Nigel Slater

Nigel SlaterOBE(born 9 April 1956)is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster.He has written a column forThe Observer Magazinefor over a decade and is the principal writer for theObserver Food Monthlysupplement. Prior to this, Slater was a food writer forMarie Clairefor five years.
Nigel Slater was born on 9 April 1956,inWolverhampton, then inStaffordshire. He was the younger of two sons born to factory owner Cyril "Tony" Slater and housewife Kathleen Slater (néeGalleymore). This was his father's second marriage. His mother died ofasthmain 1965.In 1971, his father remarried to Dorothy Perrens, dying in 1973.
Slater attended Woodfield Avenue School inPenn, Staffordshire. He moved toWorcestershireas a teenager and attendedThe Chantry SchoolinMartley, where he enjoyed writing essays and was one of only two boys to take cookery as anO-Levelsubject.
Slater stated in his autobiography that he used food to compete with his stepmother for his father's attention.Their biggest battle was overlemon meringue pie– 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 anONDin catering at Worcester Technical College in 1976, and worked in restaurants and hotels across the UK before becoming a food writer forMarie Clairemagazine in 1988.He became known for uncomplicated, comfort food recipes which he presented in early books such asThe 30-Minute Cook(1994) andReal Cooking, as well as his memoir-like columns forThe Observerwhich he began in 1993.
In 1998, Slater hosted theChannel 4seriesNigel Slater's Real Food Show. He returned to TV in 2006 to host the chat/food showA Taste of My LifeforBBC Oneand BBC Two.In 2009, he presented the six-part seriesSimple Supperson BBC One,and a second series the following year.
He appeared as a guest castaway onBBC Radio 4'sDesert Island Discsin June 2005.
In November 2013, he appeared alongside farmerAdam HensononBBC's 'Nigel and Adam's Farm Kitchen', which was set on a working farm in theCotswoldsand covered various aspects of food production and preparation.
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 inThe Sunday Timesas "the sort of ragbag of choice culinary morsels that would pass the time nicely on a train journey".His bookTenderis 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.Tenderis 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 ofToast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger(2003), a moving and award-winning autobiography focused on his love of food, his childhood, his family relationships (his mother died ofasthmawhen he was nine) and his burgeoning homosexuality.Slater has called it "the most intimate memoir that any food person has ever written".Toastwas published in Britain in October 2004and became a best-seller after it was featured on theRichard & Judy Book Club.
As he toldThe 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."
Slater's autobiographical work was adapted into 2010'sToast, starringFreddie Highmoreas the 15-year-old Slater andHelena Bonham Carteras his stepmother. It has been broadcast onBBC One.
In 2018,The Lowrycommissioned a stage adaptation ofToastwritten by Henry Filloux-Bennettand directed by Jonnie Riordanwith Sam Newton as Nigel Slater.After a sell-out run at theWeek 53 Festival, it was announced that it would transfer to theTraverse TheatreatEdinburgh Festival Fringe.
Both productions of the show received rave reviews with critics praising it for its charmand glowing nostalgia.
In 2018, it was announced thatToastwould transfer toThe Other Palacein 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.
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.
In 2003, Slater published his autobiographyToastwhich is based upon his early life; the book spawned both a film and a play to which he has contributed and collaborated.