Nick Sharratt – Favourite Things

Nick Sharratt is a British illustrator and author. He has illustrated almost 300 children’s books and worked with authors including Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Kes Gray and most notably Dame Jacqueline Wilson; drawing the famous Tracy Beaker character. He has also written and co-written over 60 children’s books, and his award-winning Shark in the Park children’s book and the best-selling You Choose have both been successfully adapted for theatre. His latest book Nick Sharratt’s Super Silly Museums is available to buy now.

These are a few of Nick Sharratt’s favourite things…

Islands

There’s something very special about holidaying on an island. Since my first trips to the Isle of Wight as a little boy, I’ve still not lost that sense of adventure, standing on the deck of a ferry, watching the mainland recede into the distance. And once I’m on my island, there’s an exhilaration and a feeling of escape that mainland holidays just can’t give. I don’t need a far-flung tropical island: Orkney, Shetland, Iona, the Scilly Isles, Lundy Island, even tiny Burgh Island, a mere 250 metres off the Devon coast, have all cast their spell on me. 

Pasta dishes

I would eat pasta for every single meal if I could, I adore the stuff. I love a macaroni cheese or smoked salmon lasagne, but most of the time, linguine or fusilli would be my preferred pasta type. And really, it is all about the sauces. They have to be freshly made, and the great thing for a lazy cook like me is how easy they are to make. I can whizz up a puttanesca, arrabbiata or pesto sauce in minutes. Homemade pesto is a particular favourite, which is good, because of the gargantuan amount of basil that grows in our greenhouse. Fusilli with tuna, anchovies and capers is ridiculously easy, as is spaghetti with black pepper and parmesan. However, the first time I tried this, I ground up two tablespoonsful of peppercorns instead of two teaspoonsful. It was numbingly hot, but I still managed to shovel it down. 

Christopher Guest films

Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration, all directed by Christopher Guest, are three films that I love to watch over and over and over again. They’re delightfully quirky and very funny, and they get better with repeated viewing. If you haven’t seen them, they’re fictional comedies told in a documentary style. Best in Show centres around a dog show; A Mighty Wind is about a folk music reunion concert and For Your Consideration takes a behind the scenes look at the making of a movie. What I enjoy about them more than anything is the wonderful ensemble of actors, many of whom appear in all three films. They’re all brilliant, but for me, it’s the women — Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch and the phenomenal Catherine O’Hara, who really steal the show.

Heath Robinson

I discovered the work of William Heath Robinson when I was a child (I think I must have first come across his imagery on posters), and I was knocked out by it. I’m still in awe of his impeccable drawing skills and his masterful use of black and white. That, combined with the sense of humour, the lightness of touch and the imaginative inventiveness that come to the fore in his “Inventions” illustrations, make him a superhero for me. I was incredibly touched when Jacqueline Wilson, knowing what a fan I was, gave me an extremely precious first edition of his autobiography, My Line of Life.

Autobiographies

I’m completely addicted to autobiographies, or more precisely, to the autobiographies and memoirs of people in “showbiz”: actors, singers and tv personalities. I do most of my reading on holiday, and every time we go away, I will take a couple of must-read novels, which get tossed aside as soon as I spot the autobiography of some celebrity in the holiday cottage bookcase, National Trust second-hand bookshop, or local charity shop. I’m then completely and utterly absorbed for the next two or three days. A big part of the fun is not knowing whose book I’ll come across next. The roll-call for the past year or so includes Ian Holmes, Barbara Windsor, Mel Brooks, Angelica Huston, Andrew Ridgeley, Joan Plowright, Leslie Bricusse and Lesley Ash. 

Enjoyed Nick Sharratt’s favourites? Explore last week’s Favourite Things here.