The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. Read Along Thread 2022 PART 2

[LillianGish]

A continuation of the brilliant thread started by @Dillidilly who I hope is still lurking somewhere and reading along

I love that photo @EspeciallyDetermined - even more Nigel than Nigel's own photo!

Popping in to show my VN greenery that's still going strong! This is all that's left of Christmas finery, on my kitchen doors.

Oh how lovely! I felt a pang of sadness throwing the wreath away...should have thought to hang it on the wall outside where I could have seen it from the kitchen!

I don't know if any of you remember, right back at the start of this years threads we talked about our journals and diaries, I said I had been in an 18 month slump with mine and some of you encouraged me to start again. I did and I have kept going, really pleased, so thank you all.

Well done, especiallydetermined!
Lovely fresh start!

Well done @EspeciallyDetermined I hope you are enjoying it.

I have kept a journal for a few years now. It is mainly a gratitude journal and doesn’t take too long to complete everyday. I find that keeping things simple makes it much easier to complete daily.

I just jot down a couple of lines about what I did that day (sometimes with smiley or sad faces) and update my to do list, so it doesn't take ling but it does make me feel more on top of things somehow. I like the idea of having a record to look back at too, DS asked me the other day when it was I did jury service and as it's not the sort of thing you take photos of or post about on SM I had no way of remembering (it was somewhere between about 7-10 years ago I think).

15 January
Ribsticker bread pudding
I’m feeling thoroughly over Christmas now and ready to soldier on through the rest of January. Well done @EspeciallyDetermined for living up to your name and getting back to your journal. Having a traditional Sunday roast here to lift the spirits while both kids are around - I don’t think Nigel’s bread pudding would be a substitute for that.

Hello @LillianGish.

I’ve finally caught up. Loved the entry for January 1st. Gentle, restorative, looking forward. Will definitely make that bread at some point - it’s right up our street.

I’ll read today’s entry a bit later. It’s extremely windy here so I don’t think we’ll go out for a walk today. Instead I’ll hunker down with the book and lots of candlelight.

I’m going to keep a journal this year too. No rules about it, just aiming to write a little something daily. Emphasis on gratitude, and plans/goals, I think. But gentle, not a stick with which to bear myself. I’m starting today.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday afternoon.

instead I’ll hunker down with the book and lots of candlelight - that sounds so cosy. You’ve inspired me to light the candles on the dining table and up my game even though it’s just Sunday lunch in January - then they’ll twinkle on as darkness falls for a truly hygge atmosphere.

I am going to catchup after I have braved a dog walk. It most certainly is not going to be cosy outside today or in the coming week ahead.

@TangledWebOfDeception I find having a set daily time for journaling helps to keep the momentum going. I know of some people who only write in theirs once a week, but it is not something that would work for me. My journal is a combination of gratitude, plans, goals, appointments undertaken and there is part which I use as a checklist of the daily habits which are important to me.

I'm going to try the savoury bread pudding tonight.

I read ahead as I’ve got other books itching to be read.

I just wanted to say that this was my first CC read along and it was joyous.

See you next Christmas, and thanks for making my Christmas much more enjoyable with both your and Nigel’s presence.

17 January
Toasting the trees, roast pork and apple cake
Sorry - late to the party with this. Funnily enough I remember a Morris dancing team round my mum's way in Berkshire performing wassails at various orchards in the vicinity including a marrow wassail for the Curcurbit Society (you literally couldn't make this up - makes me long for Blighty!)

18 January
Crumbs
This seems an appropriate title for the penultimate entry - scraping the bottom of the panettone box. I've long since scraped the bottom of the mincemeat jar - like Nigel I am not fond of dregs in jars and also didn't want to waste a scrap since I'd had to make it myself.

By the way, I'm determined to see this thread through to the end in honour of @Dillidilly in the faint hope that you've continued to read along at your own pace

I’m still here @LillianGish! Thank you.

to @Dillidilly too, if you’re reading!

I will read both entries today.

I am still reading the thread! I actually finished reading the book before New Year but I’m still enjoying the thread. I just don’t really have much to contribute as I haven’t made any of the recipes (due to a combination of lack of time and a family who wouldn’t eat them).

I got the first and third Kitchen Diaries for Christmas so need to make a start on one of those.

Also, @LillianGish i hope you had a lovely Sunday dinner by candlelight! I had meant to reply (thought I had). I love candles and I carry on using them liberally right through until spring - I find the hygge makes such a difference to how I feel.

I'm still here too. I let the book run through to the end on audible last week but the hard copy is still on my kitchen counter, I'm going back and bookmarking a few recipes for next year. I only opened my pannetone a couple of days ago (it was a tiny Lidl one NVN) and still have not started on the Christmas pudding.

DH ate through our generously sized pannetone for breakfast every morning over the two weeks we were ill. We still have a huge jar of mincemeat because we only got to make one small tester batch and then we didn’t see anyone at all over Christmas, nor do any baking for ourselves. I’m hoping it’ll last until Christmas.

I finally managed to find some Seville Oranges (DH has his heart set on making marmalade this year). We have boycotted most supermarkets by now so we only shop at ALDI/LIDL and Morrison’s, and I’ve not found them in the last couple of years of looking. Bought a riverford kit which will come with our veg delivery next week. DH will be in charge of that - I’ve done a lot of faffing with jars over the past few months and I’m ready to move on to something else for a while. However he’ll likely want me around (he likes a bit of cosiness in the kitchen - not a euphemism! 😁) so I may end up assisting.

I keep reading back and finding more comments that I haven’t replied to...sorry for being so rude! I’m not diagnosed but it’s almost certain by now that I have ADHD so I often miss things or forget that I haven’t actually done something I had meant to do.

@Ihavedogs Thanks for the tip. I’m not very methodical at all but I think I’m going to get in the habit of writing when I first get into bed in the evening.

@MensisIanuarius I’m glad the thread brought you joy! It’s my second time doing the read-along and I plan to make in an annual tradition.

@ChessieFL I’ve also got both of those and will bring them out as soon as we’re done with CC.

I’m still reading along. We have piles of Christmas food left - we went a bit mad as this was our first Christmas back in the UK after 5 years abroad, just got a bit overexcited. Might be eating panettone and Lebkuchen still at Easter and I’m actually wondering whether the mincemeat might keep for next Christmas.

Well done @LillianGish !

I've been distracted by other things now. My Christmas mood has dissipated into a flurry of busyness. I've decorated a room, and started back at work, picked a up a few chores I'd neglected.

I'm off to knit and natter now, to make crochet squares for a planned community Christmas tree!

@TangledWebOfDeception oh my, I managed to work my way through our generously sized panettone on my own in five days 😳 whilst DH was laid up.

@EspeciallyDetermined I need to bookmark some of the recipes as well. I think there is still time to make a couple of them.

@bigbadbarry I had the urge to have something tasty to eat yesterday evening and was delighted to find an unopened bag of chocolate coated Lebkuchen at the back of the cupboard.