The Book

In Eating my Words, Gill Watson takes us on an extraordinary journey of 14 months in the life of a Private Chef.

While cooking for the rich, the famous and the incognito Gill keeps a diary and records the crazy lives of her employers while wondering where her own life is going and what the root of her dissatisfaction is.

Gill is hounded by the financier Peter Soros, fired by Pierce Brosnan and fears for her safety when working in America for a top-secret employer who ‘accidentally’ shot his last chef.

Back in London and working for a supermodel, Gill learns that her brother has been found unconscious on a street in Spain.  She is told his chances of survival are small and so returns to Lancashire to comfort her mother. Over the next week, while they wait by the telephone, Gill and her mum talk about the past; the hard times and the good.

Through these conversations it becomes clear to Gill what she has to do – and it’s not cooking.  So when the supermodel calls to ask, “Why are you not here to make my dinner if your brother is in a coma?  It’s not as if he knows you are there.” Gill no longer has to fear that her reply may cause offense and end her career. Because she no longer cares.

The tale of Gill Watson’s action-packed 18 months as a private chef, cooking for the rich, famous and very badly behaved, is sometimes farce, sometimes tragedy and all the time a foodie’s handbook. Watson’s ballsy and racy style is softened by her humour and self-deprecation and I found her account of catering for ego maniacs more interesting than Anthony Bourdain’s account of the New York restaurant scene.

Prue Leith
Restaurateur, caterer, television presenter/broadcaster and cookery writer.

 

NON FICTION   110,000 words with menus throughout

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11 thoughts on “The Book

    • One more thing. Mental health is also important. A person could have a high IQ and excellent social skills, but if they develop, say, depression and are unable to get the proper treatment, they will still not reach the success they want to in either relationships or careers. Access to affordable mental health treatment and lack of stigma if someone does get treatment are very important.And **no**, it’s not only people with poor social skills and who are on the autism spectrum who are subject to depression or mental illness, no matter that As87rger&#p21e;s is the big bad bugaboo nowdays.

  1. WOW!!!!!! I follow you on facebook, make your recipes and admire the work you do but didn’t know about your past, now I know where you get your guts and determination from. xx

  2. Hello, I am contacting you following your visit to judge our Macmillan Coffee Morning last week at Walshaw House in Nelson, Lancashire. I would like to speak with you in relation to the work you are doing to prevent food waste and helping children and young people. Possibly arranging a meeting with our Prevention team.

  3. Hi there,
    Have recently ‘found’ you via a friend on fb.
    Totally absorbed by all you are and do.
    I am currently working in a new project that sorry to say at the moment unable to disclose too much. What I can say is it is/will be as environmentally sustainable as we can make it, yet providing care for the elderly and vulnerable. We will be employing many local people and the kind of folk we are looking for will be employed with a very different technique than usual.
    We will NOT be looking NVQ’s and such like, but the gift of compassion, empathy and common sense. People who know how it feels to be lonely, lust, desperate and need support and love…….
    Sorry a bit long winded, my passion is taking over……..
    I feel as we live reasonably close we will meet, so wanted to connect x

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