I love cooking. I love cookery books. I’m not sure if I love the books or the food more. I’m also a designer and I was trained at the London College of Printing in the twilight years of ‘traditional’ studio practice just prior to Mac & DTP took over. In 1992 when I left, part of the curriculum was given over to print production and book binding.
So when I received a copy of Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries for my birthday I was overjoyed. In fact I received 2 copies; one from my wife and one from my mum. The copy from my mother was duly returned as it served as a gift for my daughter’s physio and the other copy remained at home to be dipped into as and when. After only a few weeks use the bloody thing started to fall apart. It was clear to see that the binding had not been done properly, the spine too thick for the cover it seems. A tweet to 4th Estate, Slater’s publishers, resulted in a quick reply via a dm and the offer of a spanking new copy in either soft or hard back – the choice was mine. A week or so later I received the book via DHL no less and now it sits proudly amongst its peers on the cook book shelf in the kitchen. Thanks to @forthestateuk and @samshone I’m more than a satisfied customer, I’m replete.
