A Thousand Feasts, The Number One Sunday Times Best Seller

A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy … a Memoir of Sorts by Nigel Slater is a lyrical, gently reflective book that blurs the lines between memoir, travelogue and food writing. Drawing from years of notebooks and diaries, Slater presents a collection of short, evocative vignettes and observations drawn from his life—mostly in and around the kitchen but also on his travels and in quiet moments of everyday life. 📖 What It’s About: The book celebrates the small pleasures and simple joys that often go unnoticed: a bowl of miso soup for breakfast, a mango eaten in monsoon rain, the scent of newly picked sweet peas, or the sound of water at night in Japan. These scenes—some food-related, others sensory snapshots of place and feeling—are offered with Slater’s warm, observant prose, turning fleeting moments into a kind of meditation on life’s goodness. Rather than a traditional narrative, the book is a memoir “of sorts”: a patchwork of memories, sensations and reflections that together form a poetic tribute to everyday wonder. ✨ Tone and Style: The writing is lyrical, tender and atmospheric, filled with curiosity, humour and a deep appreciation for sensory experience. It has been described as a kind of secular book of hours—a text to dip into for comfort, reflection and rediscovering joy in simple moments. 🌍 Setting and Themes: Slater’s reflections span his kitchen table, gardens, journeys to places like Reykjavik, Japan and Vienna, and the ordinary routines of daily life. The themes centre on presence, mindfulness, the pleasures of food and place, and the ability to find delight in both the remarkable and the mundane.