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Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table
 
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Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table (Hardcover)

by Nigel Slater (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table + Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger + The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen
Price For All Three: £28.07

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd (1 Oct 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007199465
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007199464
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 14.2 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #7 in  Books > Food & Drink > Food Writers > Nigel Slater
    #10 in  Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Social & Urban History
    #31 in  Books > Biography > Historical > Social & Urban History

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk
How long does it take before somebody becomes a national treasure? It’s certainly happened to Nigel Slater, and Eating for England is a highly enjoyable reminder of just why we esteem the estimable Mr Slater. Subtitled The Delights & Eccentricities of the British at Table, this is wonderfully entertaining stuff, explaining such matters as how some of our most cherished foods are the result of frugality (bread and butter pudding, for instance, is the direct result of utilising a few slices of leftover bread and a pat of butter, rather than culinary aspiration). As Slater points out, the British have a relationship with food which is quite unlike that of any other nation -- for many years, we were reluctant to discuss food matters (leaving culinary discussion to, for instance, the French), but we now appear to be in the grip of a national food obsession, with program after program on television and -- inevitably -- a host of books on the subject. But few are written as entertainingly as Nigel Slater’s. It isn't just the discussion of food itself (from haute cuisine to the humblest of comfort foods) that’s so diverting here, but other sociological (and tongue-in-cheek) related matters, such as ‘A Teenager at the Table’ (‘The shoulders droop, the head hangs sulkily down, eyes glaring intently at an invisible spot on their lap. Their whole body seems to say ‘I'm not eating this’). And Nigel Slater is perfectly happy to address subjects not found in any other food books (such as the modest chocolate bar -- different varieties are entertainingly compared and contrasted).

This is a personal portrait of the British and their food, filled with love of the eccentricities and peculiarities that encapsulate the national character. And it's great fun. --Barry Forshaw

Review
Praise for 'Toast': 'Everyone who loves good food warms to Nigel Slater's rich descriptive writing, but this touching memoir proves he's more than a cookery writer. Its emotional impact will strike a chord with many.' The Sunday Mirror 'Proves he can write mouth-wateringly about families and life, too: I gobbled it up.' Daily Telegraph Books of the Year 'It should come as no surprise that Slater's autobiography connects emotions, memory and taste buds. The genius of his food writing comes from an obvious belief that food and happiness share the same organ in the brain.' Lynne Truss, Sunday Times 'Toast is England's answer to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.' Daily Telegraph '[A] coming-of-appetite story.' Time Out 'Proves that Slater can write well about anything.' Joanna Blythman, Scottish Sunday Herald 'Food was the boy, is the man!It is his very ordinariness, the commonness of [his] story, that makes this wonderful, precise autobiographical journey so extraordinary.' Matthew Fort, Observer

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table
72% buy the item featured on this page:
Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table 3.3 out of 5 stars (26)
£11.04
The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen
11% buy
The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen 4.4 out of 5 stars (46)
£11.04
Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger
9% buy
Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger 4.3 out of 5 stars (43)
£5.99
Real Cooking
4% buy
Real Cooking 4.9 out of 5 stars (14)
£7.44

 

Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Liked it for what it is, 2 May 2008
By Randy F. (Wragford) - See all my reviews
Most of you, if you're cookbook collectors, know by now that you rarely get a straight-through cookbook. Rather, it's usually a melange of "where this recipe came from" coupled with some history and/or the author's comments. Such, even more so, is the case with EATING FOR ENGLAND.

This is really not so much a cookbook as a reminiscence and "thoughts" about cooking and England. I was immediately reminded of the novel "Barring Some Unforeseen Accident" in that the author incorporates an actual cookbook within the novel (not anything you're going to want to make, by the way). The way that author pokes fun at cookbooks and their "makers" is very funny, and if you've read enough of these, you'll see what I mean.

My only real complaint with the book is that if you're under thirty, you might not remember or warm to some of the recipes and rembrances that are in this wonderful read. Other than that, have at it.

One thing is for certain, Nigel Slater is passionate about food--and England--and this makes for a very entertaining read. If you're English, you'll understand ninety percent of this book. If you're not, you'll get an education. Either way, the fodder inside is as tasty as the cover looks. I would also recommend any of Delia's books, or FRUGAL FOOD for those looking to save a bit or two.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Pontefract Cakes, Cadbury's and other British Heroes, 13 Mar 2008
By Lucy M "lucy" (yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviews
My only gripe with this book is, as others have mentioned, the repetition. Whether this was purposeful on Nigel Slater's part, or something overlooked in a swift editing process, I don't know - nor do I care, very much, because the repetition didn't stop me loving "Eating For England".

Like "Toast", reading this often felt much like sitting down with Nigel over a cup of tea and discussing foodie memories that, despite our age gap, we both shared.

You can rave about organic roast beef and coeliac-friendly fish and chips all you like - in "Eating for England", Nigel paints an honest picture of the majority of Britain's tastes. To sum that up, I think there is no better way to put it than in Nigel's own words:

" ... while the French almost called a national strike over any suggestion of using pasteurised milk in their cheese, the Spanish all but went to war to protect their fishing, and Italy gave its Parmesan cheese internationally protected status, we British only truly went into meltdown over the repackaging of the KitKat ... "
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88 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Delights, 7 Oct 2007
By Snapdragon (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This book isn't quite what I was expecting. Rather than a narrative, it is written as a series of musings and snapshots of typically British foods, ways of eating, British eccentricities and Slater's own memories of certain foods.

It includes all the foods you'd expect (Marmite, Coleman's mustard, Abbey Crunch Biscuits et al) but also some more unusual but very English things such as the appeal of Fray Bentos pies; Churches at Harvest Festival and the lovely clunking noise that Quality Street toffees make when they hit the roof of your mouth.

What is lovely about this book, apart from the quality of the writing, is the complete absence of food snobbery. Slater seems to get as much joy from Dairylea triangles as he does from aged Parmesan. I also love the way he admits to sneaking a look inside other people's trolleys at the supermarket and his thoughts about 'food fascists'. Here is an example from his piece on treacle tart:

'Those irritating harridans on television who persist in telling us how to dress, think and of course eat would no doubt rather die than tuck into a slice of this golden sugary pie. Which is why they are no fun. Leave them to their mung beans. That way there will be more treacle tart left for us.'

Hear, hear!

It strikes me that Nigel Slater would be the perfect dinner guest and this book is the perfect read whilst you're waiting for your egg to boil.

Enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars love Nigel
I loved this book from page 1. The way Nigel Slater writes his books are so expressive, and the pages just grab you and bring you into his world with all of the colours and smells... Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. Wainwright

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring. *YAWN*
"Toast" was charming, poignant and often funny.

This one is tedious, devoid of personality and should more properly be called "Whining About The Food That We Don't... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Richard K. Edwards

3.0 out of 5 stars Pick n' Mix
"Eating for England" is a Pick n' Mix of a book. Read it all in one go and it gets repetitive and downright indigestible. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Secret Spi

3.0 out of 5 stars You'd have to be a Nigel ...
... to write this. Or a Jeremy. Or possibly a Terence. But maybe we all have anorak-y tendencies when it comes to name-checking the fondly remembered foods of our 1950s and 60s... Read more
Published 7 months ago by booksetc

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing mess of a book
"Eating For England" is re-heated "Toast". Disappointingly, Slater has produced a clunker here, and where Toast worked because he linked food memories to his own childhood, this... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jl Adcock

2.0 out of 5 stars All puddings are English. Nigel is a pudding. Therefore Nigel, regrettably, is English.
Eating for England - The Delights and Eccentricities of the BRITISH at Table? I skimmed this book before delivering it to one of my numbskull relatives as a birthday present... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Angeln

3.0 out of 5 stars farmer's market propaganda
I must say there were many times where I laughed out loud or smiled in relation to many things I do or eat and how they are quintessentially British. Read more
Published 8 months ago by B. S. HARPER

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely promise but....
I had looked forward to this for some time. I have been a fan on NS on TV since he first appeared. I like his style, his taste and his appreach to food. Read more
Published 12 months ago by SuzyP

2.0 out of 5 stars I feel I've read it all before
Nigel Slater is my favourite cookery writer, but this was a disappointment. I loved Toast but this book seems to be made up of its leftovers. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. R. F. W. Freeman

3.0 out of 5 stars British food repeating on you...
I thoroughly enjoyed "Toast" and expected similar wit & eloquence in "Eating for England",describing everyday foodstuffs,with a touch of nostalgia thrown in for good measure... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Freckles

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