Chef Alastair Little’s death has been met with widespread sadness in the hospitality sector
On Wednesday, August 3, 2022, Eater London announced the death of Alastair Little, a chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. Little was 72. Australian celebrity chef Dan Lepard tweeted, “Deeply grieved to discover that the brilliant chef Alastair Little died last night,” which was liked and shared by many, including British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
In a series of tweets, Lepard reflected on Little’s impact on his own culinary career and shared a meaningful screenshot of a passage from Little’s original 1993 book draught, “Keep it Simple.” The first of Little’s five cookbooks was instrumental in popularising what is now commonly referred to as “contemporary British cuisine” outside of London, England (via Eater). Indeed, Alastair Little has been hailed as the “grandfather/godfather of this genre” by The Sun.
When did Alastair Little pass away, and why?
There is no mention of the manner of Little’s death or the place where it occurred in the contemporary accounts of his passing, a mute tribute to the surprisingly modest profile that Alastair Little kept during most of his hugely significant life (per Eater). From what we can gather, Little was either in London, his birthplace, or Sydney, his adopted city in later life. He is survived by two adult children from his first marriage to Kirsten Pederson and a third “young” son with his second wife, Sharon.
Regarding Alastair Little:
The Drinks Business claims that Alastair Little did not attend culinary school. Instead, he trained himself to cook as a child, though not necessarily with the goal of becoming a chef in mind. In fact, Little began self-teaching himself how to cook while he was a border at a school in Lancashire. According to Good Cuisine, Tiny learned to prepare himself ” grilled sandwiches and curries on a little gas ring in his dorm room” since he found the institutional food unpalatable because he came from a family that placed a high emphasis on cooking and eating.
Little, an anthropology and archaeology major at Cambridge University continued developing his cooking talents as an undergraduate because it seemed to be the only way he could have a good dinner while at school. The Sun claims he prepared his way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and other great textbooks.
After finishing up at Cambridge in 1972, he got a job editing films in Soho, but he also worked as a server to make ends meet. This led him to decide that he wanted to “pursue hospitality full-time,” as reported by The Drinks Business. Little requested for a shot when the cook at the Old Compton Wine Bar where he was working quit, and he got it. Throughout his early adulthood, he relied on Elizabeth David’s “French Provincial Cooking” to further his culinary education.
RIP Alastair Little. One of a few that inspired a generation of cooks. What a sad day but very glad to have spent time in the kitchen with you & enjoyed eating your food. “Keep it Simple” all the way…👨🍳 🇮🇹 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/sPdNTJfa9X
— Dominic Chapman (@DomChapman) August 3, 2022
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