Product Description

He was the first celebrity chef, the swashbuckling cook who crossed the high seas, on a BBC budget, communicating his love of food to millions of viewers. Make a wonderful dish and have a bloody good time: that was the criteria of Keith Floyd's mission (a mission that lasted several decades). Along the way he inspired a generation of men to get into the kitchen.

After starting out in a hotel kitchen in Bristol, he made and lost fortunes, was married four times, and dealt with a level of fame that bemused him. Now, in his honest and revealing memoir, completed just before he died, Keith reflects on the ups and downs of his career. Above all, the much loved, often copied, Keith Floyd whooshes the reader through his adventures, from the hilarious to the downright lunatic.

As irrepressible, funny and charming as Keith himself, Stirred But Not Shaken is a must-read for anyone who loves life, food, women . . . and a quick slurp.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
'Something that makes a good memoir is a sense of a life lived with gusto. Athill has it. So too does Keith Floyd, the man who became the first celebrity chef. His memoirs are sporadic, wild, fun, like talking to a drunk at the end of the night, with a fog of cigarette smoke and tragedy in the air. A tumultuous personal life, vast riches, even vaster spending, and a love-hate relationship with fame all surface through Stirred but Not Shaken. In between sips of his preferred tipple of whisky, Floyd reveals himself as a man for whom the media was almost an amusing accident that got out of control. His true love was his cooking. As a footnote, Floyd died in September this year, just before his memoirs were published. He had been celebrating getting the all-clear from cancer that day with a hearty lunch of oysters and partridge, a bon viveur to the last meal.' -- Independent on Sunday, Best autobiography 2009 round up

'His inimitable style behind the camera, and relaxed approach at the stove - and with the wine bottle - made him one of the most watchable chefs of all time. These revealing memoirs are a must for any fan.'
--Daily Telegraph

'the book has an expert structure - digressions, recipes and anecdotes.'
--The Telegraph, Christmas Books

'From one of the first celebrity chefs, Stirred but Not Shaken is Keith Floyd's timely autobiography that is a fascinating insight into the mind of a great cook, foibles and all.' --The Times, Food Books of the Year

'A fascinating life. This honest, revealing memoir was completed just before he died last year; enjoy as a package with a large glass of decent recent wine.'
--Venue

About the Author

Keith Floyd was a highly acclaimed and influential chef whose groundbreaking television series not only changed the way cookery programmes were made, but introduced a nation to the joys of food. He made more than twenty series and authored over twenty-five books. In later years he lived quietly in France. He died on 14 September 2009.

Customer Reviews

Nicely Stirred Sadly Shaken....The Final Chapter.
When Keith Floyd,first bounced on to our screens all those years ago,cookery programes would change for ever.Author to some twenty five books and a host of tv series this pioneering chef and icon,has left us with his final legacy..... The book it self records a quite remarkable life, by any ones standard.Written in a way, that you would expect from a character like Floyd.From the very start he makes it quite clear, who his friends are, and who are not, honesty at its brutal best.The highs and very lows which peppered his life,plus his well known love of excess make for compelling reading.I never found the book sad in its content,as Floydy for the most part had a good life.The Trouble With Me,Is ME,just one of the many anecdotes to be found through out his own observations on his life..... As a book about a man who achieved so much it ticks all the right boxes,with some nice colour photos of his nearest and dearest,as a Autobiography a fitting Epitaph to a talented chef,entertainer,the likes, i doubt we will see again.

Goodbye Floydy
This book was written at the very end of Keith Floyd's life,and although I found it very sad it is essential to read it to round off his story. The "Ghost", James Steen, has done an excellent job, Keith Floyd was in the mood to talk and reminisce about his past, at times angry, sad or resigned, and Steen has condensed what must have been many hours of thoughts and words into a well rounded book. So many people in Floyd's life took advantage of his generous nature, and in this book it all comes back - unlike the previous episodes of his autobiography where he was still positive and full of optimism. In this book he talks in greater depth of the saddest times, holding nothing back. There will never be another Floyd, I was lucky enough to meet him at a book signing and he was just as his TV self, a real gentleman with humour, a great love of food, wine and life. Floydy, you will be sorely missed.

A great look into the life and times of Floyd
I eagerly awaited this book and was not disappointed at all - it's a great insight into the life and times of one of my all times heroes - Keith Floyd. The book details his early career, rise to fame, time when work was either non-existant or scarce and when the demons of life became too much. Some of the book is well known and previously documented but much was a revelation to me and some was down right uncomfortable to read and bordering on being far too honest for his own good.
It is with great regret that this book came out as Keith's life ended but is a fitting tribute to the man who made cookery interesting, honest and fun - today's chef's just do not come close.
This man is the reason I enjoy cooking so much today - no buggering about, just good wholesome regional cooking without frills or fancy.
My one regret is having been in the presence of Keith I never had the bottle to get his autograph.

Rest in Peace Keith and thanks for the fun, the food and the memories.............