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.

I do love Christopher ecclestone

Trailing behind slightly as I’m away from home (and therefore Nigel), but wanted to share this photo of the Christmas tree at St Pancras International which greeted me as I stepped off the Eurostar. It has been put there by Hatchards and is literally a spiral of bookshelves with a series of VN reading nooks underneath where you can listen to a story (or indeed read one for yourself!) Very striking and rather lovely. Enjoying reading all your musings in the absence of CC itself.

I found this thread last week from another readalong, immediately ordered the book and started trying to catch up on the thread. It was pretty easy catching up on the book, but the thread is taking longer. You guys have got some serious mileage out of the prologue and 6 days of entries! The good thing about reading the speeded up thread is I was still contemplating spending far too much on a candle when I came across the essential oil ideas - thanks everyone!

Absolutely love the book, it transformed how I am feeling about this dark and wet November in just a few pages.

And although it's profoundly unphotogenic, I'm quite pleased with today's "Aubergines with lentils and no basil". Used philly instead of cream and reduced the olive oil. Tasted better than it photographed. I've also bought leeks and veggie sausages to catch up with November 5th. Presumably it's compulsory to eat the marmalade pears with ice cream afterwards?

Thanks everyone, a very wonderful mumsnet hidden gem.

That's stunning. Makes me determined to get to London sometime in the run up to Christmas.

I’ve seen that book tree! Isn’t it fab 😀

Good work on the aubergines and I do like the sound of the marmalade pears

We love panto in Palladium, bought this year’s tickets in spring. I try to buy really good seats because I get annoyed if seats are bad but I still had spent fair bit money, plus the time. So it can escalate in my mind quite quickly and then I cannot relax and focus on the show. I’d rather go to one show with very good seats than 3 with average or not that good ones.

we have also booked afternoon tea when we go to panto, I’m so excited

https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/london/dining/art-afternoon-tea

@Strawberryfield12 I booked my theatre tickets months ago too. As soon as they came out. I have to be in the front row as I'm claustrophobic and can't have people in front of me. The hotel for afternoon tea looks lovely!

9 November

The Christmas list and a Fig tart

"The row of notebooks, black, brown, indigo, fat with bookmarks and held together with tape, gets ever longer. The handwritten books where I scribble not just notes and recipes, but my endless, obsessive lists. This morning, while it's still dark, I sit at the kitchen table, get out the current little black book and start this year's Christmas list"

Ooh I love figs.

But I love notebooks more. Can totally identify with Nigel and his obsessive lists. In this respect I am Ultimate Nigelling. Notebooks are the very essence of life itsself.

I can see the tickets have sold very well for these shows! I will be on it much earlier next year. Palladium is £££ but I do love Rob Madge and the costumes all look amazing!

I am wearing a sample of melangrano perfume today from my Santa Maria novella sample set, having read that this is one of the perfumes Nigel likes in a candle.
let’s say it’s more of an evening perfume and I hope my clients don’t mind the powerful smell 🤣🤣🤣

I am behind again thanks in part to an awful week & I'm just not feeling it, and in part to the wonderful cold dd1 has shared around 🙄

We have booked our panto tickets though! Very late this year so we're sat in a square rather than end of an aisle like we usually would 🤷‍♀️ I don't think the girls will be fussed about going for much longer but then again, dd1 looked most put out at my "are we going to Panto?" question so maybe I'm wrong.

The book tree looks brilliant! I wonder if it's popular for taking a few minutes for a story?

Nigel is right with his lists - can't beat a good list. The girls and their dad have asked for a list of what still needs doing for Christmas so I shall enjoy putting that one together. I never keep my books though - always recycle the pages as they're done with. How interesting would it be to be able to look back at 5/10 year ago notebooks!?

I'm meant to be shopping for stocking fillers today but didn't want to take out my grumpy mood & shocking week on my friend so declined. Maybe that list is what I should do today in an attempt to lift my mood, and maybe I should listen to CC on Spotify as I write it 🤔

Maybe it's best to get the cold out of the way Lucysmam. Last Christmas we were all down with COVID and other viruses and in separate rooms. Christmas Dinner was sausages and we all kept away from one another as DH had COVID and I had been ill since November with a virus and had just been released from hospital. It was just BIZARRE. New Year was much better but we're in Scotland so it's big up here.

I'm soooo looking forward to the festive season this year 🎄🎄🎄

Oh gosh, I had Covid for the first 3 weeks of December last year. Just tested negative by the 23rd. It was totally rubbish. Didn't get any cards posted myself, and ended up delivering my Mum's neighbours cards for her after Crib service on Christmas eve!

I always used to think it weird when I was a kid and all the adults seemed obsessed with health. It was written in the Christmas cards "Wishing you a healthy and Happy New Year" and then on NYE itself - the cry of "To Good Health!" as they made a toast. My goodness, you really come to realise the importance of these sentiments as you get older.

Very cold here today. Was 3 degrees on the school run. It's forecast to drop a bit lower over the next few nights, so I've just topped up the grit box.

Hope you're feeling better soon @lucysmam

I'm sorry you were poorly with COVID last year. Let's hope we are all in robust good health this year.

I have most of the wider family and friends gifts bought. We are currently having our bathroom and ensuite replaced so the house is in chaos.

Nigel is providing me with calming solace 😁

Hope you are feeling a little better day by day Lucysmam

Oh goodness, I hadn't even thought about Covid 🙈 I think there are some tests still, on my bookshelf. I'll double check!

@NollaigChridheil yes, you're right. Probably better to get it out of the way now! That said, I work in Early Years so always something to be caught 🙄

I'm on a phased return atm, and not in today, so just having a very slow day of nothing much. I might write the Christmas "to-do" list, as I said, and maybe take stock of the crafts I'd like to do. Baking is all in hand & planned already.

Here's a question for you all.

I'm very lucky in that I've just received bottles of Clementine gin and Triple Sec for free (I'm a tester / mystery shopper) I've not made my cake yet, and I've soaked fruit in everything from guiness to expensive cognac in the past. Would the triple sec work for fruit soaking do we think? Or maybe a glug of it in Mincemeat? To be fair, it will mostly be my Dad eating the cake / pies and he usually loves owt with a bit of booze in.

Oh yes I think that'd work nicely.

‘Nothing sucks the joy out of receiving a gift than to have been asked ‘What do you want for Christmas?”.

I totally agree with Nigel on that one. I think I must be a big kid when it comes to presents as I love the surprise.
I made the mistake of putting together an Amazon wish list last year of inexpensive toiletries to give some ideas that DS could choose from. Unfortunately other family members found it and brought all the gifts before he had a chance, and somehow Amazons systems allowed multiples of the same gift to be bought. So no surprise presents at all, (and I’ve got enough cheap eau de perfume to last me 10 years). This year I will refuse to be drawn on what I want.

Also fig tart sounds lush.

Oooh yes triple sec in the mincemeat / cake sounds excellent

cocktail too?

@narniabusiness totally agree! I love a surprise. I still get that fluttery excited feeling when the girls put their gifts for me under the tree. Even though I could tell you what they probably are...I don't know what they are & that's a good feeling!

In a similar vein, we do reusable Advent calendars, with a variety of small gifts and chocolates. They've followed the same format forever but the girls won't open them without each other so they don't spoil the surprise.

I wrapped the fillers earlier, listening to Nigel talk about Christmas trees & partridges. Lovely 😊

My copy of Advent arrived not long ago - I've had a quick flick through but concentration's not there today for reading so just at the pictures mainly. I'm not sure why it was listed as having slight flaws, on ebay, it looks perfect to me 🎄

My local theatre is a bit shoddy about pantos so doesn't do one but always puts on a ' festive performance ' this year it's The Little Princess . We've had The Borrowers , The Snow Queen & The Emperor's New Clothes ( not naked though ! )