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.

What did you do at the end last year? Do you all just say "See you in October" and go your own way? I can't bear the thought! The saddest thing last year was that quite a few stalwart posters, who had stuck with the thread right to the end for the last post on February 2, said they were leaving Mumsnet. I was literally bereft. I didn't see it coming and I still don't fully understand why that happened. It's one of the reasons I didn't start the new thread this year - I wasn't quite sure who to call out to, but I couldn't be more delighted to see so many people joining in and huge thanks to @RainbowZebraWarrior for taking the initiative.

I had the idea I’d read his kitchen diaries through the year but somehow it didn’t happen 🤷‍♀️ maybe next year is the one

Sorry, that was meant for @StarryAnise

I had that idea too @bigbadbarry but I found it just doesn’t have the feel of CC. I prefer to dip in and out of Kitchen Diaries like I do with a normal cookery book.

I think this is QN (=Quite Nigel), even though it's a Nigella recipe (with some tweaks because OF COURSE. Also my oven is quite slow so it always takes about twice as long as she suggests. I've made a giant vat of Jansson's Temptation. Well, I say giant but my quantities are about 2/3 of Nigella's....

Recipe here:

Whoops. Recipe here:

@SqueakyDinosaur that looks utterly luscious!

@LillianGish I think there was a mass exodus last February due to the massive issue with the sex board on Mumsnet. I left briefly, too but I'm glad I came back and I'm glad I started the thread this year. It would be lovely to keep something going this time.

I'm listening to Yotam Ottolenghi's podcast Simple Pleasures this evening. His guest on the episode I'm listening to is Nigella. It's hitting the spot for me, but then I'd watch or listen to Nigella reading out the telephone directory - same with Nigel.

Speaking of Nigella, I had to make four dozen Muffins for school last night. I always use one of her recipes and it's so satisfying as it mixes melted butter with lemon juice, milk and beaten egg. In the recipe she says "it will curdle, but that's just fine" and her voice always goes through my mind as I'm stirring the mixture, smiling to myself. The recipe is from How to be a Domestic Goddess. I shocked myself as I realised that book came out 25 years ago!

Jansson’s frestelse! 😋😋

@RainbowZebraWarrior I'm going to make an Ottolenghi recipe in the next week or so:

This one

Really looking forward to it! Got the inspiration from a thread in the food/recipes topic.

I almost re-bought Nigella's Kitchen the other day when I saw it in the charity shop. I'm glad I decided to come home and double check first! That's always my cue to have a little delve into cookbooks past, when I can't remember whether or not I have a particular one...

So I'll be digging out my Nigella collection over the next week or so for a little read through.

Food related podcast, not Christmassy but food related and really well done. Comfort Eating by Grace Dent.

A funny bit at very start where Grace shares a guilty pleasure type snack and then a well known person brings the snack they make for themselves when nobody else is looking.

They go on to discuss food from their childhood and then their lives and career. It can be poignant as well as celebrating food.

We've really loved it.

Shirley Ballas, Nadyia Hussain, James Norton were all great.

Family tell me Stephen Fry was interesting.

Blimey, looking for the link I see I've only listened to season 4/5. Great I have loads more. 😁

https://open.spotify.com/show/5fMtMMKSlUoDuxhd3a3IS0

I made the Aubergine and lentil dish with the Double Cream. I never cook with cream so it was a revelation. DH said it was nicer than the Jamie Oliver salad I made last week and had to explain that was because JO used cottage cheese and yoghurt for the ‘creamy’ dressing and this contained the real thing.
Thanks to @PricklyBob for the info about oven cooking the aubergine.

After reading the article Nigel wrote about his love of pottery, I realise mine is NVN. I think that Willow pattern was specifically frowned upon.

@narniabusiness it looks great, and I like your plate!

I've got a soft spot for Emma Bridgewater pottery. I am certain that Nigel would not approve!

@YuletideSolace Ooh, I very much like the look of that confit chickpeas recipe. That could well be Saturday night's food sorted for me.

@HannahDefoesTrenchcoat I like a bit of Grace Dent (I think she's in the Jungle this year??) And James Norton rather lovely to listen to. That's definitely next on my list.

I like Grace too. I really need to go through and read/look at all the links. So many interesting things to read/watch/listen to.

@narniabusiness
I absolutely LOVE Willow pattern, plus anything blue and white. Sadly, my crockery is probably NVN either, but I’m sure he’d be very polite about it if he ever came for dinner 🤣

17 November

Pork and panforte

Justas I might eat a wedge of butter-soft panettone with shudderingly bitter coffee on a winter's morning, or bream a marzipan-scented slice of stollen after and afternoon spent sweeping up leaves in the garden, I too get a fancy for a tiny triangle of chewy panforte. Looking forward to the gentle slap of sweet spice as much as I do that of Lebkuchen or gingerbread, I am more than a little ashamed that I had to warm to it's honeyed tone when I visited its rust-red hometown, Sienna. With hindsight, I probably though the slim, white packages piled high in every shop were soap.

I love pork. I love panforte. And I think I am going to try a toasted mincemeat sandwich for lunch!

Waving from Paris, where I’m adventuring through all the Diptyque scents. Also, cake.

VV N. Smells divine. His new year candle

Pork and pears for dinner here tonight (though in fact it's a Jamie Oliver recipe for tray-baked park chops - a bit of a staple in our house). I'm wondering if I might nip round to the Italian deli and see if they have any panforte (and if it's not too eye-wateringly expensive!)

Ohhh looks so lovely. Would be so nice to mooch around some beautiful shops today. Sadly I’ll be ‘helping’ to build a floor instead... 😩

Waves to @Bimblesalong - and you have brought the sun out (I actually thought I was going to get washed away yesterday). Might even pop out for a bit of candle sniffing myself later. DH said: "I see Nigel's been round!" when he came home and smelled Carmelite burning yesterday evening.

@Bimblesalong Oh, how wonderful. I'm just looking at those hanging wax creations. I've never seen those before. I now feel the need to create something similar!

Loving "I see Nigel's been round" ❤️