Thirst

Bestselling food writer Nigel Slater turns his trademark enthusiasm for the pleasures of eating to the pleasures of drinking fresh juices. Packed full of recipes and advice, he celebrates the pleasures to be gained from the ‘nectar of the gods’.

‘I have always been a slave to juice, that sweet, heady nectar that dribbles from a ripe peach or melon, runs down your chin and drips onto your chest..’ This is a book about the pleasure of juicing. Nigel Slater explains that once you reconcile yourself to cleaning your juicer you’re hooked: the benefits of a glass of fruit and vegetable juice can be felt almost immediately. In this inspiring collection of juicing ideas, he suggests elegant combinations (pear and watercress), comforting old favourites (banana, milk & honey), clean-tasting, revitalising ideas (pineapple mint shake). For Slater, the health benefits – which are clearly explained – are an added bonus, a ‘glorious freebie’. The recipes are all there because they are delicious. Full of advice on what fruit tastes best, he also tells you what goes into the blender instead of the juicer, and whether something tastes better or is more beneficial with the skin on. With his characteristic no-nonsense approach to food, he acknowledges that cleaning the juicer is a pain and that if you come across an ‘obscenely ripe and aromatic peach’ then you shouldn’t think of juicing it. Just eat it. But he will also convince the most ardent sceptics of the joys to be discovered in delicious combinations of fruit and vegetable juices: ‘Thirst’ is a glorious, mouthwatering collection of ideas from the bestselling food writer who revels in the simple pleasures of eating – and drinking.