Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Read Along 2023 - Part Two

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Continuing from Part 1

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 began on 1st November, however there is still time to fully appreciate Nigel in All His Splendour as it takes us to Christmas and beyond.

Most of us already have the book (or Audio 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 continue to make a post each day and we can share our thoughts and feelings on the days recipes, sentiments and indeed Dear Old Nige himself.

Pull up a chair and a cosy blanket and join in. Twinkly lights are optional, but candle light is definitely recommended. Regulars and newcomers are welcomed like old friends.

🌲

shameless placemarking. Reading this thread is the highlight of day

My mind is blown with today's wonderfully detailed and informative chapter and with all the Chroniclers who are already baking up a storm. I am a big fan of Dan Lepard's Plum Plum pudding which uses fresh plums and dried prunes and is delicious. But I think I'll have to give Nigel's recipe a go this year. I was fascinated by his suggestion that currants give a better texture because they are so small and stick together well - it's easy to think currants are a bit of a poor relation to raisins so it's great to hear them praised!

Definitely not doing anything until Stir Up Sunday, though, impressed by all of you who are way ahead.

Though I did get a head start on a little advent project. I had to shorten a fence panel today and realised the offcuts were crying out to be turned into an outdoor nativity crib. Just made a start on it, but very happy with it so far. It's shoe-box sized - I have some tiny china nativity figures from French junk shops and have been meaning to make a crib for years. I suspect it's this thread that has made me finally get my act together. Plan is to put it on the front garden wall as I know my kids would have loved to see something like that in the street when they were little.

@StarryAnise I am utterly in love with your mini Nativity crib. ❤️ what a wonderful idea.

I can’t wait to see your crib when finished and in place on your garden wall @StarryAnise.

21 November

Fairies and Flammkuchen

Nine in the morning, church bells ringing, feet scurrying over the frosty cobbles. I'm warm with toasted rybebread and cherry jam, with bircher muesli and sweet apple pastries, and have set out looking for decent coffee. The Christmas markets open at ten. Markets with canopies of twinkling lights and rows of starlit trees, stalls of painted wooden toys, nougat and Flammkuchen and later, much later, mugs of Glühwein to warm hands and souls.

Love the crib and the idea of placing outside where kids can see. I am sure there will be plenty of adults who will enjoy it too

Love this thread. Seeing and hearing about everyone’s run up to Christmas experiences is so uplifting.

I’ve read CC every year since my wonderful friend gave me it for Christmas when it came out. It’s as much a tradition for me now as putting up the tree and going to the panto. I love his descriptions of the Christmas markets so excited for the entry today; I’m in Brum and we have the big Frankfurt Christmas Market. I’m singing there with my rock choir soon and last year I did pretend that I was part of a Nigel chapter whilst my DDs rolled their eyes! I never get round to the recipes other than the mincemeat sandwich one and the lucky lentil soup one but maybe, inspired by you lovely lot, this will be the year that changes…

@Retrievemysanity singing with a rock choir at a Christmas Market sounds magical!

It's DDs birthday today, and as well as getting her gifts, I always buy myself a little treat to mark the day. This has been stored away since it was delivered two months ago. It's an Anthropologie Quince and Spice candle, and I love it! I felt it was quite fitting with Nigel's description of starlit trees at the Chistmas markets.

@Retrievemysanity I'm planning to visit the Christmas Market in the next week or so - when is the rock choir singing there?

Thank you for the new thread.

I'm not a fan of dried fruit/fruitcakes so won't be making a christmas cake. I still enjoy reading Nigel's descriptions though and MiL always makes one which goes down well with the rest of the family.

I'm also near Edinburgh and can recommend Christmas at the Botanics - we alternate it each year with the Zoo lanterns (not on this year although they have a christmas village) and the Castle of Lights. This year is a Botanics year and I'm really excited - it's always an incredible display and really gets me in the spirit.

Did my first trip to the christmas market last night. Yes, it's expensive and not as good as it used to me but there is something lovely about wandering around stalls of christmas baubles, candles, scarves and wooden carvings, with gluhwein in hand.

@RainbowZebraWarrior happy birthday to your DD. My youngest had hers on Sunday so I now have 2 teens in the house! Bless her, she wanted to go to the pen museum with her friends-this is surprisingly more fun than it sounds with calligraphy and graphology, making our own nibs and an opportunity to write with a quill and ink. VVN!

@MissMarplesNiece we are there Saturday morning. I think the slots are 10-12 and I’m doing the last hour. Quite like the morning before it gets rammed although being daytime it means no twinkly lights and I feel the rock choir is a jolly affair rather than the choristers I imagine Nigel enjoying. NVN.

@RainbowZebraWarrior definitely get on the lemon and potato stuffing - if you’re not cooking it in a goose I would recommend adding some goose fat in to the recipe. Thanks for the new thread!
Planning the brisket recipe for the weekend, and the cabbage and cheese sauce sometime this week too. I meal plan once a week so will never keep up without reading ahead!

@StarryAnise love that crib! Can’t wait to see it done - think that’ll go on the list of future projects!

I didn't know about Northern Lights Newcastle, @RainbowZebraWarrior It looks wonderful! I'll have to see if I can fit in a visit in December and persuade Mr Cardigans to come with me (mission impossible, as he is the original Grinch!).

Thanks so much for your kind offer @LaviniasBigBloomers That would be great, if you don't mind. We'll only have time for lunch, as we have to head straight for the train after The Botanics.

So many talented and creative people here - I'm in awe of your skills! 😍

Using the giblets from the other day to make Nigel’s goose gravy. Experimental for me - normally we save gravy from a roast chicken and use that at Christmas (making gravy from the goose on the day is too much effort) - so I’m hoping it’ll be good! If it is it can go in the freezer for Christmas dinner. If not then I’ve spent a cold grey afternoon by the aga for nothing - what a shame!

Has anyone been to the Christmas market in Bristol?

I went to Birmingham last year and enjoyed it, though I swear it was the same four or five stalls on repeat!

This is one of my favourite chapters. We are going to Berlin in less than a fortnight to see DS who is studying there and I literally cannot wait! I have wonderful memories of the Christmas markets when we lived in Germany - my favourite was the huge one that filled the Gendarmenmarkt in the shadows of the French and German cathedrals and all the stalls that sprung up in little corners all over the city so that the winter air was permanently scented with gluhwein and pine trees - just as Nigel describes. DS is gratifyingly equally excited about reliving the magic - because it really did feel like magic. Nothing has ever quite lived up to the German Christmas for either of my kids, though we do try to recreate some of it at home. Our neighbours gave them both Advent calendars which we still refill every year and are as much of a tradition as stockings in our house.

I'm northern Scotland but do like to pop down to visit Edinburgh for Christmas. Not likely this year though. I do miss Jenners....

We are getting our bathrooms done and I'm currently waiting on the Sparky.

The house is not very Nigel at the moment. We had to empty our wardrobe to allow access to the back of our shower area. Our clothes and shoes are dumped all over the house. There's plastic carpet protector on the floors and dust everywhere. Christmas presents in boxes etc

But all my 'abroad' presents are posted and I have my Christmas card list ready.

Ah, here you are! I love the Christmas market part of the book too. We normally go to the one in Winchester but the diary is looking pretty busy over the next few weeks and I’m not sure if we’ll make it.

I made mini Christmas cakes in baked bean tins at the weekend, I used Nigel’s recipe but temps/timings from a recipe elsewhere for the size of cake. There was some leftover mix so I made a few little buns with it which are very tasty. It was a right faff lining all the tins though. I agree about fan ovens not being great, we used to have a gas oven which was a bit of a nightmare for cakes too as it had a steep temperature gradient bottom to top. Pudding was made the weekend before, also Nigel. This coming weekend and the one after are booked full so I thought I’d better just get on even if it wasn't Stir Up Sunday (it’s not one we observe TBH, I didn’t know about the getting a certain person to stir in a certain direction till the DCs were too old to want to adopt it as a tradition).

We're off to Warsaw in two weeks and I'm already getting excited about the markets. I love this chapter so much.

@LillianGish on the off-chance you want suggestions, may I recommend the Berlin Literaturhaus restaurant? Very untouristy and really nice, interesting, local food.

22 November

gold, Frankincense and myrrh

Off to see the golden tomb of the Three Wise Men at the Cathedral of St Peter, better known as the Kölner Dom. My adoration of the Magi, you could say. The glistening sarcophagus, made with wood overlaid with pearls, gold and images of Mary and Jesus and the Crucifixion, shines from the sepulchral darkness of the Catbederal's high altar. It is said to contain the remains of the Three Kings. If it doesn't, I have just made a journey for nothing.

Thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior .
Another beautiful chapter. Love the idea of carrying round a little fragment of
frankincense for a little fragrant hit. The rest of us will probably have to make do with our candles.

No progress on the crib here, but given today's entry, perhaps it's appropriate to share a picture of a "quick and dirty" solution I chucked together in the pandemic.

The figures are French Feves - tiny ceramic charms, about 1.5cm tall, which are traditionally baked into a Galette de Rois. They are quite common in French junk shops and were very cheap.

"Have you ever celebrated the Epiphany with a King Cake? These adorable little ceramic nativities, known as feves, are from France. Each year a French family will bake the baby Jesus into a cake. Whoever gets the slice of cake with the Christ Child in it is crowned king for the day!"

In lockdown, I made a quick cardboard setting, stuck it in the back of the car window and illuminated it with a string of fairy lights. I've wanted to do a proper crib ever since. This thread has definitely been a motivation to get my act together. (Though it probably helps that I'm on a phased countdown to retirement at Christmas...)

Thanks for the new thread 🎄

Just discovered this chat group, I'm a bit late to the party but love everything Christmas, especially the build up and traditions. CC ordered, hoping I can catch up, started listening to the audio, Nigel's voice is so soothing, looking forward to making some of the festive drinks and food and enjoying these posts🎄🎄