Live webchat with Nigel Slater, TODAY, Wednesday 12 December, 1pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We're delighted that Nigel Slater is joining us tomorrow lunchtime (Wed 12 December) at 1pm for a live webchat.

Nigel is the author of a collection of bestselling books and presenter of BBC 1's Simple Cooking and has been food columnist for The Observer for 20 years. His award-winning memoir Toast - the Story of a Boy's Hunger won six major awards and is now a BBC film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore.

Nigel's latest book, Kitchen Diaries Volume II, has just been published.

Join Nigel tomorrow at 1pm or post a question in advance on this thread.

I love him. C'est tout!

Erm... where's your big pestle and mortar from? It's beautiful.

Ooh, Nigel Slater. Another big fan of your Brownies here, they are amazing.

Tonight, the children and I have had good old baked potatoes as I've not being feeling very well and I needed an easy dinner that didn't take much thought or stirring. What's your lazy evening dinner for when you're not feeling up to cooking?

Hello Nigel,
Never thought I would be typing that!!

I enjoyed Toast so much, and so much of it chimed with my own childhood, (like the parmesan). Reading Kitchen Diaries feels like sitting chatting at your kitchen table, and is just sheer pleasure and indulgence for me.

Following on from other questions above, who have you worked with who has inspired you?
I know from KD that some of your inspiration comes from ingredients you spot when shopping, so what can those of us who live out in the wilds do to keep our kitchen creativity high?

Very many thanks for all the pleasure and joy your work has given me over the years.

Hi Nigel, did you know that there are whole swathes of people who cannot abide the taste of coriander? It doesn't seem to be a normal dislike of a foodstuff, it appears to taste actually revolting to them; apparently it tastes like soap or metal.

My equivalent is cucumber. To me it tastes rotten, decaying, sour, off.

Are there any foods that you similarly just really cannot eat?

Hooray!

Hi Nigel. I have all your books and refer to them regularly and am currently glued to your program on iplayer . DH does a very good impersonation of you when he cooks .

I'm currently on a soup kick at the moment so my question is: Do you ever go through phases of wanting to eat the same thing EVERY single day for stretches at a time? And (sub-question): What's your favourite soup?

Thanks! Love you!

Oh My Gosh! I am stupid excited about this! First Hugh Grant, now Nigel....'it's like Christmas! Thanks MNHQ

Nigel - I loved the TV film of Toast, more for the family relationships than for the food, as my Dad had a similar situation when his father married a woman who was not a very good stepmum to him, so it really resonated with me.

I just wondered how it was for you after you brought out your memoirs, and how you coped with the publicity.

I thought the casting of the film was great. Did you have any input at all?

Oh I just screamed!

[goes away to compose herself]

Hello Nigel - I've just finished a portion of your prawn noodle soup from Appetite which is one of my all time favourite meals from one of my all time favourite cookbooks!

When I read Toast, I was interested to learn that you spent your teenage years in Knightwick, which is where I grew up in the 1990s. It's a beautiful place, and I wondered whether (notwithstanding the painful memories) you had ever been back to visit?

[deep breath]

Hello Nigel,

Thanks for coming to mumsnet, sorry I won't be there for the live chat.

I have all of your books and have taken to buying Real Cooking for anyone who has got engaged/bought their first house/got married and before I give it to them, going through it and putting bits of paper in my best bits (the chicken curry that you describe as being like a Howard Hodgkins painting is a must for everyone)

Anyhow, since that book was published I have become a vegetarian and although from your books you obviously have a real appreciation of vegetarian food, do you have any plans to do a book for us?

Follow up - for Chiristmas dinner I have husband and I who are vegetarians, six people who have loudly expressed a preference for lamb and another three who want the traditional turkey, what would you do?

[not allowed] Another follow up, tell me about your cats!

Thanks

Lili x

[scream!!]

Forgot to say that I loved the way you rang up the pizza takeaway and thanked them - how lovely of you.

[screams again]

ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Dear Nigel

I find it so hard to relax, but one guaranteed way is to sit back and watch your cookery programmes - I adore them, especially enjoyed the last one. I am also fascinated by your handwriting and gorgeous home.

I live in Spain - my question is, what is the best Spanish meal you have ever made/eaten?

Please carry on with the writing and programmes - I think you are fabulous and you cheer me up.

Hi Nigel.
I love your writing, and currently have 'Eating foe England', on my bedside tale.
I like to try a new stuffing recipe every year, so can I have your favourite please?

Lovely to have you on Mumsnet, Nigel.

I remember trying a recipe of yours from the Observer magazine and emailing you via it to say how much we enjoyed it, and you sent me a personal reply which was lovely and unexpected!

My question isn't so much for myself, but for those who have never cooked a Christmas dinner before and are panicking on the Christmas topic! Do you have any reassuring advice for them?

I would like to hear about your cats too!

Yay!

Dear Nigel,

Your tiramisu style pud with the choc cantucinni biscuits has been made regularly for 10+ yrs in my house. The kids have their own little portions of it and I scoff the rest.

Hi Nigel, I love your writing and even DH will watch you when mostly he just enjoys complaining about what TV chefs are doing to the food they're cooking What is your ultimate comfort food for this cold weather? It's freezing I need to warm us all up from the insides out!

Hi Nigel, another huge fan here. I adore your books and programmes and the recent one on sweets had me in fits of laughter and floods of tears! Simply wonderful.

You have a lovely kitchen garden which seems to be stacked full of herbs. Which herbs do you view as essential for a kitchen garden?

Hi Nigel!

For me, the very best thing about your programmes is your infectious enthusiasm for an experimental dish you haven't tried before. It never feels artificial or 'set up', and is a joy to watch when it all comes together and tastes genuinely good!

My question is - if you could only take 3 basic ingredients to a desert island with you, what would they be?

Thanks so much, and have a lovely Christmas!

Hi Nigel,

Its good to see you on mumsnet!

I would like to bake/make a cake but I don't have a functioning oven at present. Do you have any cake recipes that don't require an oven bake?

Nigel - I'm pleased to say that your cookbooks (particularly Real Cooking) inspired me to cook and convinced me it wasnt that hard - and your Kitchen Diaries book has inspired me to eat seasonally. Your love of food, and appreciation of flavours and creating something truly delicious, shines through in your books.

My question is what's your favourite season and your favourite dish/meal for that season?

Hi Nigel,

Love your books and tv shows and your voice, you are very relaxing to listen to :)

My question is - being vegan, most recipes are really hard to adapt. Why do you think so many chefs make recipes using meat and fish, and hardly any vegetarian, never mind vegan, ones?

Hi Nigel,

I am loving your show on a Friday night which I watch with my 8 year old daughter, Isobel. She is home from school today poorly, but rather chuffed to be able to ask you a question as she is really interested in food and cooking (regularly helping me make curries). So can I cheekily ask 2 questions, 1 from her and 1 from me.

Isobel's question: What is the best thing to cook to make you feel better when you are full of cold?

My question: I have the in-laws for Christmas, they are not 'into' food (sigh) and would happily finish christmas dinner in 10 minutes. Please can you suggest food that can last longer? (I am thinking interesting picky starters - tasty but not spicey otherwise I will be blamed for causing indigestion!!!)

Thank you, the other question I would like to ask 'Can I have your kitchen?'