I thoroughly enjoyed reading this memoir by Grace Dent. I recognised Grace from Masterchef but started reading this knowing very little about her as a person. The first part of the book details her childhood and the enjoyment of food for a working class family through the 80s and 90s. The ordinariness of this part of the book was great as I found it so relatable and made me think about my childhood and how so many happy memories involve food.
The second half of the book focuses on Grace's career and her relationship with her aging parents. What is most interesting about her career is that she has made a life from reviewing 'fancy' food but it comes across that the food she enjoys the most is the food we all enjoy for its simple pleasure. No fuss food with no bells and whistles. The relationship with her parents is a theme throughout the memoir and the culmination in that relationship towards the end as her father struggles with dementia and her mother struggles with cancer is heartbreaking.
I must say that I highly recommend this book and I found it so relatable. Grace is a great woman first and foremost and despite the work she does she is very down to earth.
The second half of the book focuses on Grace's career and her relationship with her aging parents. What is most interesting about her career is that she has made a life from reviewing 'fancy' food but it comes across that the food she enjoys the most is the food we all enjoy for its simple pleasure. No fuss food with no bells and whistles. The relationship with her parents is a theme throughout the memoir and the culmination in that relationship towards the end as her father struggles with dementia and her mother struggles with cancer is heartbreaking.
I must say that I highly recommend this book and I found it so relatable. Grace is a great woman first and foremost and despite the work she does she is very down to earth.