The last fat, yellow leaves fell off the fig tree this morning, leaving next year's buds at the tip of each grey branch and 40 green fruits that will never ripen. You approach the tree with caution, each piece of stone around its base splattered with potentially lethal squashed figs, hoping for just one edible fruit. But there is no such thing, and the tree that promised so much in May has failed to deliver anything but disappointment. Extract: "April 17 ... "Could there ever be the perfect day? Maybe not, but today is as close as it gets. Bright sunshine and cool breeze, the scent of wallflowers and narcissus on the air; a farmers' market with sorrel, young pigeons and good rhubarb, and an afternoon so hot and sunny you could fry eggs on the pavement. I gave in and bought my first tomatoes too, a vine or two of the early Campari..." (Slater, N. 2005, 'The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen', London, Fourth Estate, p.123 Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the lime zest and set aside to cool. Now stir in the juice and the mascarpone. Scrape into a metal or plastic container and put in the freezer or an ice-cream machine.

Nigel Slater’s new Kitchen Diaries 12 delicious recipes from Nigel Slater’s new Kitchen Diaries

Nigel has written hisweekly column for The Observer newspaper for almost thirty years. Itis his curiosity andfascination for details, his observationsof thesmall, human moments of cooking and eating that are the hallmarkofhis writing. The much-loved essays from his kitchen are photographed each week by Jonathan Lovekin. Shred the kale finely, cook in the melted butter and oil in a shallow pan for three minutes, tossing it gently, then add a little salt and the golden sultanas.Add the almonds, then the cream. You need no salt, because of the salted almonds and the bacon. Leave to bubble briefly, then serve.

Nigel Slater - Nigel Nigel Slater - Nigel

Nigel Slater's Toast, the stage play of his much loved memoir, has been performed at The Lowry in Salford and at the Traverse Theatre at theEdinburgh Fringe in the summer of 2018. Adapted by Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by Jonnie Riordan, it starredGiles Cooperas Nigel. Toast was on stage at The Other Palace Theatre in London before touring the country for six months. Nigel Slater is the author of ten cookery books, a memoir and a collection of essays.His first book was published in 1992. All are still in print. Slater`s evocative prose gives the impression that you are already devouring that strawberry mascarpone tart` Financial Times, Books of the Year. Steam the greens for a minute or two. Drain carefully, then serve with the polenta and more grated parmesan.Don’t skip the resting of the meat in the fridge. Once the lamb is on the grill, try not to move it around. Let the meat form a light crust before you attempt to turn it over, otherwise the kofta may break up. Despite all of that, each diary entry that began with a description of the sky made my mouth water. (See quotes below.) This man clearly loves food and nature, and can ruminate very eloquently about both. Bravo, Nigel. Bravo. Nigel'swriting has won the National Book Awards, the Glenfiddich Trophy, the James Beard Award, The Fortnum and Mason Award,the British Biography of the Year and the André Simon Memorial Prize. Television awards include a Guild of Food Writers’ Award for his BBC1 series Simple Suppers and the BBC Food Personality of the Year. The stage adaptation of Toast by Henry Filloux-Bennett, was itself recipient of a Cameo Award. Nigel is an honorary Master of Letters(MLitt). Hewasawarded an OBE in theNew YearHonours 2020 'for services to cookery and to literature'. Tip the mixture into a gratin dish. Avoid the temptation to smooth the top. Toss the breadcrumbs with the grated Pecorino and scatter over the top. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc.