Eating for England cover art

Eating for England

The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table

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Eating for England

By: Nigel Slater
Narrated by: Nigel Slater
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About this listen

Written in a style similar to that of Nigel Slater’s multi-award-winning food memoir ‘Toast’, this is a celebration of the glory, humour, eccentricities and embarrassments that are The British at Table.

The British have a relationship with their food that is unlike that of any other country. Once something that was never discussed in polite company, it is now something with which the nation is obsessed. But are we at last developing a food culture or are we just going through the motions?

‘Eating for England’ is an entertaining, detailed and somewhat tongue-in-cheek observation of the British and their food, their cooking, their eating and how they behave in restaurants, with chapters on – amongst other things – dinner parties, funeral teas, Indian restaurants, dieting and eating whilst under the influence.

Written in Nigel Slater’s trademark readable style, ‘Eating for England’ highlights our idiosyncratic attitude towards the fine art of dining.

©2007 Nigel Slater (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK Cooking Customs & Traditions Europe Food & Wine Gastronomy Great Britain Social Sciences England Tradition

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All stars
Most relevant  
This brilliant stroll through the long lost foods of the English 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's has brought back memories of so many long forgotten foods which I bought as a youngster.
Worth every penny for the nostalgia factor.

BRILLIANT

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so much about old lives foods and well read by author in his own rather humorous style

Funny

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Very enjoyable read throughout, the only criticism is that the ending appears to be cut short?

Like eating your favourite biscuit

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if you're a Nigel Slater fan go for it!
A collection of thoughts mainly but so enjoyable.

Loved it

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wonderful to reminisce in bed. nigel vividly captures the essence of British food, with a double serving of nostalgia.

nostalgic

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It’s Nigel at his charming best. A wonderful dive into the world of what it is to be and English food lover.
Wonderful from start to finish.

Perfectly Nigel.

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Nigel Slater is a greedy guts. There can't be any British foods, sweet or savoury; gourmet or junk; trendy or long forgotten, that he hasn't eaten and (mostly) loved. Here he gives little chapters to all, from faggots to Abbey Crunch biscuits, poached salmon to sherbert lemons, and all the varied occasions on which they might be eaten. In his wise, witty and often waspish style, he delivers an amazingly history of British eating habits over the past 50 years or so. It is very entertaining and nostalgic, and you will soon be scouring the supermarket shelves for some long forgotten treat!

And Scotland, Wales and Ireland ............

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I listen to this book on my very long bus journey to work and I could feel myself absolutely drooling over the wonderful descriptions that Nigel slater uses to describe either his favourite dishes or his parents. My tastebuds were tantalised by the memory of sweets no longer available and his description of the fray bentos steak and kidney pie made me want to rush out and buy one. then again maybe not. An enjoyable listen and a great reminder that eating good food is not a crime but a joy.

Filling

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Working abroad I’m often asked about British food. And why it's 'so bad'. So I bought this book looking for some good things to say about English food. Unfortunately I chose the wrong book to do that.

There are two main problems with this book for me. First, it feels like an apology for English food. After listening to an anecdote about the ritual of unwrapping a chocolate biscuit to get to the ‘treasure’ inside, we’re told that the biscuit itself doesn’t taste great and it’s only really eaten for nostalgic reasons. When the topic turns to the Sunday roast, I become more confident that we'll hear about good English food. But no, we’re told that brussels sprouts smell like fart. OK, maybe they do, but I’m looking for a more positive angle! I gave up hope when it was announced that toast is Britain’s offering to the gastronomic world. Blimey, English food really is bad, I thought.

The second major problem with the book is the structure. Chapters are very short and don’t seem to be in any particular order with topics introduced and then abandoned willy nilly. We’re told that summer food is lighter in England than in other countries. It’s ‘a water colour compared to European gouache’. Interesting, I think. But before I’ve even had time to settle down ready to hear more, it's back to the topic of cheap biscuits from the supermarket or the merits of processed cheese on white bread.

This book is read with enthusiasm and it’s full of nostalgic stories, some of which I could relate to. There are nibbles of interesting information but nothing to really to get your teeth into. Like eating one of my old school dinners, I got to the end but I didn’t enjoy it.

Makes me think English food really is bad

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