Toast

Toast is the name of a very poignant movie about Nigel Slater's childhood caught me by surprise. Nigel, as many of you already know, is the charming and chatty British food writer and chef whose articles and videos appear in the Guardian and on the BBC with great regularity (I've posted a far share myself).  His cookbook Tender, which was published in the UK several years back made it's US debut last year and was an instant hit with anyone who opened it.

It always seem like he is speaking directly to you when you read his recipes, he is familiar and friendly in a way that is quite unique in cookbook writing.  He also has the ability to make everything sound mouth watering.

But I digress, the movie focuses on his Dickensian childhood and how in the midst of all this tragedy he managed to nurture his love of food.  Certainly not something his mother or step mother were able or willing to help him with.  In many ways it reminded me of my childhood, I started to cook at a very early age as a way of helping out my widowed mother so she would have less to do when she got home from work. Taking the hamburger out of the oven soon became making the chili, as my mother had little to no interest in cooking.  The one advantage I had over Nigel was Graham Kerr who inspired me every afternoon with his show the Galloping Gourmet.

Here is the trailer: