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Toast
- The Story of a Boy's Hunger
- Narrated by: Nigel Slater
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
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Toast
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Summary
Britain's most popular cook describes his personal culinary odyssey, from dangerous encounters with his mother's weevil-seasoned cakes to being harangued by readers who think he deliberately styles Yorkshire puddings to look like a woman's private parts.
Hilarious, irreverent, and mouthwatering, Toast captures 30 years of British cooking and the recipes that we have grown up with since the days when a grilled grapefruit was the last word in dinner party chic. Everyone has gorged on cake mix, endured disastrous dinner parties, and put up with the loved one who can only ever produce burnt toast. Nigel Slater is no different.
Hair-raising accounts of hotels modeled on Fawlty Towers, the mystery of the disappearing condom and the seafood cocktail, and many more, take readers behind the scenes of British cuisine to reveal the unlikely origins of our foremost cook.
Critic reviews
"[ Toast] achieves a remarkable freshness...and [Nigel Slater] also reveals a gift for doleful, Alan Bennet-like comedy." ( The Guardian)
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What listeners say about Toast
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NMCB
- 07-09-19
Toast is wonderful.
How lovely to be read to by Nigel himself.
His story so endearing, heartbreaking, funny and tasty.
If only there was a way to see this book...
(Oh wait, there is, a play called ‘Nigel Slater’s Toast’ is touring the UK.
Wonderful!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Nicky Armstrong
- 27-06-20
Simply told and frankly honest
Flavoured with the taste of remembered dishes and sweets, I enjoyed every mouthful of Nigel's recounting of his childhood.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-03-22
Irritating
I’m sure the author deliberately speaks with his stroppy teenager voice as the book is about the early years of his life. Unfortunately it’s irritating to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 26-09-19
Memoirs of a foodie's 50s and 60s childhood.
Honest, funny, tragic, reminiscences that will strike a chord with anyone born in 50s UK.
Engagingly read by the author, it finished too soon.
Thank you Nigel
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- T Bromley
- 08-05-23
I think I spat out my coffee more than once!
Another gem of Nigels. I so love his stories of his life. Enthralling, touching, tender and downright funny. This book had a few extras too that I wasn’t expecting but it all made sense in how it formed and shaped his life.
Off to download another book!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Louisa
- 13-12-06
Delicious
Even if you don?t like cooking very much, Slater?s passion for food comes across in every chapter, as does his love for his mother despite her appalling cooking. For some reason I?d got it into my head that the book was about an underprivileged boy who doesn?t have enough to eat ? but it?s not that ? it?s about a yearning for the love and comfort of home. I thoroughly recommend this book whether you like cookery or not. Slater reads the text himself and this is what makes the story so moving.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Kirstine
- 26-12-07
A moving autobiography leavened by humour
I found it difficult to give a star-rating to this book: Nigel Slater's writing and reading of his book merit five stars, however I found his understandable bitterness about his unhappy childhood moving, but also unsettling in that it felt as if I was listening to a patient speaking to a therapist. I hope he found this candid exposure of his feelings and sexual experiences cathartic. I'm glad I've read his Kitchen Diaries book so that I know he has found contentment in his later life. I hope he writes the next part of his autobiography.
His memories of food in the 1950s and 60s made this 50 something chuckle with recognition! The descriptions of his developing interest in good food and acquiring his cooking skills are a pleasure to hear about and give an insight into how his easy-going style of cookery evolved and how genuine his delight in producing enjoyable food for himself and other people.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Buyer
- 10-04-07
Great Book Shame About the Audio
I would have given it a 4/5 but for the muffled audio (even at best quality). The content is brilliant - I am a real Slater fan so this comes as no surprise - but I found it hard to lose myself in his vivid imagery because of the annoyingly bad recording. How frustrating. Still, it is an engaging listen. BTW although a foodie book it's not really about food - if you are looking for one of those he's written plenty of others.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Jason
- 17-09-05
A Real Feast
Nigel Slater's warm and funny autobiography is a real joy. Initally I was worried that the food theme would become waring and annoying. It did not as it acts as punctuation to the events that shaped his young life. At times hilarious and at others very sad Slater is very honest about some events that others would write out of their own life story. Throughly recommended, the only reason I give it 4 stars is because I'm hoping to encourage a sequel.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pete
- 26-04-15
Growing up with food
Autobiographies become interesting when you hear how people have grown up rather than which celebrities they have met. Nigel Slater has produced a remarkable account of his early years which he relates to his memories of particular foods, tastes or smells. A truly enjoyable book.
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1 person found this helpful