I read Nigel Slater’s toast a couple of years back and really loved it. A wonderfully odd little book about food, sex, and the glories of an Aga Range.
The BBC film is a little glimpse into those bygone days of the 1960s. We see what it’s like to be a foodie in a house where cooking consists of putting unopened tins into a pot of boiling water and letting them rattle around for a bit before opening them.
This was our nine year old hero’s Mum who couldn’t cook, but could do a bit of baking-and she did a nice bit of toast and butter. She was going to teach Nigel how to make mince pie, but then she became ill and died. A friend of Nigel tells him that this is a good thing, as he will grow up to be interesting.
At this point Helena Bonham Carter enters the story as a slightly nuts housekeeper who has the hots for Nigel’s Dad. Unlike the dead departed Mum, the housekeeper is an excellent cook and instantly becomes a rival for young Nigel the budding chef. She also becomes a rival for his father’s affection and the Dad soon enough buys a house in the country so the married housekeeper can move in without causing too much trouble. A few years pass, and Dad and Mrs Potter get married.
Nigel’s budding homosexuality is a fringe element of the story and he has one kiss on screen. There are hints throughout that he finds boys more interesting than girls and the kids at school call him a poof. He seems to take it all in stride since he is an oddball in all respects and being gay is just one more element of difference.
Toast is a bittersweet coming of age story. It was fun and even though most of the best bits from the book didn’t make the cut, I still liked it. All the actors looked great, the sets were very good, and I was left wanting a bite of that giant lemon meringue tart.
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