Includes index

Introduction -- A bowl of soup -- Breaking bread -- Everyday greens -- A chicken in the pot -- Everyday dinners -- Meat feast -- Sometimes, you just want pie -- A slice of tart -- Pudding and other matters -- Five cakes for every day (and four for a special occasion) -- The stillness of cheesecake -- Four chocolate cakes -- The ritual of tea -- Just one more bite before I go

"This is the Nigel Slater bible. The best of the best recipes and food writing and the best memoir writing he has done since Toast. 'A pie is easy to fall in love with. The golden crust, the soft and giving filling, the way the pastry and its contents converge on the plate. Few forkfuls of food are more delicious than the one that marries luscious juices with a pastry crust. I say pastry, but it could just as easily be potato mashed into buttery clouds or sliced like golden coins and arranged like tiles in a roof. And when I say potato, of course, I can also mean mashed pumpkin, a lattice work of grated carrot and parsnip or the spice speckled rice of a biryani.' A Cook's Book is the story of Nigel Slater's life in the kitchen from the first jam tart he made with his mum standing on a chair trying to reach the AGA, through to what he is cooking now. He writes about how his cooking has changed from discovering the trick to whipping cream perfectly, to the best way to roast a chicken. He gives the tales behind the recipes and recalls the first time he ate a baguette in Paris and his first slice of buttercream-topped chocolate cake. These are the favourite recipes Nigel Slater cooks at home every day; the heart and soul of his cooking. Chapters include: the solace of soup, everyday dinners, vegan feasts and a slice of tart. Then there are, of course, the ultimate puddings and cakes with sections on the silence of cheesecake and biscuits, friands and the brownie. This is Nigel Slater at his finest"--Publisher's description