Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Annual Read along 2023

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, it's nearly that time!

For anyone who has not already had the pleasure, the annual Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles read along is a real time annual MN tradition.

The book begins on 1st November, however there are a couple of chapters of preamble. That's why I thought I would start thread one now, so that we have time to prepare and fully appreciate Nigel in All His Splendour come 1st November.

Some of us already have the book. For anyone who doesn't, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up a bargain. WH Smith has come up trumps in the past, as has ebay. A rare and precious charity shop find is the holy grail and adds a certain special-ness that simply extends that warm, fizzy Nigel feeling (and some well earned smugness)

I shall make a post each day and we can share our thoughts and feelings on the days recipes, sentiments and indeed Dear Old Nige himself.

Note: Reading by candle light can be particularly enjoyable. Cire Trudon may be one of Nige's candle of choice, but it's somewhat pricey. We don't discriminate against other less expensive brands - even if they are NVN (Not Very Nigel)

Pull up a chair and a cosy blanket and join in.

That looks beautiful, @BaconAndAvocado

Long day here. DD was unwell and off school. She's now on yet another medication for yet another medical issue. Bless her, she's only 11.

I'm going to have a Waitrose crumble topped clementine and cranberry mince pie and a cup of tea. Also going to light my own 'cosy fire' inspired candle after reading of so many here. I've combined Indian Frankincense and smoky cedarwood essential oils and I'm pretty happy with the effect. (Turkish tea glasses courtesy of a charity shop rummage)

Oh that’s beautiful @RainbowZebraWarrior and the scent sounds lovely.

Sorry your DD is unwell.

I think I have made gnudi which were lighter and softer than gnocchi. For me, this made the gnudi lesser.

I'm trying to choose new table cloth and placemats and coasters. Got a bit of Nigenxiety. I won't get it right.

When I watch him on TV DH just hears me sighing and getting agitated about the perfect bowls, spoons, everything.

I've just caught up with the thread after a severely pissy offy hospital visit & gaining a handful of new meds and people to check in with 🙄

Not going to pick up CC tonight but have found the chat about gnudi quite soothing. I think they sound time consuming and probably relaxing to make, but they wouldn't be appreciated here I don't think.

@RainbowZebraWarrior your candle looks beautiful. What scents did you use?

I think the appeal of the gnudi is the repetition in the process of making them. I'm not sure I'd like them but I always enjoy reading that chapter.

Have just returned from that there London which was putting on its Christmas finery. All the streets around Seven Dials were getting lit up, so pretty. Probs NVN but I love a christmas light.

Yes @LaviniasBigBloomers I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I do like reading today's entry, even though the food itself doesn't appeal.

My daughter makes gnocchi with ricotta and flour (not potato) which I assume might actuallly be misnamed gnudi. In a Brown butter tomato sauce, I think it is a Rose Elliot recipe. They are very nice. I’m not sure I can be bothered with the gnudi though and actually the chances of there being space for them in my fridge are quite slim

@lucysmam sorry to hear about the pissy off hospital appt and extra meds. Much sympathies. Candle was made with 50 / 50 Indian Frankincense oil and Cedarwood oil, plus a few drops of Star Anise oil. Smells rather like a smoky church incense.

I also love Christmas lights and got excited in Eldon Square at the weekend as they do lots of twinkly twiggy trees. I then watched the Fenwick window unveiling live last night (on YouTube from the comfort of my bed!)

Your candle is gorgeous @RainbowZebraWarrior Hope your DD feels better soon.

Am solo parenting for the next few days so am unlikely to make anything fancy midweek. Sorry gnudi!

I might be tempted to do the sausages however as I like the idea of stretching it to soup after. Plus I have some chicken bones collected up to make some stock and I usually feel as smug as anything after doing that.

I read the last three entries. Are gnudi something like gnocchi? I had gnocchi before and I wasn't crazy about it. I quite fancy the stuffing. But where will I get minced turkey and lardo? I love the way Nigel says it's not difficult to track down (lardo). Maybe not if you live in London . They used to sell blocks of lard when I was a child - we fried everything with it. But then people switched to olive oil. In any case, it was never seasoned.

I've never liked pears so I'll skip the pear recipes.

We don't celebrate Guy Fawkes night here so fireworks and bonfires only happen at Hallowe'en.

@BaconAndAvocado that's the book I have with the excerpts from other books.

I like gnocchi but it's a pain to make (fannying about with fork tines in particular). Gnudi sounds even more so.

I made soup with stock from last week's chicken carcass in a bid to Be More Nigel this evening. I have also checked my baking ingredients cupboard, made a list to take to Lidl tomorrow (not very Nigel) and made some tomato pasta sauce to free up 4 small tomato tins to make cakes in.

Stuffing - I do make one of Nigel'a stuffings but its not from this book, I got it out of a newspaper years ago.

7 November

A trip to the forest, and those gnudi.

(The one where Nigel goes to Norway to choose a tree for Trafalgar square. Aka Gnudi Part Two - The Revenge)

I love gnocchi and have made it but years ago. I've eaten, but never made gnudi. Delish 😊

I made soup yesterday but just a hearty veg kind to use up what we had.

I'm away from home at the moment but keep reading the thread updates daily. I had promised myself I would make the gnudi this year but I really don't know if I can be bothered with the faff. We used to go to a lovely restaurant (now closed) which often had gnudi as a starter and I used to call them pillows of delicious nothing.

Last year I bought (not even homemade, the horror!) good quality gnocchi and made Nigel's sauces for those. I may do the same again this year. NVN - sorry. The sausages leeks and beans ate definitely on the menu this weekend when I get back though.

I actually have the hands of an angel to make the Gnudi. I would treat the mixture of fresh, white ricotta and grated parmesan as delicately as if it were a Christmas bauble, which of course it is. I would cook with the utmost respect and care, and then…my teenage boys would come in, inhale the lot and say they’re still hungry.

@CrackleOfWinter Brilliant CC namechange, btw - I rather wish I had thought of it!

I like gnocchi (making and it eating it). I lived in Italy many years ago. But I’m not very keen on ricotta at the best of times, which puts me off. It’s really not worth the faff either. I’m happy to have pasta or gnocchi instead.

I’ve got chicken stock in the fridge as well - I make it every time we have chicken. Will make a soup today. And I have a duck stock in the freezer which I need to use to free up space for Christmas! I think I will make a cheat’s cassoulet with that - Nigel does one with chicken.

Today’s chapter is one of my favourites. I lived in Norway for a while and really enjoyed the snow (we don’t get much in DK) and the properly crisp, cold winter. I love his description of the snow:

‘...each flake as soft and white as goose fat’.

Mmmm goose fat.

I had a look at ocado and waitrose and neither had Lardo. I envy Nigel’s neighbourhood with proper Italian delis on every corner. It’s a bit more spar and fried chicken here - although bizarrely we do have two good cheese shops 🤷‍♀️

Lardo seems to be available from a few online charcuterie. Obviously, you'd have to pay through the nose. I'd just get a very fatty pack of pancetta (I usually sift through and pick out a meaty one, but I've seen a few lately that looked almost all fat)

Of course there are online tutorials you can follow to make your own. That is a WHOLE other level of poncery though.

Guanciale would work too, I should think, and is a little easier to find.

But not easier than pancetta! Which is probably what I'd use...

Love the writing about trees! We get a fresh tree each year - nothing enormous - love the smell of it. Lasts about a month and then it gets collected for recycling. Tried one in a pot wit roots but it didn’t really thrive afterwards in the garden - has anyone managed to keep a rooted tree found year after year?

I had never seen a faux tree in a home until I moved here. Took a while to get used to!

I’ve had faux and real over the years. Got my ‘forever faux’ tree a few years ago but haven’t used it since we moved into this house since there is plenty of room for a real tree, and it’s not a hassle to get it in and out (previous to this we had lived in flats for several years).

There is nothing like that beautiful smell! It definitely says Christmas to me, almost more than anything else. ❤️

Last year I bought lardo from this website along with some more Spanish delicacies. The stuffing turned out much better than the 1st year with pancetta, it had very distinct bellota ham taste. Basco food website had some sort of discount last year for Black Friday. I had forgotten about these guys until reading here about getting hands on lardo and now I NEED to stock up on all sorts of things there!

https://www.bascofinefoods.com/montanegra-iberico-bellota-lardo/

Ohhh that looks good! I had better not look as we aren't going overboard this year. Must. Not. Look.