Nigel Slater's Toast

‘Nigel Slater’s Toast’ is a play based on the book ‘Toast – The Story of a Boy’s Hunger’ an account of the childhood and early adolescence of celebrity chef and writer, Nigel Slater.  One would have thought that a chef the calibre of Mr Slater would have had a childhood filled with culinary anecdotes featuring fresh prepared exotic food recipes.  Ironically, Nigel’s homelife typifies the average experience of most children bought up in the 1960s and features such ordinary fare as tinned spaghetti hoops on toast, Dairylea cheese triangles and butterscotch Angel Delight - oh and walnut whips!  This is a nostalgic coming-of-age story of young boy from Wolverhampton told through food and groceries where every product mentioned has an intense memory.

‘Nigel’ himself (Tristan Forrester) narrates the story, inserting himself seamlessly into his memories both joyful and bitter-sweet.  His adult self assumes the part of the gauche nine-year-old and we first see him reading a recipe for Duck a la orange from ‘The Everyday Cookbook’ while baking jam tarts with his mother in their homely kitchen.  Mum (Isabel Forrester) plays the part with nervous efficiency fussing around, dressed in her apron, gently guiding Nigel as he assembles the required utensils for the recipe.  Dad (Jonathan Cooke) comes home from work from the Rover factory, and we have Nigel’s first foray into ‘foreign food’ as his dad hilariously and disastrously attempts to make Spaghetti Bolognese.  Unfortunately, dad realises that all the instructions are in Italian and even Nigel comments the fresh parmesan cheese smells like sick.

So, our voyeuristic peek into the apparently idyllic family life continues with a holiday to Bournemouth and a meal out a restaurant where we witness some of the rules of etiquette that poor Nigel had to endure – no fizzy pop for him just water.    We also see some of the family’s snobbery as Nigel relates to us the food condiments that are acceptable for a middle-class family. – no HP sauce!  We also see some early stirrings of sexual feelings as Nigel becomes enamoured with Josh the gardener - a relationship nipped early in the bud when Nigel’s father catches him taking his top off in front of his son. 

Nigel’s favourite childhood memory is going to the local sweet shop with his best friend Warrel, where they are overwhelmed by the many jars of sugary confections just waiting to be weighed out and sampled. Even then, Nigel’s dad has a bizarre classification of sweets deciding whether they are ‘girls sweets’ or ‘boys sweets.’  This is hilariously explained to the audience in a mastermind type quiz as Nigel fires constant questions at Warrel while projections of sweet packets flash up behind them.  Here we have an undercurrent of homophobia that pervades the show coupled with Nigel desperate attempts to please his father. 

Another foreshadowing is highlighted through references to his mum’s illness illustrated by her constant use of her inhaler.  She is visibly slowing down and finding moving about challenging.  Nigel overhears a whispered conversation in the kitchen between his parents and jumps to the conclusion that his mother is pregnant. 

It is Christmas and Nigel, and his mum, are shopping for all the Christmas food required for the festivities.  Once home, Nigel and mum start to prepare mince pies using her own personal recipe. Nigel goes through all the process finishing with his perfect pies baking in the oven.  Only for mum to chillingly tell him that that is not what happened.  We realise that Nigel has sugar coated this memory as a form of self-protection.  Nigel then shows us what really happened.  Tired and deathly ill, Mum has forgotten to buy the mincemeat for the mince pies.  Nigel flies into a furious rage telling her that he hates her.

From this point Nigel’s memories are tinged with sorrow as ridden with guilt from his mother’s death, he finds his relationship with his father fraught with anxiety like stepping on eggshells.  In one visceral moment of brutality, dad strikes his son, and Nigel cowers foetal like on the floor.

Dad is useless looking after his son and as Nigel sardonically notes the pans are moved so infrequently that they have ‘little silver things under them’.  Inevitably, ‘Aunty Joan’ appears, initially as a pledge obsessed cleaner and eventually as his step-mum.  Now the teenage Nigel has two bullies to contend with making his life a constant misery. His only solace is spying on courting couples in lay-bys while lasciviously licking the fillings out of walnut whips.

Things go from bad to worse as Nigel tries desperately to gain his father’s approval by engaging in ‘food wars’ with Joan as they enter a one upmanship feud over lemon meringue pie and other puddings with Nigel desperately trying to deduce her secret recipes.  

Nigel’s first real break comes from a job in a local restaurant, where the owner Doreen, insists on using only fresh ingredients which fills Nigel with delight.  While working at the restaurant Nigel, meets the owner’s son and his bubbling sexuality comes to the surface again as they share a kiss. We also have one of the most incredible pieces of life theatre I have ever witnessed. Joan tearfully arrives at the restaurant to tell Nigel his father has collapsed and died. Stunned into silence, Nigel chops, prepares and cooks an entire meal. As he concentrates on every little action, he realises that he is finally free from his father’s coercive control and can live his life as he pleases.

Our story concludes with Nigel seeking employment at the restaurant of the renowned Savoy Hotel recounting his mother’s recipe for mince pies as she stands next to him gently encouraging him, and we realise that his story is only just beginning.

The principals were ably supported by the cast doubling up in various roles throughout the story such as Dan Barrett as both Josh and Stuart and Ben Turner (a talented member of the Up Stagers) as Warrel and Sam.  Some cast members were in their debut roles and each member added to the unfolding story interacting with Nigel and other characters.  I especially liked Jane Whitlock as the gentle restaurant owner Doreen inspiring Nigel with her compassion and lack of prejudice and Marie Holmes the cookery teacher Miss A chastising the audience for their dirty minds!

Izzy Forrester as Nigel’s mum was perfect as the middle-class woman as stuck in the 1950s as her dated kitchen.  Real life mum to Tristran, there was a genuine maternal cosy feeling permeating her every action as she fussed endlessly over her darling son.   Her steady deterioration was well done, and we felt her struggle for breath with every movement.  Jonathan Cook as dad was a man on the edge desperate for a more masculine son to follow in his footsteps, he could not handle his son’s obvious homosexuality and taunted him mercilessly unable to give him the love he truly craved.  His pitiful offers of chocolate mini rolls only compounded Nigel’s grief and longing for a father who loved him unconditionally. The moment where he struck his son resulted in a sharp intake of breath from the audience and showed the mask covering his disgust had finally slipped.  His wincing each time that Nigel said ‘fairy drops’ was palpable and highlighted his simmering prejudices and homophobia.  Jo Stone was wonderful as the odious ‘Aunty Joan’ shuffling around the stage puffing a cigarette, her every criticism of Nigel’s mum was a dagger in his heart that she twisted with gleeful relish.

The star of the show was obviously our narrator, Tristan Forrester.  Tristan was incredible in the role switching effortlessly from his nine-year-old self to sulky teenager. I loved the way that Tristan bantered with the other characters smashing the fourth wall to recount his memories warts and all.  His character didn’t shy away from any embarrassing details - especially the ‘dogging’ scene which was recounted with toe-curling authenticity until we felt like a voyeur ourselves.  He eloquently narrated his story with humour and sardonic wit keeping the audience spellbound. You could not hear a pin drop as Tristan effortlessly chopped mushrooms and other ingredients as nonchalantly as if he was in his own home kitchen.  

The set was initially a simple pale green themed 1950s kitchen with period details such as ancient metal pastry cutters and flour caddy containing real flour.  The units were later draped in pink fabric to symbolise the house move and spun around to form the aluminium worktops of the restaurant.  Tables and chairs were used to form restaurants and even a car. Projections were used to form kitchen windows and lists of things that Nigel recounted such as pictures of sweets which would have been a nostalgia trip for many.  Costumes were used well for example, Warral wearing a school uniform, Josh the gardener in a leather jacket and mum in a flowery apron. Nigel himself stayed in the same clothes throughout wearing a simple tunic, his hair in a ponytail, which added to the illusion that Nigel himself was narrating the story as he led you through a journey of his life.

Directed by Shirley Moffat, Nigel Slater’s Toast is a unique production that showcases Nigel’s story with affection without shying away from some of the more uncomfortable aspects.  Well done Horncastle Theatre Company for creating a highly enjoyable piece of theatre - a true feast for the senses featuring the most incredible scene of live cooking - which left the audience hungry for more.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.