Nigel Slater....

I managed to buy one of Nigel Slaters cookery books at WH Smith before Christmas at a huge discount. It is called Real Food, and it was reduced from £30 to £7. Bargain ?.
My Partner and I love his recipes as they are what we call good home cooking, and this particular book fits the bill for us. He makes for good TV viewing too.

Tender volume 1, all about vegetables, is one of my most used books. I also use a book of his called Appetite a lot. Love the fact that his recipes are not set in stone, but just a suggested starting point that you can happily add your own touches to.

My copy of his book called '30 minute suppers' or something similar ok ar is collapsing - a testament to the amount of use it gets!!

Someone gave me his Christmas Chronicals for Christmas - lots of recipies but also lots of narrative. It’s good

Bet he never broke anyone's hob

I have just bought a copy of Nigel Slater's Real Food.
At LAST, a cookery book that does not have recipes that have a list of ingredients as long as your arm.

I don't think Nigel has a programme on TV at present, but I did like his Dish of the Day series.

Haven't seen his programmes, I cannot stand cookery programmes. They make cooking look so difficult and I find the kitchens they are set in so offputting. Not sure why.

However Nigel Slater writes in The Observer each Sunday and edits their Food Magazine and he is about the only cookery writer whose articles I actually read rather than just scan the recipes.

I've just looked at the Christmas Chronicles on Amazon.

I want it!!

In order to really appreciate winter rather than shudder at the thought I really ought to be reading it NOW and not wait until Christmas hoping that someone has spotted it on my Wish List.

Is this an excuse for a self indulgent purchase?

merlotgran I see you already mentioned the tv adaptation of Toast
memo to self: read the thread

My dad used to drink the cabbage water! We had steamed cabbage with leeks this evening (no cooking water to be drunk)

Wasn't there a drama about Nigel Slater's life on tv based on his book some while ago?

I love listening to him and watching him but haven't tried his recipes. Perhaps I should

durhamjen count your blessing, I was forced to drink cabbage water ???

I'm not aware that there is a new series. Perhaps I've missed something? He has got a new book out, though, the Christmas Chronicles, which I am enjoying reading in the run up to Christmas.

I love Nigel too

Both my mother and mother in law used to boilr their cabbage to death, along with any other vegetables. The water was probably more nutritious and tasty, but they used to throw that away.

Boilrd cabbage sounds like something DH's Isle of Wight landlady would have produced along with her batterrrrred puddings.

Can someone tell me when his new series is please? I've missed that.

Sorry, boiled cabbage. Boilrd might smell better.

They are doing a play based on Toast next year, starting in Manchester.
They will be passing around bread and butter pudding, and the auditorium will smell of boilrd cabbage.

alima

No here is his trifle that I make.

Strawberry and poppyseed trifle - serves 8
For the cake - for a lesser occasion I buy a sponge
Butter 225g
Golden caster sugar 225g
Orange - grated zest of 1
Lemon - grated zest of 1
Plain flour 110g
Baking powder generous1/2 tsp
ground almonds 115g
Eggs 4
Poppy seeds

For the syrup
Water 250ml
Caster sugar 50g
Ginger 40g fresh
Lemon - juice of 1/2
Strawberries 250g mixed

For the cream

Mascarpone 500g
Eggs -3 separated
Caster sugar 3 tablespoons
Vanilla extract - a few drops

For the decoration

Mixed berries 500g
Double cream 250ml

Method

You will need a cake tin 22cm x 12cm lined
Oven 180/ mark 4
Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy in a mixer, then stir in the citrus zest’s. Sieve together the for and baking powder, then stir in the almonds.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly. With the beater at moderate speed, add the egg a little at a time to the butter and sugar. Then add the flour mixture until the batter is thick and creamy fall
Add the poppy seeds.
Transfer the mixture not the tin and bake for 40-50 mins
Cool
Make the syrup
Put the water and sugar into a saucepan to warm until the sugar has dissolved aand then add the ginger in “ pennies” . Pour in the lemon juice and set aside to infuse
When the cake is cool cut into thick slices and Paul cianto the base of and attractive glass bowl(my words ?
Pour over the syrup (I occasionally add some booze at this stage ) holding back the ginger.
Lice the strawberries and scatter them with the raspberries over the sponge.
Mix the mascarpone, egg yolks and sugar and beat until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla extract.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until almost stiff and fold into the mascarpone mixture spoon over fruit.
Cover the dish and refrigerate for and hour.
Purée 1/2 the mixed fruit. Sieve our seeds if you want. Whip the cream until thick, smooth over trifle leaving peaks and troughs for the purée to settle in. De
N orate with remaining fruit.
Chill for an hour before serving

Voila! What it disappear

I loved the TV adaptation of Toast. I wish they'd repeat it.

I didn't realise he was on TV again - one of the few TV chefs I really like.

I enjoy watching his programmes but can't seem to make his recipes work -
should be OK with trifle though! I remember watching him dipping new potatoes into the middle of a hot Camembert cheese (just using his fingers) and popping them into his mouth. Ooh! I want some now.

Excuse me Shirley. Whitewave, have found his mincemeat one and a lemon one. Both sound lovely, is yours one of those?

If you can’t find it alima let me know and I’ll post the recipe.