A Kick at the Pantry Door by Philip Whiteland

Summer days were a nightmare for those of us wearing short trousers, still de rigueur then, as you were in danger of third degree burns to the back of your legs from the red hot plastic. 'Car travel in the 1950s and 1960s was something of an overrated past time, particularly if you were of the infant persuasion. I was thoroughly entertained throughout this upbeat adventure ride. The writing is sharp, clever and engaging. I couldn't help but chuckle as he went through the names of dog treats he used to sample with his friends, his moms less than desirable baking, music lessons in which he pretended to play his instrument, his paperboy, adventure, cruising and road trips he used to take with his family. The descriptions made me laugh out loud as the writer described experiences from his past. I really enjoyed the easy language and the fun escape. These cute stories can't help from send you into a giggling fit. 'The world seems a good deal larger when you're small and, apparently, far from home. And the good news is that Philip has written a couple more compilations too! A very entertaining compilation, well observed, funny and enjoyable. A brilliant quote about pub food! Then there's school trips/cruises/karaoke-so much to enjoy. Must admit at the opening page or so I thought-what the heck is this?-(the restaurant imagery) then-great fun. This is a seriously underrated book! Endless laughs. The anecdotes are cleverly intertwined-he leads us to the connection or punchline without it being overly long. Yes, exactly the same with dinner and tea around by us! (dinner at tea time etc, the wrong way around to most folk!) So true with me too-mum always seems to get a few little hard bits in her mashed potatoes-she always says to me 'Well, nobody else has any'-so, for me, this really 'clicked'. The book has an informal style, telling you little memories and funny tales. Good choices of words throughout-eg snaffle-refreshing and entertaining ways of putting things. One of our dogs, a Welsh terrier, Taffy, used to eat stones too so this book was really bringing back memories for me.

The format is an interesting concept: it's like a restaurant menu-chapters are in sections with titles such as starters, mains etc. Photos are interspersed occasionally in the writing-eg of his dog. but you don't have to know the area or live in it to enjoy this book. It's of particular interest for people who live around where Philip is talking about as he mentions place names, shop names etc.

I really enjoyed this collection of anecdotes, musings and nostalgia.

A Kick at the Pantry Door by Philip Whiteland