From Amazon.co.uk:
TOAST is Nigel Slater's truly extraordinary story of a childhood remembered through food. Whether relating his mother's ritual burning of the toast, his father's dreaded Boxing Day stew or such culinary highlights of the day as Arctic Roll and Grilled Grapefruit (then considered somehting of a status symbol in Wolverhampton) this remarkable memoir vividly recreates daily life in sixties surburban England. His mother was a chops-and-peas sort of cook, exasperated by the highs and lows of a temperamental AGA, a finicky little son and the asthma that was to prove fatal. His father was a honey-and-crumpets man who could occasionally go off 'crack' like a gun. When Nigel's widowed father takes on a housekeeper with social aspirations and a talent in the kitchen, the following years become a heartbreaking cooking contest for his father's affections. But as he slowly loses the battle, Nigel finds a new outlet for his culinary talents, and we witness the birth of what was to become a lifelong passion for food. Nigel's likes and dislikes, aversions and sweet-toothed weaknesses form a fascinating and amusing backdrop to this incredibly moving and deliciously evocative memoir of childhood, adolescence and sexual awakening.

From Me:
I have to say that this book has left almost not impression on my at all. True, it was about 3 years ago that I read it now, but I never really connected with Nigel Slater's descriptions of his childhood and the food he ate.

I got this book at the Stamford Arms, and enjoyed the comfort of a book about comfort foods this past cold, rainy weekend. It was kind of novel (no pun intended) for me, as I'm not English; but comfort food apparently transcends cultural differences, because I got the spirit of the book without recognizing a single dish or brand. I will be sending this on a controlled release to a friend in the US.

Received "Toast" in the mail from my friend who is in the UK pretending to be British. I would have read it right away, but was caught up in the throes of packing for law school. Luckily, the book made the cut for travel to Cambridge, and I have been carrying it around in my bag ever since, reading bits of it on the plane flight and at various bus stops around the city.

I like reading about food. Perhaps, a little too much. So "Toast" is right up my alley... except that I'm having trouble understanding a lot of it. What is an "Aga"? Flapjacks are salty and chewy? Not to mention all the lovely English-y candy names. I guess it's hard to fully appreciate this book as an American, especially as a second-generation one. Nonetheless, I've been enjoying it, if only for its use of the term "mum."

Don't know yet how I'll release it... will update again when I do.

OK, finally finished reading! Overall, it was all right - it got better as it went along. Again, many of the descriptions of food were a little out there for me (lots of times I was like, "say wha???"), but Slater has interesting, sometimes disgusting, stories from his life.

I'm currently in Houston on a trip, and will be releasing this book out into the Texas wild by leaving it somewhere in a nearby Barnes & Noble (W. Bay Area Blvd).

RELEASE NOTES: