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 always like the M&S Mandarin, Clove and Cinnamon candles. A nice Christmassy scent, without being overpowering or smelling at all artificial.

Yes I love that, and their Frankincense and Myrrh oil too. Sadly I’ve boycotted them for the past couple of years so I can no longer buy, so I’m using the bottles I have quite sparingly.

I've never watched Nigel before but switched to the Food Network channel when the episode of Buffy I was watching finished. I know a lot is probably staged but I have kitchen, and garden, envy! I'd love for my kitchen to feel as uncluttered and enjoyable . As it is, mine's probably 40 years old & starting to fall apart a bit 🙄

Ooh, I almost forgot, I have a candle recommendation too! The Sheffield Candle Co do some lovely scents and aren't overly expensive. I think I paid £10 for two of their small tins a couple of years ago & I'm hoping they're at Sheffield Christmas Market when I go with my Guides in a few weeks.

I bought Frankincense and Myrrh, and Christmas Kitchen last time. The lemon drizzle and coffee (can't remember it's actual name!) were tempting too. There were quite a selection of festive ones

@Capferret

I got some orange scented Scentsicles Christmas tree sticks from Aldi a few years ago. Beautiful smell. Haven’t found them since but Amazon have other fragrances. Has any one tried any they can recommend please?

We got the original pine ones last year. They do smell of pine not like toilet cleaner

I knew some of you would have looked up the prices of his recommended candles so I don't have to . I really enjoyed today's entry, I absolutely love candles and it was interesting learning more about them.

I knew enough not to, tbh. I have champagne tastes, I admit, but not to Nigel’s budget.

@TheRealHousewife

That’s a lovely tea light holder *@ExcessiveIyDisorganised*. Gives a lovely ambience 🕯

Thank you, it's solid stone, I brought it back from Iceland about 25 years ago.

For fragrance I have an Ashleigh and Burwood reed diffuser every winter in one of their Christmassy fragrances, usually a cinnamon spice type. Get them from a local garden centre.

We had the gnudi for tea. I made a cheat sauce of double cream heated through with pesto and served it all on pasta. Excuse the slightly sloppy presentation, I was watching Strictly as I dished up . The angle makes them look huge, they weren't that big. Very tasty.

15 NOVEMBER
Frost fairs and braised brisket

Loved today's chapter, very nostalgic... I was growning up in Baltics with long, cold winters. Near our house there was a pond that froze over every year for several months. Every day after school all the children from the area would be there with their skates. Boys on one end playing ice hockey, girls on the other doing figures and all sorts. Our PE in winter was skiing in the woods near the school, teachers had laid 1 and 2 km tracks for us. The woods were former grounds of estate belonging to German Baron centuries ago. He had created number of little ponds with islands there. He was deeply in love with his wife and placed on each island a stone with a letter from her name. Sometimes we strayed from the skiing tracks and went looking for those stones under the snow leaving teacher perplexed what took us so long to do the length of the track :)

My dad was into wild fishing and in winter he would go to frozen lakes, drill a hole in the ice to fish. I liked to go with him. When I got bored of fishing I would swap the boots for skates and do rounds on the lake. Towards the end of January the thickness of the ice often would reach around 1 metre. Equally, there would always be stories about some people too enthusiastic about the fishing that they would end up putting themselves in danger going on ice in March when the temperatures started to raise slowly.

I really enjoyed reading your post Strawberry. Very evocative.

Hello. Could someone do me a big favour and tell me how much the book weighs? My mum has two copies and is sending me one but I have to fill out a customs form and she can't weigh it at the moment. Thanks!!

@Europilgrim as it happens I’ve got the book and my scales right here and it weighs 1,042 kg.🎄🎄🎄

Actually it’s settled on 43. Not that it matters...😁

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule Thank you so much!!

@Strawberryfield12

Loved today's chapter, very nostalgic... I was growning up in Baltics with long, cold winters. Near our house there was a pond that froze over every year for several months. Every day after school all the children from the area would be there with their skates. Boys on one end playing ice hockey, girls on the other doing figures and all sorts. Our PE in winter was skiing in the woods near the school, teachers had laid 1 and 2 km tracks for us. The woods were former grounds of estate belonging to German Baron centuries ago. He had created number of little ponds with islands there. He was deeply in love with his wife and placed on each island a stone with a letter from her name. Sometimes we strayed from the skiing tracks and went looking for those stones under the snow leaving teacher perplexed what took us so long to do the length of the track :)

My dad was into wild fishing and in winter he would go to frozen lakes, drill a hole in the ice to fish. I liked to go with him. When I got bored of fishing I would swap the boots for skates and do rounds on the lake. Towards the end of January the thickness of the ice often would reach around 1 metre. Equally, there would always be stories about some people too enthusiastic about the fishing that they would end up putting themselves in danger going on ice in March when the temperatures started to raise slowly.

Delurking briefly to say this is beautiful.

Looking at the weather forecast here we might get some frost next week which means I need to get my derrière into gear and sort the garden out which I'm actually quite excited about.
I managed to find a lovely beeswax candle it has lots of other lovely things in it such as shea butter, coco butter olive oil, and various Christmassy essential oils. And it cost me less than a kidney, hooray!

Ikea do scented candles

How beautiful @Strawberryfield12
I am a candle-holic but couldn't justify Cire Trudon prices.
I have some St.Eval ones, but am wary after one did something weird and we ended up with DD at the doctor's with black soot stained snot pouring out of her which really worried us.
I've got a Glade air freshener one (winter fruity berries type) lit at the mo' and it's bloody lovely )
I bought mincemeat/cake ingredients after Holland & Barrett cancelled yet another order to me (the third) pffft. Either they want to take orders for the EU or they don't, but I wish they'd decide. I've complained and they've sent me 25% off but I don't think I'll order again for a while.
I usually do Delia's mincemeat and a batch of Nigella's with the cranberries in, but I may do Nigel's instead.

Tonight we had gnudi and spinach and pecorino sauce for dinner. Really liked the sauce, very simple, quick and tasty. Also have made ham with quince, we have demolished half of it already. Tomorrow’s dinner -the ham with cauliflower side.

I used to make mincemeat following a recipe where suet was replaced with butter and grated apples. Tasted great and vegetarian friends could eat it as well. Then the person running the recipe website decided to pack it in and become full time influencer and took down the website before I had a chance to save the recipe. 🤨

I usually do Delia's mincemeat, I like both, although Nigel's hasn't had time to mature yet, and I suspect it might just beat Delia's once it has 😲

All the gnudi dishes look/sound amazing. It’s making me want to try it. Maybe I’ll get some ricotta when we do this month’s shopping.

@Strawberryfield12 the gnudi look fab.

If you want a mincemeat recipe using butter then Mary Berry has one

www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/christmas/special-mincemeat

Strawberry, your childhood winters sound lovely.