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Nigel Slater (born 9 April 1956)
is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for ''
The Observer Magazine
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...
'' for over a decade and is the principal writer for the ''Observer Food Monthly'' supplement. Prior to this, Slater was a food writer for ''
Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...
'' for five years.
Early life
Nigel Slater was born on 9 April 1956,
in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
, then in
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
. He was the youngest of two sons born to factory owner Cyril "Tony" Slater and housewife Kathleen Slater (''née'' Galleymore). This was his father's second marriage. His mother died of
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
in 1965. In 1971, his father remarried to Dorothy Perrens, dying in 1973.
Slater attended Woodfield Avenue School in
Penn, Staffordshire. He moved to
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
as a teenager and attended
Chantry High School where he enjoyed writing essays and was one of only two boys to take cookery as an
O-Level
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
subject.
[Nigel Slater]
University of Wolverhampton, 2011; Retrieved 6 March 2011[I was one of two boys who took cookery O-level at my secondary school]
Times Educational Supplement, 10 October 2003; Retrieved 6 March 2011
Slater claims in his autobiography that he used food to compete with his stepmother for his father's attention.
[Competitive cooking: Why do we bother?]
BBC News, 22 December 2010 Their biggest battle was over
lemon meringue pie
Lemon meringue pie is a dessert pie consisting of a shortened pastry base filled with lemon curd and topped with meringue.
History
Fruit desserts covered with baked meringue were found beginning in the 18th century in France. Menon's ''pomme ...
– his father's favourite. She refused to divulge her recipe, so Slater resorted to subterfuge to turn out his own version. "I'd count the egg-shells in the bin, to see how many eggs she'd used and write them down. I'd come in at different times, when I knew she was making it. I'd just catch her when she was doing some meringue, building up that recipe slowly over a matter of months, if not years."
[
Slater gained an OND in catering at Worcester Technical College in 1976, and worked in restaurants and hotels across the UK before becoming a food writer for '']Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...
'' magazine in 1988.The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' which he began in 1993.
Television and radio
In 1998, Slater hosted the Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
series ''Nigel Slater's Real Food Show''. He returned to TV in 2006 to host the chat/food show ''A Taste of My Life'' for BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
and BBC Two. In 2009, he presented the six-part series ''Simple Suppers'' on BBC One, and a second series the following year.
He appeared as a guest castaway on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...
'' in June 2005.
In November 2013 he appeared alongside farmer Adam Henson
Adam John Lincoln Henson (born 8 January 1966) is an English farmer, author and television presenter.
Family
Henson's grandfather Leslie Henson, was a music hall and musical comedy comedian and actor. His farmer father Joe Henson MBE, on BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's 'Nigel and Adam's Farm Kitchen', which was set on a working farm in the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
and covered various aspects of food production and preparation.
Writing
Slater's book, ''Eating for England: The Delights & Eccentricities of the British at Table'' (Fourth Estate), is devoted to British food and cookery. It was published in October 2007 and was described in ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' as "the sort of ragbag of choice culinary morsels that would pass the time nicely on a train journey".
His book ''Tender'' is the story of his vegetable garden, how it came to be, and what grows in it. The book was published in two volumes; the first is on vegetables, which was released late in 2009 and the second is on fruit, which was released in 2010. ''Tender'' is described as a memoir, a study of fifty of our favourite vegetables, fruits and nuts and a collection of over five hundred recipes.
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
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
when he was nine) and his burgeoning homosexuality. Slater has called it "the most intimate memoir that any food person has ever written".
[Interview with Nigel Slater (page 2)]
AfterElton.com, 10 January 2005 ''Toast'' was published in Britain in October 2004
[Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger by Nigel Slater]
Barnes & Noble and became a best-seller after it was featured on the
Richard & Judy Book Club
''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
.
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
is 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."
Adaptations
Slater's autobiographical work was adapted into 2010's ''
Toast
Toast most commonly refers to:
* Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat
* Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken
Toast may also refer to:
Places
* Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States
Books
* '' ...
'', starring
Freddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' August Rush'' (2007), and ...
as the 15-year-old Slater and
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...
as his stepmother. It has been broadcast on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
.
In 2018,
The Lowry
The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...
commissioned a stage adaptation of ''Toast'' written by Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by Jonnie Riordan with Sam Newton as Nigel Slater. After a sell-out run at the
Week 53 Festival, it was announced that it would transfer to the
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco.
The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary pla ...
at
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
.
Both productions of the show received rave reviews with critics praising it for its charm and glowing nostalgia.
In 2018, it was announced that ''Toast'' would transfer to
The Other Palace
The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre. It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre. It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, w ...
in London, premiering on 9 April 2019. In March 2019, it was announced that Giles Cooper would play the role of Nigel.
In April 2019, it was announced that the show would embark on a UK National Tour in the autumn.
Personal life
Slater has two older brothers, Adrian (born 1944) and John. Slater's parents adopted John, a neighbour's child, before Slater was born.
[ He also has two stepsisters, from whom he is estranged.
Slater lives in the ]Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
area of north London, where he maintains a kitchen garden
The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...
which is often featured in his column. He was open about his homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
in his autobiography ''Toast'' which is based upon his early life; the book spawned both a film and a play to which he has contributed and collaborated.
Publications and broadcasting
Cookbooks
*''The Marie Claire Cookbook'', Hamlyn, (, 1992)
*''Real Fast Food'', Michael Joseph, (, 1992) or Penguin Books, (, 1993)
*''Real Fast Puddings'', Michael Joseph, (, 1992) or Penguin Books, (, 1994)
*''The 30-Minute Cook'', Michael Joseph, (, 1994)
*''Real Good Food'', Fourth Estate (ISBN, 1995)
*''Real Cooking'', Michael Joseph, (, 1997) or Penguin Books (, 1999)
*''Real Food'', Fourth Estate, (, 1998) or (, 2000)
*''Appetite'', Random House of Canada, (, 2000) or Fourth Estate (, 2000)
*''Thirst'', Fourth Estate, (, 2002)
*''The Kitchen Diaries'', Fourth Estate, (, 2005) or Gotham Books, published by Penguin (USA), (), October 2006
*''Tender'', Volume One, Fourth Estate, HarperCollins () (2009)
*''Tender'', Volume Two, Fourth Estate, HarperCollins (2010)
*''The Kitchen Diaries II'', Fourth Estate (2012)
*''eat: The Little Book of Fast Food'', Fourth Estate (2013)
*''A Year of Good Eating: The Kitchen Diaries III'', Fourth Estate () (2015)
*''The Christmas Chronicles'', Fourth Estate (2017)
*''Greenfeast: Spring, Summer,'' Fourth Estate () (2019)
*''Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter,'' Fourth Estate () (2019)
*''A Cook’s Book,'' Fourth Estate () (2021)
Autobiography
*''Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger'', Fourth Estate, (, 2003) or HarperPerennial (, 2004)
*''Eating For England'', Fourth Estate, (, October 2007)[
]
Broadcasting
*''Nigel Slater’s Real Food Show '' (1998) – host and presenter
*''A Taste of My Life '' (2006-2008, 31 episodes) – host and presenter
*''Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers '' (2009) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking '' (2011, 8 episodes) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel Slater: Life is Sweets '' (2012, one-off documentary) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel Slater’s Dish of the Day '' (2012) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel Slater’s Great British Biscuit '' (2013, one-off documentary) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen '' (2013) – co-presenter
*''Nigel Slater: Eating Together ''(2015, 4 episodes) – writer and presenter
*''Nigel Slater's Middle East ''(2018, 3 episodes) - writer and presenter
Honours and awards
*1995 Glenfiddich Cookery Writer of the Year Award
*1995 Glenfiddich Trophy
*1995 Glendfiddich Award for Best Visual Work for ''The Observer''
*1996 Media Personality of the Year Award (Good Food Awards)
*1999 Glenfiddich Award for Best Visual Work for ''Real Food''
*1999 Best Newspaper Cookery Journalist Award
*2000 André Simon Award for Cookbook of the Year for ''Appetite''
*2004 André Simon Award for ''Toast''
*2004 Glenfiddich Food Book of the Year for''Toast''
*2004 British Biography of the Year Award for ''Toast''
*2004 Observer Food Monthly Book of the Year Award for ''Toast''
*2004 WH Smith People's Choice Award for "Toast"
*2006 British Book Award for ''The Kitchen Diaries''
*2007 Specialist Writer of the Year, PPA Awards
*2009 Honorary DLitt from the University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...
*2009 BBC Food Personality of the Year
*2018 Fortnum and Mason
Fortnum & Mason (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport in London and K11 Musea In Hong ...
's Food Book award for ''The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, stories & 100 essential recipes for midwinter''New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
for services to cookery and literature
References
External links
Official siteNigel Slater
5th Estate
Nigel Slater columns and recipes
''The Observer''
Nigel Slater: the interview
''The Observer'', 14 September 2003
*Tamasin Day-Lewi
1998 The Real Cook
Waitrose
Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers
BBC One
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Nigel
1956 births
Living people
People from Wolverhampton
English food writers
English male journalists
English memoirists
James Beard Foundation Award winners
LGBT people from England
British gay writers
English television chefs
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from Staffordshire