoir

Warning: this book will fill you with longing for Nigel or his boyfriend's life. Every single day is documented. After a day spent making homemade flatbread and taramasalata, he writes "In my smug haze of good house-keeping from yesterday's baking session, not to mention my arch disdain for factory produced foods, I fail to notice there is bugger all to eat in the house. At seven-thirty I dash to the corner shop, returning with a can of baked beans, a bag of frozen fries, and some beers." See, n ...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Kelly Deriemaeker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Zeer fijn boek dat me zin gaf om te koken en boerenmarkten te bezoeken zoals Nigel doet. En de seizoenen wat beter te volgen zodat ik eet wat ik op dit moment hoor te eten. Ik ga zeker wat van zijn recepten proberen de komende weken. Inspirerend!

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Dec 23, 2009 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Sarah

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Shana

Shelves: cookbooks, food-writing

I really can't recall the last time I enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed The Kitchen Diaries. I spent most the weekend curled up with it on the couch under a warm blanket, drinking a hot mug of coffee. It's basically the perfect format for me - a combination of diary and cookbook, reflecting on seasonal eating, cooking experiments (both good and bad), and the pleasures (and sometimes shames) of food. After reading through half the year on Saturday, I woke up Sunday morning dreaming of p ...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Rebecca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cookbooks, how-to, food-issues-politics, reviewed, food, biography-memoir-or-diary, favourites

This is such a lovely, atmospheric read- makes you want to run into the kitchen and start cooking ;)

Edit Aug '12- The wonderful news that a second Kitchen Diaries is coming out made me revisit this one, and how I love it. It is such a practical cookbook; there are recipes that you can plan for and impress with, but it is also very useful when you have something 'lying around' (like Nigel often does).... an on the spot decision to make plum crisp, p288, turned out beautifully just last week.

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Jan 29, 2013 Alex rated it it was amazing

OK, so this is essentially a cookery book, but it's so beautifully written as a series of diaries it is much more than this! Fabulous seasonal recipes with delightful notes and commentaries. I know not everyone is a Nigel fan, but I just love his passion for good simple seasonal food, and his evocative style of writing.

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Mar 20, 2012 Zarb rated it really liked it

It's quite self indulgent to record your eating habits over a year and to then publish it all, but if you're Nigel Slater such an exercise just seems genuine. The man knows how to balance a passion for food with the need for practicality. It's not diner party stuff, it's cooking for the everyday, without compromising variety, taste or nourishment.

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Nov 09, 2011 Terri rated it really liked it

Shelves: cooking

A good book for those who like more to their cookbooks than just pictures and recipes.
This does was it says on the tin.
It is a kitchen diary. A good kitchen diary at that, a Nigel Slater kitchen diary, with about 300 recipes and pictures to go along with it.

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Jun 04, 2013 Aoife Lennon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-tallaght-ballyroan, library, non-fiction

I adore Nigel Slater - simple as. I loved the conversational, humourous way this was written: example, describing rice cakes as "polystyrene ceiling tiles!" I have the second volume, but will take a break and read a few other things first. Hugely enjoyable.

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May 25, 2016 Leigh rated it it was amazing

This book is absolutely delicious. I got my copy at the library but it is one that I would like to own since the recipes are broken up into months and can be referred back to depending on what is in season and in abundance. I love books that help to put us back in touch with our food source.

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Dec 07, 2010 Roz Dibley rated it it was amazing

I love Nigel Slater and the way he writes - like all good cookbooks, this is one that can be read whilst sitting in bed thinking about what you would like to cook.

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Jul 02, 2017 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, cook

I picked this up because I thought it might have a favorite quick curry recipe, posted by Luisa Weiss on The Wednesday Chef a while ago. It has that recipe and 1000 others that are quite intriguing. Slater's cooking is generally easy, although going around to the butcher for some lamb is a little bit more difficult in the US. But it's also a little bit unfamiliar, in part due to his creativity perhaps, or pairings and traditions that are British/European. The flavors and use of vegetables from h ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 Ashley rated it really liked it

I loved this volume of the Kitchen Diaries just as much as the first one I read. Slater's perspective on food is one I aspire to, though I doubt I'll ever quite get there since I don't live in one of the largest cities in the world with all the markets, butchers, and cheese shops I could need, along with a productive home garden right out back. But, that's part of the charm of reading his kitchen diaries. They transport you to an idyllic food life, a calm, British, delicious food life that is an ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 False rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography-memoirs-letters, food-drink

It's become more popular recently to write memoirs and recipes woven into a year of a cook-chef, so you are getting seasonal foods (and often local to the author,) along with stories tied into the recipes. I have a friend who always uses Nigel Slater for his evenings at home or celebrations and swears by his recipes. I haven't tested any of them yet. Many are what you would consider "European" in sensibilities (quail, kumquats). The book is beautifully published. It's worth a read if for no othe ...more

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Jan 14, 2019 Ami rated it really liked it

Shelves: cook-books, 2019, must-buy

Absolutely beautiful book that belongs on a shelf in my kitchen. This is one that I want to be able to sit down and read whenever I feel like it, especially for inspiration. The recipes were mouthwatering and I often have the majority of those ingredients on hand. I loved that it had bits of personality sprinkled throughout and that there were entries for almost the entirety of his year as well as the recipes mostly follow seasonal ingredients. My only real aggravation was that the gorgeous phot ...more

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Jan 14, 2018 Lesley Lee rated it it was amazing

I love watching Nigel Slater on TV. Like my other two favourite TV cooks he is not a professional chef. I have Kitchen Diaries 2 and 3 and am part way through the second one. I have received The Christmas Chronicles as a present and have made a start on that too. I have loved this book. The reading is what makes it, the recipes are the icing on the cake. These are books I will go back to many times.

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Oct 21, 2017 Lily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is definitely a step up from "What I Eat in a Day" videos! If I could never read anything besides Nigel Slater describing his food and the weather, I'd be totally content. He's so poetic about cooking, it's inspiring (almost annoying if you're an idiot who struggles with the basics). But yeah, this is amazing. I never thought I'd love reading a cookbook.

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Dec 29, 2017 Karen rated it it was amazing

life saving equipment to help the harassed by reminding of seasonal foods. Recipes wrapped in delicious prose.

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Jul 05, 2018 Fiona rated it it was amazing

Simply exquisite

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Oct 01, 2017 Graeme rated it really liked it

Nigel Slater is a great writer as well as a great cook. I always hear HIS voice reading it (in my head). Good.

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Oct 30, 2016 Curlyfoodie rated it it was amazing

This might be the finest culinary book ever written. Nigel melds a cookbook with a loving meander through the seasons and their produce. You don't want the year to ever end!

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About Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater

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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 earl 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. ...more