Nigel Slater.his budget, his kitchen, his food, him, rumble grump

[Minimammoth]

It had to be done. A Nigel Slater thread just to get it off your chest.
Do we really have the time that you have Nige?
Does he ever cook for more than one?

I agree with Fellatio. Nigel's recipes are so easy and involve very few ingredients.

We made the haddock chowder the other day, but did chicken instead of haddock. So ingredients were: chicken, carrot, milk, Swede, potato, turmeric, black pepper and mustard seeds. All stuff we have in the house anyway. (apart from Swede but that's hardly going to break the bank).

We did a chicken and tarragon thing one day too which was equally easy.

We are confident in the kitchen anyway and have no problem substituting ingredients, particularly with more simple recipes.

Seriously? You want the pestle and mortar? Are you going to have it standing about taking up surface space and getting grimy? Or are you going to find some cupboard space for it, having to budge things about and needing enough height for the pestle, which then rattles about when you reach past it? Are you going to leg the heavy thing over to the sink to hand wash it every time you have used it? Leave it upside down on the draining board to dry, with water pooling in the base, and the pestle rolling off onto your foot? Or dry it by hand? Are you going to "style" it on the window sill, making it look really good by getting rid of the jam jar of pens and pencils that was near it, but now you never have a pencil when you want one? [brain explodes that people actually want things like photogenic pestles and mortars]

I use a pestle and mortar almost daily
SUre it's grand

Agree with the minimal and normal ingredients as well. Last night we had chicken thighs in the fridge. I looked up in Appetite - recipe was called "chicken, garlic, herbs".

The sum total of the ingredients was: chicken, garlic (whole and unpeeled), herbs (choice of long list so I used what I had), butter/olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I did one of the variations and added white wine, a splash of cream which we had for strawberries anyway, tarragon and a squeeze of lemon.

Out of interest, Delia's tarragon chicken includes all the above plus sherry vinegar (don't have), creme fraiche (never buy) and 12 whole peeled shallots nightmare. Jamie's has all that again, but also mirepoix, bay leaves, stock, egg yolks, flour and button mushrooms!

I think I would prefer Nigel to tuck in alone rather than have the faux "friends" round for supper a la Nigella. I think Nigel is just rather awkward on TV and doesn't try to ingratiate himself with the viewer as much as others.

This. He doesn't work for me on TV but I love his writing - have loads of his books - he has taught me more about cooking than anyone else.

His tv programmes are a little annoying, but he has done excellent cook books.

I first started cooking on the back of a little 15 minute meal book he did. and his 'Tender' books are great.

It's only in recent times he's strayed from the achievable.

Haha curry I also have a little mortar and pestle and use it most nights so it never gets grimy.

In fact - and this will blow your mind - I'm getting a second bigger one so I can keep the tiny one I have just for pepper since I am constantly washing it and using again. We have gone through three increasingly expensive pepper grinders and I refuse to waste any more money on them when the mortar and pestle does it better every time.

And it just so happens that the one I want, after much research, is both the best for what I need it for, and very photogenic

I haven't really seen his TV stuff but is it subliminally meant to appeal to a cliche of a gay man? You know, the kind that TV producers believe lives/works/eats alone apart from his cat.

In Nigel's books he's always cooking for a mysterious 'eight' or 'six' or talking about how last night 'we' had baked tomatoes and blah di blah for dinner.

I love him. As an introvert who likes cooking, I prefer his 'cook alone, eat alone, enjoy your own company and your food' approach. Those cookery programmes where they have loads of mates coming over (Sophie Dahl and Tom Parker-Bowles, I'm thinking of you) and having such wonderful sociable fun just don't appeal. Not that I get a chance to do much cooking and eating alone these days [glares at DP and DC].

Surely he doesn't really just whip it all up on the spot without planning? Otherwise he'd be dragging a box of Findus Crispy Pancakes out of the freezer like the rest of us.

I'm always very suspicious that he never fully opens his fridge door. Reckon it's got a KFC bucket in there to finish. For supper.

Nigel is definitely my favourite food writer. Ok, the programme is pretentious but it's not rocket science to substitute supermarket ingredients. Anyway, it's deliberate food porn and so it should be. Not exactly sexy to watch him shopping at the supermarket rather the chi chi deli is it? I rarely buy organic or from such a deli - it's a treat when I do especially when generic food costs are rising. I however will make the effort/trip to buy from a Market once a week in addition to a supermarket shop and do possess a cupboard full of the more unusual sauces, spices and pastes. I suspect that the middle ground is where the majority of the public including ourselves lie and we are an extremely foodie family. I completely identify with throwing meals together by instinct or by experimenting. I always find it weird when people are obsessed with sticking to the exact recipe with no imagination to deviate from it. Yes, his tv persona is a bit creepy but I'm still a fan!

I'm feeling inspired to flick through one of his cookery books someone bought me. I don't really do cookery books because of the faff of planning and buying all the stuff and the washing up! Oh the washing up! But I'm going to have a look at his again.

I love him. And I love the fact he thinks about food for ONE PERSON. When I was single, the last thing I wanted was yet more "oh you childless saddo" messages. I love the way Nige will suggest chopping sun-dried tomatoes in oil into your pasta and adding a bit of cheese and hey, there's a fabulous supper. This is a man who likes food.

xiao please linky me you pestle & mortar? Mine's too small, I need a big 'un for making sauce type things.

Oh, and I have a terrific granite pestle and mortar which are much better for crushing spices than a pricy, short-lived electric grinder. I used it last night to smash up cumin and coriander seeds to chuck over some aubergine and chickpeas I was roasting in olive oil with garlic.

Really? You need a pestle and mortar? but it takes ages. What do you use it for?

I do:

Pepper - pepper mill
ginger, chilli, herbs, garlic etc - nice big sharp knife and a chopping board
Curry spices - adorable little spice mill

which of these (or something else) should I be using a pestle and mortar for?

yes curry I do want one just like that. and I would use it.

I think there are strangers things than that in people's possession - plastic flowers and garden gnomes come to mind....

anyway
I like him, he is not rushing around. he gives me a sense of calm and composed. I aspire to being like that so I like watching him. fake or not.

I love him. LOVE. Yes, he is a bit odd on the Telly - although I now feel obliged to watch his programmes so that he has some loyal viewers.

what everyone else has said about appetite, it is the one book that has influenced my cooking above all others. Well, maybe Nigella how to eat although that was a recent-ish addition so doesn't truly count. I have 4 of his cookbooks and would happily have them all if I could justify them. I love reading them. I love his throw it together style. I love his eating alone and indulgently culture. Love love love. And I do actually use them regularly. Unlike sodding JO who uses every pan and lies about how long things take.

mother electric grinders are my pet hate now.

we spent a fortune on different ones because they kept on breaking or the salt ones just corroded.

and I dropped one in the sink half full of yucky oily tomatoey gunk water - there was no way of cleaning it....

curry sorry if it's too weird for you, but really why have anything?
you don't actually need a bed or a tv or a phone....people can live without these things.

I want one because I like it and would find it useful. that's enough reason for me.

Real Fast Food is a brilliant cookbook & my copy is nearly in pieces.

But he just can't 'do' telly. Some people are just not suited to it. Simon Hopkinson wasn't much use on telly but I love everything he has ever written & have never had a failure with any single one of his recipes.

I'm sure it's far harder than any of us realise to cook, talk & be filmed and come over OK.

(Won't show any of you most of the photos ever taken of me )

Allegedly, the pestle and mortar is by John Julian and the one NS has is no longer available.

Leave him alone, I love him!

He's better in the winter though, all cosy and comforting.

thanks for that soup!

it's the ball handle one...it's so beautiful...and expensive

I don't know if I can justify it.

Someone had one made up by a local potter instead.

But it's still less than the £2000 estimate below :o