The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. Read Along Thread 2022

[Dillidilly]

INTRODUCTION

Nigel begins his Chronicles proper on 1st November, but there is a lovely, quite lengthy introduction we can dip into during the second half of October.

Last year, posters were also kind enough to share where they had found cut price copies of CC, so hopefully anyone late to the party still has time to find a copy before we start the first chapter.

I had forgotten the lovely introduction. Together with the beautiful photograph at the very beginning of the book, flipping through it and seeing his headings reminded me of why I loved it so much last year!

It's arrived !
Nearly time to snuggle.

So what do we do now? Do we all cook the thing on the day he tells us to?

I ordered a copy yesterday, which has just arrived. Hoping to join you and not read too far ahead (or worse getting left behind and not being able to catch up again)

I made a couple of things last year but mainly enjoyed the writing.

the veggie stuff is mainly nice supper dishes rather than centrepieces.

I was planning to make Nige’s pudding and cake but I slid back to Nigella’s pudding, a gluten free Delia’s creole cake and Mary’s mincemeat 🙄

just browsing through Advent

@christmaspudding43 thanks for the heads-up re WHSmith. I bought a lovely new copy today for £9. May but a few more à presents as lovely to spread the Nigel Christmas love!

I read it every year but have never actually made anything! It’s just so cosy and nice and Christmas y 🥰

I've just ordered a copy. I never buy myself anything that isn't completely practical. I have 3 children with additional needs, so it will be nice to have something to do for me, at the end of each day. Hopefully it will renew my lost love of reading.

Not unless you want to do so!
We share things from his writing/photographs that resonate with us, memories invoked or traditions from our own lives.
Last year some people tried some of his recipes and shared their results.
I'm sure there were also quite a few silent readers who enjoyed the book and thread without actually posting anything.

It's just a lovely, gentle, festive thread, fashioned by you the posters x

Hello 👋 I got this last year but didn’t join the read along properly. Looking forward to getting stuck in this year.

I have found it again, phew. It was in a box under my bed with some other Christmas things.

I bought the book last year but didn't read it. Thanks to this thread I took it off the shelf and read the intro on Sunday and what a lovely moment of calm it was! I love the concept of reading just a bit each day. It's half term for us and I always make mincemeat at half term so I'll be doing that at the weekend, I just love this time of year.

Oh my goodness @HannahDefoesTrenchcoat the Advent book looks amazing! DD and I love German Christmas bakes, we were talking about Dominosteine the other day and I said we might have to try making our own (think they might be a bit complex though, we'd be better starting with Lebkuchen!) Are the recipes fairly straightforward?

I made a couple of recipes from it last year and they all worked on the first attempt. My family have already put their orders in for this year.

I’m definitely not on Nigel-level budget, heh.

Being Danish hygge by candlight is in my bones! But I actually don’t buy scented candles anymore, so I can’t recommend I’m afraid. I burn plain candles/tea lights and use essential oils for fragrance instead (I have a bowl of pinecones in lieu of pot pourri). Last year I went for one of Nigel’s suggestions, which I really liked - Laurel Bay. I’ve still got some so I’ll use that throughout November and then I’ll probably switch to a more typically Christmassy blend in December.

Lovely to see you too! I think you might be to blame for my growing EB addiction as I finally treated myself to a few Christmas items last year after seeing some on one of your photos (at least I think it was you! I have rather a questionable memory these days...) and oh my goodness that’s a slippery slope! I knew it, tbf, which is why I’d resisted for so long!! 😄

I think we will definitely have nisser on the thread again!😊 What remains to be seen is whether they will be the friendly ones or the grumpy, demanding ones...

Just ordered my copy from eBay for £8! Cannot wait for it to arrive, first year here so I’m looking forward to joining in the festivities x

@PalacePaper what I really like about this approach is that it naturally builds into one’s day, or every few days, a brief time of rest, relaxation and quiet enjoyment. I have plenty of restful moments now (my children are grown up and I’m not working at the moment) but I know that for many very busy women time for themselves is (sadly) the very last item on a very long list of priorities. It’s also just a lovely, calming, peaceful book to read.

How did I not know about this!?
Just ordered a copy on eBay £7.96, last copy 👏

@NiqueNique Nisser! 😍

I've just bought a copy from WHSmith for £9 . Such a bargain and looking forward to starting it .

Ooh, starting to get excited now! It will be my starting the day treat. It's on my bedside table, and I'm a couple of pages in.

I usually start making gifts about now- preserved lemons and candied peel type stuff. The lemons are in the fridge, I just need to get on with it!

It's just a lovely, gentle, festive thread, fashioned by you the posters - it's so lovely in the run up to Christmas to light a candle, sit down with a cup of tea (or something stronger), read a few pages and then have a ready made group of fellow enthusiasts to chat with so you can pass comment if you feel the urge or just read other people's comments. Calm, festive and refreshingly uncommercial (unless you are sucked into the candle decadence ). A true joy.

I'll be joining you this year and I'm so looking forward to it.

I have my copy and I’m reading the intro right now. This is the 2017 edition is that the only one?

@123ZYX that's encouraging, I might buy Advent as well then. It would make a great Christmas present for DD, but then we couldn't do the baking this year...🤔

@NiqueNique your description sounds perfect. I'm looking forward to a few minutes every few days absorbed in the book. I think I'll plan to read it in the evenings (with a cup of tea and a candle 😊)