HarperCollins Publishers Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger

Toast is the story of a childhood remembered through food. In each chapter, as Nigel Slater takes us on a tour of the contents of his family's pantry - rice pudding, tinned ham, cream soda, mince pies, lemon drops, bourbon biscuits - we are transported.His mother is a chops-and-peas sort of cook, exasperated by the highs and lows of a temperamental stove, a finicky little son, and the asthma that would prove fatal. His father is a honey-and-crumpets man with an unpredictable temper. When he is widowed, Nigel's father takes on a housekeeper with social aspirations and a talent in the kitchen, and the following years become a heartbreaking cooking contest for his father's affections. As he slowly loses the contest, Nigel finds a new outlet for his culinary gifts and we witness the birth of a lifelong passion for food. Nigel's likes and dislikes, aversions and sweet-toothed weaknesses, form a backdrop to this memoir of childhood, adolescence, and sexual awakening.With a new preface and glossary for American readers, this British bestseller and national award winner is sure to delight foodies and memoir enthusiasts on this side of the pond. 'My mother is scraping a piece of burned toast out of the kitchen window, a crease of annoyance across her forehead. This is not an occasional occurrence. My mother burns the toast as surely as the sun rises each morning.'