The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater: Read Along Thread

[Dillidilly]

Here we go people!

I thought we could start reading the Introduction from October 15th at a gentle pace to allow people to join the thread. Then all set for Chapter 1 on November 1st.

The Christmas Chronicles is currently just over £20 on Amazon. Maybe people could share all the options for those who are just joining us, who still want to get a copy.

I'm hoping this thread will be a lovely, gentle, uplifting transition into the Christmas period where we can share our thoughts, recipe attempts and inspiration from Nigel x

I meant to join and forgot as I absolutely adore autumn/winter, Christmas and Nigel. Am I too late??

@StyleDesperation not at all! Today is the first day.
Welcome

I don't drink at the moment and am feeling deeply envious. Maybe next year I'll try some of these.

@ZandraPlackett that’s a good point! I might do that too as I’d love to make as many as I can of the dishes he writes about. But only a quick peek ahead so as not to ruin the read.🎄

I dropped off this thread somehow!

DH has retrieved the book from its hiding place (mumbling about how he'd thought I wanted it for Christmas and was hiding it until then - no Sonny Jim, you still have to buy for me!), and I've read the introduction so will be onto the November 1st entry this evening.

@Hexenhaus, that's the recipe I plan to start with from the advent book - stocked up on hazelnuts and chocolate in this week's shop and might do it today.

This week DD goes into hospital on Friday, and we're strictly isolating after her Covid test tomorrow. DH can't get time off work so is going to stay elsewhere, and I'm trying to see this week confined to barracks with two teenagers as an opportunity to hunker down and get cosy with the help of my Christmassy recipe books. The reality is more likely to be like herding cats to their online lessons but a woman can dream.

Awwww..... well, that was just lovely. I read the Introduction and Chapter One. I love the coloured pictures - the branches covered in snow and the vintage baubles. And I like the way that the hard cover version has a built-in bookmark which tells me that I stopped at the 18th November last year. He uses such beautiful language to write about late autumn/winter, although he also acknowledges the hardship winter can bring.

I loved picturing the joy he got from his snow shop with its food made out of snow and his mother coming to call him in because every other kid had gone home for tea. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, it reminded me of the hours and hours we'd spend playing outside as kids, more so in summer than in winter. I love an open fire in winter and it adds cheer to my sitting room and creates a very relaxing atmosphere, so I can relate to that too.

It never occurred to me to change my drinks in winter but I've enjoyed a mulled wine the odd time I've been to a Christmas market or craft fair or whatever. I'm strongly considering making the apricot, orange and anise drink. It sounds delicious and so easy to make. Only thing is, it makes 20 small glasses and I'm the only adult in the house. I'd have a handful of visitors at Christmas (if that's even allowed due to Covid restrictions) but I don't think we'd get through 20 glasses. Hmmmm.....

I had to google an onsen.

Really enjoyed my read and looking forward to the next chapter on Thursday.

Now I have to turn my mind to more mundane things like the supermarket shop and taking down the Hallowe'en decorations. Kind of disappointed that I'm going to my normal supermarket and not a Christmas market or an organic butcher or something .

Thanks for the thread @Dillidilly.

Sorry to hear about your boiler @Etherealhedgehog

The advent book sounds tempting too. Is it all recipes or a mix of recipes and Christmas? And any nice pictures?

I dropped off this thread somehow same

Can't wait to read chapter 1 after work this evening

Great observations @Taytocrisps, and your memories remind me very much of my childhood too.

One of my most favourite Proust's Madeleine moments was when DD was about 4 and we went back to England for Christmas, it was one of the heavy heavy snowfalls before Christmas years, and I took her for a walk round the streets near my mum's on our first evening back to see the fancy lights in people's windows etc. It was past dusk but not quite dark, and we were crunching along the road and I was suddenly plummeted back to winter late afternoons in the 70s, coming home from school to my gran's (next street along from us) cold and damp to the bone but thrilled and exhilarated that it was nearly Christmas. it was such a tangible memory, it was like time travel.

I'm going to read November 1st later.
I might have to buy the Advent book, can someone remind me of the writer as I already have a book called Advent that's a shocking waste of paper and money!

Also, @HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule (and indeed anyone else!) In Kindle deals there is A Scandinavian Christmas which is apparently a collection of stories/folklore. 99p. I don't know if this is the one you talked about, but I bought it anyway.

I'm now considering the Literary Christmas anthology and A Country House Christmas. Probably just as well I'm back to work tomorrow . I'm going to put some of these books on my Christmas wishlist and request the hard cover versions but I might order the Advent one now.

Also, very appropriate username @Geamhradh

I'm loving all the additional Christmas book recommendations, as well as Christmas memories and traditions. I also love all the shared candle/cosy throw/fire moments too!

Thank you to everyone for making my threads such gentle, friendly places x

Taytocrisps I have the Advent book by Anja Dunk , it's lovely with beautiful photos and stories attached. It's recipes are very much loaded with nuts so not many I can cook as it's just me and my husband this year and he has a nut allergy. I think it's worth the price and you get a ribbon book marker which is always a bonus

Sorry I forgot to ask if I can join in Christmas is my favourite celebration.

Hello ladies, going to crack open the book tonight with a glass of wine in the bath 😊

Hello all! I started the intro and somehow forgot to finish it so I need to crack on and catch up 😊

Hello all.

Going to start proper planning this week. I am hoping to visit the shops tomorrow or on Thursday in order to see what to buy.

I've just read the 1st November chapter. I'm in bed, with fairy lights on, a winter St Eval candle lit, & a little glass of something; winter harp playing.

It feels massively decadent, after a pretty drudgey day, (with more drudgery yet to come).

Cheers 🥂

Hello again all (👋at @MilesJuppIsMyBitch - I recognise you from BCs past, under my other username.🙂)

I love what Nigel says about welcoming people with drinks, talking about the joyousness of inviting people in and offering something warming and cosy. I love what he says about welcoming one’s own arrival home even more though, because it’s so true:

Finding a rare moment of peace and quiet, there are surely few greater joys than pouring ourselves a drink as we curl up on the sofa with a book after a long hard day. It might only be a stolen few minutes, but I regard this time as deeply grounding. Something that, just for once, is about no one but ourselves.

It’s like a blueprint for small moments of self care.

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule

Hello again all (👋at *@MilesJuppIsMyBitch* - I recognise you from BCs past, under my other username.🙂)

I love what Nigel says about welcoming people with drinks, talking about the joyousness of inviting people in and offering something warming and cosy. I love what he says about welcoming one’s own arrival home even more though, because it’s so true:

Finding a rare moment of peace and quiet, there are surely few greater joys than pouring ourselves a drink as we curl up on the sofa with a book after a long hard day. It might only be a stolen few minutes, but I regard this time as deeply grounding. Something that, just for once, is about no one but ourselves.

It’s like a blueprint for small moments of self care.

I've just read it too, and decided that tomorrow I'm making the apricot brandy and the raspberry gin (from another recipe) I've read his two Kitchen Diaries end October/1st November too and am now hankering for sausage and mash and not the salt cod with olives that dp is cooking up in the kitchen. Never mind. Another day.

Oh and to add to the thread hygge: a photo of my little ceramic houses, lit tonight as soon as it started getting dark.

I’ve also brought out the Christmas mugs (a wee bit early - that’s not usually done before 1st Dec, but some of the colours of our day-to-day mug set no longer work because we’re in a different house now to when we bought them and the aesthetic disparity was really starting to annoy me...so I decided that this year these will be winter mugs...and since this thread is a winter appreciation thread, I thought it fitting enough).

I went out today after reading to buy apples and apple juice for Nigel’s hot apple drink which we will have later tonight, albeit slightly adapted as I’ve got an orange to use so I’ll substitute that for the clementine and I couldn’t find whole allspice berries so I’ll substitute a tiny pinch of ground allspice. As it happens I had a small apple crumble from the other day waiting to be baked as well, so we’ll have a late pudding along with the drink. A proper treat.😊

@Geamhradh I’m going to make the apricot brandy too! Already have a bag of dried apricots in the fruit & nuts basket with no firm plan for their use, so I’m happy that this recipe has come along.

On the ‘Scandinavian Christmas’ book - mine is a cookbook, so I think the one you’ve bought must be a different one. But it will likely be a good read anyway - I love Scandinavian folklore. In that vein, a film recommendation:

Rare Exports: a Christmas Tale (Finnish film). Dark, but very good I thought.

I've just finished the November 1st entry. I too, am thinking of making the apricot brandy as I have all the alcoholic ingredients I just need some apricots and star anise. Brandy is something I usually only keep in the house for Christmas baking but DH and I have been having Nigella's "Santa's little helpers" (1 measure of brandy to half a measure of amaretto and half a measure of cointreau over ice) and they're delicious. So I have a bottle of brandy in and also a bottle of dessert wine that's been lurking at the back of the cupboard unopened so may now come in handy.

I loved this line and read it out to DH:

Fat, alcohol-soaked little fruits, each one pissed as a newt

I have popped the dvd into my ginormous overflowing Amazon basket "saved for later"
My Christmas mugs are Emma Bridgewater and I use them all year round in Christmas-is-Over denial. DD begged me around April last year to stop putting the Christmas tablecloth on.
I had a lot of tiny wooden Christmas houses (cheap as chips Chinese from eBay) but the lights went so I don't put them out anymore. I do have a big copper house that lights up (the Range!!!) and will get it a few neighbours this year I think.

I didn't have any dried apricots and can't remember if my supermarket has them, so my personal (feels like) Amazon courier is bringing me those and star anise tomorrow!