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

We already booked our panto tickets (drive in ones).

It is a bit sad that there hasn't been a village panto the last 2 years, it's a lovely tradition.

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule

I am actually properly in love with that bunch of eucalyptus...🥰🥰

Me too, it's beautiful.

@herecomesthsun

Not Nigel, but I just got the tin to make this

That's the one I've just treated myself to as well. I've wanted it for years. Since Nigella first used it.

One of the nicest Christmas events I went to with dd (possibly 4 Christmasses ago) was Anton and Erin (of Strictly) at the Albert Hall. It was a carol + dance thing.
It was so cheesy and nostalgic. I found it quite emotional- not at all religious but standing there in that beautiful place, 3 days before Christmas bellowing O Come All Ye Faithful. Fabulous.

9 NOVEMBER
The Christmas list and a fig tart

@VikingNorthUtsire

Another tip I picked up here: you can freeze ginger and grate it straight into things from frozen

You can buy frozen ginger too, but I think it's crushed rather than grated.

@Geamhradh

How are you planning to manage the "cake release" issue?

I have ordered some PME from Lakeland but am wondering if that is the best thing to use.

Presumably, you don't get the problem of a cake not rising with a bundt tin, but then you get all the issues of how many cups or quarts the recipe is really for.

Nigella gives 3 or4 variations for the Nordic Firs.

Also, as we live in a forest, I am thinking we can use it all year round, not just Christmas. I want to try making a Black Forest bundt in it, with chocolate and cherries.

Oh my goodness, I've missed a couple of days & there's so much to catch up on! I'll try and sit down after Guides tonight and read the chapters I've missed.

Problems I have with some of this is that

• no one else drinks much alcohol apart from me, and I don't drink that much, so I would be finishing the apricot brandy etc all by myself

• also, I would prefer recipes that don't leave random bottles of sweet white wine hanging about, I don't know who would ever consume those

• no one likes figs

• the kids pick beans out of my attempts at new recipes

• we like pears, but no one (apart from me) really likes them cooked, all that much.

So, while it is a lovely book, I haven't found many recipes that I will actually use so far.

I have been using quite a bit of Nigella's, partly because she goes out of her way to be child friendly a lot of the time.

I am up for the saffron St Lucia biscuits, they look fun, and we have some saffron.

I can't get where I live. Went round 2 large supermarkets and they had nothing

I haven't cooked much yet as I have one vegetarian teen and one who objects strongly to aubergine, courgette, mushroom or roasted onion (but will eat anything meaty/fishy you put in front of him)

Enjoying the recipes vicariously and marking ideas to try on nights when they're both out!

I’m going to take the apricot brandy recipe down by half, I think - we only need a little to offer people when they visit over Christmas or maybe to take to PIL’s on Christmas Day where we all will gather.

I’ve decided this morning whilst re-reading that I’m also going to make the muscat prunes. They will be perfect for a late, light pudding to offer alongside the cheese board on Christmas Day evening!

I’m not too worried about leftover wine...we’ll sip it with puddings and/or have it with mince pies. We do have a rather big extended family so nothing will be wasted as someone will have it! 😄

I love fresh figs but I’m not all that excited about the dried variety, so for this year, at least, I’m going to skip the tart. My instinct is that I’ll actually like it a lot, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself with new things to make and I also can’t eat too many sweet things and neither can PIL so I’ve got to bear in mind that DH can’t eat huge amounts all by himself.

@lucysmam I was just thinking about you yesterday as I hadn’t seen you on the thread. Welcome back.🎄

@Taytocrisps panto didn’t/doesn’t feature in Christmas for me either, not growing up in the U.K., hence I’m not nostalgic about it at all and truthfully don’t really get it. I, too, much prefer a ballet or a carol service.

I do usually take DD to panto (DS hates it) but we haven't got round to booking it yet.

@Geamhradh - our favourite Christmas treat is a Christmas Singalong in London, we have seen it at The Royal Albert Hall, Westminster Central Hall and Barbican centre previously, can't remember this year but it is SO Christmassy. It's by Raymond Gubbay, the same promoter as Anton and Erin.

I bought myself a Christmas reed diffuser yesterday while muttering sorry Nigel, I'm not on your budget.

I’ve been to panto once or twice, but it’s not a regular thing for me either. We do however always go to the local Christmas Spectacular in town on Christmas eve. It’s a bit tacky but we love it 😄 my adult children opt out now but youngest still enjoys it.

...muttering sorry Nigel, I'm not on your budget.

😆 I think that’s going to be a familiar refrain to many of us over the next little while!

I have found a Nigel recipe for the Xmas tree tin and plan to make it

www.theguardian.com/food/2018/nov/19/nigel-slater-recipes-christmas-feast-trout-tartare-turkey-leg-quince-pies-recipes

So much wonderful cooking going on!

I love reading recipes, but don't much enjoy cooking (sorry Nigel), but I'm loving seeing your pictures. I'm hoping to persuade my daughter to try some of the recipes when she comes for Christmas.

I read earlier that some people have been watching Nigel. Where have you done that? I can’t find any of his shows

I think it was on Food Network. Which is a wonderful channel to watch at this time of year, with Christmas shows galore. I really like the Twelve Chefs of Christmas - I like the host, Jeni Barnett, who seems like my kind of woman, and there’s great food and drink inspiration on it too.

It looks like he’s on Foodnetwork at 9 on Sunday but I can’t get full listing to load

Thanks @HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule and @OnTheHillNotOverIt I’ll have a look there

Here is Sunday’s offering

Here

Today I’ve brought down my Christmas books (a modest selection...but NO! I’m not going to buy any more...at least not until the January sales. Or maybe when Black Friday rolls around...), such a happy lot of reading and planning to do! 🎄🎄

Love all the food photos. I really enjoy cooking but I'm not great at it. Will attempt the aubergine recipe at some point this week. I'll skip the tart, I don't do well with caramel.
Attempt 2 at the apricot brandy. Today I had fully dried apricots (although only half what I needed), and star anise, but I forgot the oranges 🙄
Maybe next year I'll get it right 😂