@StormyCornishSeas yes it’s the same for us - we eat a lot of this sort of food (except for the things like cranberry sauce stuffing balls and marmalade toad in the hole...not really our thing for day-to-day eating, although I have to say that I’m actually enjoying having more Christmassy takes on food earlier in the season thanks to Nigel) but here and there I like making slightly different dishes from what we usually have, even if it’s just a little tweak. Makes things more interesting, mixes it up a little.
We just had lamb leg last weekend so I won’t be making the lamb boulangère today. Shame as I really like it!
I was thinking yesterday that I really should make the effort to comment more on what Nigel says in his journals rather than just the recipes...
I definitely agree with him that winter gardens hold a spell all their own. I loved his description of going out into the crisp cold of a morning with his coffee and being invigorated. I might try it some mornings and go out to the front of the house where we have a glorious view over the hills complete with farms, horses, and a Victorian viaduct to the side which adds so much drama with its beautiful arches. We don’t have a back garden, we just have a tiny back yard (which I optimistically call the courtyard). It never freezes over because the water/drainage system runs under it which is very practical for day-to-day life but does mean we don’t get the romance of settled snow and frosts. However to the front it’s a different story and watching the landscape change through the seasons is one of my favourite things. I can’t wait for the magic of frost and snow!! ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Going back to winter gardens, I love it when the hedges and spider webs (or maybe caterpillar? I can’t remember for certain what they are) are heavy with frost - the silk threads laden with pearls, the branches and leaves edged with jagged crystals - it looks like a miniature fairytale world; Perfection! Used to thrill me every day as I walked the girls to school and back.
We’re going to Aldi today to do our monthly shop - I’m going to skim over the recipes coming up in the book to ensure I have as many ingredients as possible. I’ll also buy some bulbs to plant out in the pots at the back of the house. It’s really true, I think, what they say about gardening/growing things - there is something very grounding about watching life happen on a small scale: seeds, new life, growth and greenery, then the dying back, which after the joys of spring and summer can feel a little bit sad but also gives so much promise of things to come.