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 must resist! I’m on a strict(ish) low-spend/consumption drive atm funnily enough, despite all the discussion of ridiculously expensive candles, I think The Christmas Chronicles is the perfect book for a low-spend Christmas. My favourite part is the introduction which gets you thinking about winter in a positive way so you start to long for the dark evenings and frost crackling underfoot. It's just the pep talk I need in the week before the clocks go back. CC is the absolute antithesis of going out and spending a fortune on a new Christmas colour scheme, it's about treasuring what you have and taking pleasure from that. Find a cosy blanket or throw to snuggle under while you read, drink tea from your favourite cup or pour yourself a tipple in your favourite glass. I love that photo of Nigel's much-loved Christmas decorations tucked up in their tissue paper - mine are all packed away now exactly like that just so I can have the pleasure of unwrapping them again this year. No need to spend anything and as a bonus it made packing them away (a job I usually find unbearably depressing) much more of a joy in the knowledge that I was Being More Nigel. The message I take from CC is to appreciate what you have instead of going out, spending money and buying more stuff.

Nigel’s decorations - for those listening on audiobook or reading on a Kindle.

Yes @LillianGish I definitely agree and it's one of the things I appreciate most about the book. I've always had very low-key Christmases tbh so it suits me just fine, even if one part of me has very, very expensive tastes. I love admiring the lovely things everyone else has but I'm quite content for Christmas to be mostly about hygge.

I caught myself staring at a bag of shelling nuts in M&S the other day so I think I’m ready to join. Will pop my copy next to my candle and see you all soon x

@Newgirls yes definitely ready to join

Incidentally one of the items I've treated myself to this year is this lovely nutcracker. My grandparents always, always had a basket of nuts on their coffee table in the TV room. Brings back lots of happy memories.

Hiya, I joined last year but dropped off the map quite quickly due to assorted life stresses. I'm back to give it another go, although probably with more focus on reading and less on cooking for this year. That said the lamb potato bake thing was fantastic, will definitely do that again.
Reading on Kindle, got it charged and ready.

Hello all. Wow! The posse is really growing this year. I've been in meetings most of the morning, but I also managed to nip in to M&S to grab the advent calendar. Had a browse at their candles and have to say they aren't nice.

I'm posting a 2nd pic of Nigels decorations as I was on a mission earlier this year to have some Nigelesque vintage glass ornaments. The amount they go for on eBay is astounding. Anyway, my patience paid off back in May / June of this year and I bought a couple of small bundles that include the mushrooms in the picture. I also snapped up a massive bargain gift set of beautiful enamelled baubles.

I'll leave this little passage entitled "Eating winter - the food of fairy tales" from the intro pages

Gingerbread biscuits with icing like melting snow; steaming glasses of 'glow wine' savoury puddings of bread and cheese and a goose with golden skin and a puddle of apple sauce. There are stews of game birds with sprigs of thyme and rosemary; fish soups the colour of rust and baked apples frothing at the brim. Winter is the time for marzipan-filled stollen, thick with powdered sugar, pork chops as thick as a plank and rings of Cumberland sausages sweet with dates and bacon.

Forgot the photograph

Speaking of marzipan, I seem to remember last year there was a mention of Celementine marzipan - possibly Sainsbury's taste the difference. Did anyone try this? It sounds right up my street so I'm off to have a Google to see if it may be available this year. If not, I'm thinking a few drops of clementine oil kneaded into golden marzipan might do the job.

I have tree decorations going back years now including some from my grandmas tree so will look forward to getting those out

clementine marzipan sounds so much nicer than regular!

It was Sainsbury’s and it was amazing!

I used to have generations worth, too but all got lost in a flood 6 yrs ago so im trying to build a collection back up. I know my Mum still has a lot of 80s style ones and some lovely ones she bought on honeymoon in Malta. She doesn't have the energy to bother with a tree any more so she says we can have a rummage and I can take what I want. Actually, I'm going to hers after school so I'm going to do it and shall report back what I find 🙂

Ooh 80s style sounds fab! Sorry to hear others were lost in a flood

Thank you. I made my peace with it a long time ago, and while it is sad that some family heirlooms were lost, it can be quite liberating letting some elements of the past go (like stuff you never really liked but felt obligated to keep)

Fould weather here, so came straight home from the school run. Will rifle through Mum's decs at the weekend.

I'm not finding any clementine marzipan yet, but I hold out hope as we get nearer to Christmas.

On a totally different note, has anyone ever successfully made those colour changing for cones that you throw on the fire? I've coveted them in the Lakeland catalogue for years, but they are about £20 a box now!

I used to love candles but since we got our lovely black cats four years ago the Christmas decorations in our house have whittled right back.
The tree survived less than a week the first year and four days the next , never risked it again
I haven’t dared try candles as Female Cat threw two large fruit bowls to their demise , smashed to pieces. She’d see a candle as a challenge.

I have LED , good quality candles with realistic flame effect. Just no aroma.

I'm sure Nigel would tell a cat “No” and it would listen 😆

Sainsbury do delicious curd last year blood orange, year before clementine. Taste the Difference limited.
Nigel would make his own I’m sure

His cats desecrated the Christmas tree once so I don't think they listen to him. It's in the book!

I feel better now 😸

I can imagine my cats saying “ Well Nigel’s cats do that too…..”

I used the M&S Christmas cake kit last year, is it a sackable offence?

I just bought an M&S cake last year so I think you're off the hook! At least you baked...

@HughCanoe that's a relief!

I've just finished the introduction and am feeling all warm and fuzzy (or maybe that's the glass of red I drank whilst reading by the fire!!)

I've even been out in our garden and bringing in some winter greenery and berries to get me more in the winter mood 😃

I mentioned the Sainsburys Clementine marzipan last year but it was the year before that they did it (it was TTD) and they did a different one last year which I didn't like the sound of and didn't buy. I looked the other day and the only had the normal one out so maybe its a but early but I suspect it will be another different flavour.

catwithflowers good reminder about picking holly this weekend. I usually leave it far too late and the birds/squirrels strip the holly tree before I get a chance!

@Woollyjumpersandtomatosoupweather do you dry it? Does it last til Christmas? I hadn't thought about the birds stripping it. We have loads. Sign of a harsh winter apparently!