Knives and Spoons
A Chef's Story of Kitchens, Addictions and Mayhem
$31.71
- Paperback
336 pages
- Release Date
14 July 2026
Summary
From working in some of London’s most prestigious restaurants to scrubbing fat from kitchen floors, Alasdair Gill’s life as a chef has been a series of exhilarating highs and harrowing lows. But so too has his private life. Taking readers behind the swinging kitchen doors of London’s dining scene, he shows us the major contradictions in his life, from crossing paths with Anthony Bourdain and preparing dishes for the ultra wealthy to hiding in drug-fuelled kitchen dens and a wake-up call that …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781037401442 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1037401441 |
| Author: | Alasdair Gill |
| Publisher: | Pan Macmillan |
| Imprint: | Macmillan |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 336 |
| Release Date: | 14 July 2026 |
| Weight: | 414g |
| Dimensions: | 26mm x 153mm x 234mm |
| Audience Age: | 18 |
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Critics Review
…dive straight into this tasting menu of bleak, savage and yet wonderfully funny and tender tales of grief, belonging and finding a reason to live. This is a memoir you want to savour, but is so compelling you can’t help but gobble down * Independent *
Gill writes very well. Brilliantly actually. He is better than his father … Knives And Spoons is less about food than addiction, psychological heebie-jeebie … Gill has horrifying personal knowledge of what it is like being on a knife’s edge * Daily Mail *
A vital new voice who speaks so powerfully about addiction – Bryony Gordon
Gill’s funny, eye-opening and lyrical kitchen memoir is a must * Stylist *
Incredibly moving, heartbreaking, savage, vivid, shocking, immediate and of course very funny. It’ll also show all those who love The Bear how to really tear up a kitchen – Camilla Long
Magnificent, powerful, brutally honest and a very funny book … I never wanted it to stop – Jon Spiteri
Restaurant biographies tend to be boring and repetitive … but not in Ali’s account. He gives a proper insight into not only how he has worked, but how he has thought … It has been a privilege to observe him not only succeed in adversity, but thrive. Do learn from him – Jeremy King, Restaurateur
Not only a beautifully written, outrageously funny tale of kitchen excess, but a story of hope, love, cooking and redemption. Brilliant – Tom Parker-Bowles
Tragic, darkly funny and unexpectedly moving … He has also inherited his father’s way with words * The Bookseller *
Alasdair Gill
Alasdair Gill is a chef and writer. His career began in the intense kitchens of London’s most acclaimed restaurants before transitioning to his current role as a private chef. After overcoming addiction and reaching a personal low point, he rebuilt his life, achieving sobriety and rediscovering his love for cooking. He is dedicated to sharing his experiences to support others facing similar challenges.
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