The Autumnal Christmas Chronicles Preamble thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hi, and welcome to the Nigel Slater appreciation society Christmas Chronicles Premable thread.

The thread will start proper in late October where we begin our annual journey of reading the Christmas Chronicles in real time. It is a cosy, heartwarming event that one can dip in and out of as life allows. Think flickering candles, woodsmoke, delicious recipes, the odd home made tipple, and bucket loads of touching Nigel-esque anecdotes. It is a veritable Hyyge of a thread.

This thread is to see us through until that time. You will find me, like a squirell, checking on my store of candles at the back of the cupboard.

It's also worth noting that Nigel's new book; A Thousand Feasts is out on 26th September. (with a deliciously Autumnal cover)

Right I'm going to ask the manager of my local ASDA for Moose meat. I've already driven the poor man mad asking for other obscure ingredients so one more think won't do any harm 😁

Those mushrooms are such a beautiful yellow...

Those mushrooms look great. I tried reindeer when we went to Lapland, is moose a bit stronger in flavour?
I harvested my potatoes, onions and shallots at the allotment yesterday and managed to snaffle some blackberries as well.
Just had a lovely roast pork lunch and now we're all having a lazy afternoon. For those of you with a candle addiction like me, this weeks middle aisle in Aldi has some Neom dupes, I'll let you know what they're like.

We eat a lot of reindeer as well! We live in a Samì heartland, near the border of Sweden in the mountains. The moose is similar to reindeer, maybe a little richer. But both are high protein, low fat and delicious! Nothing beats a reindeer burger from Røros Rein, grilled on the fire with blue cheese and red onion chutney.

I think you can find the mushrooms in English forests too. You need a mixture of either pine and birch trees or birch and coniferous trees. They are low down in moss. Be careful not to pick false chanterelle as they look similar. But there are loads of apps that can identify for you.
This thread and the book is just what I needed and what I didn't realise I was looking for.
We've always loved autumn (or the Gateway to Winter) as we call it. As a family we love the darkness, the cold the snow. Last year was quite frankly, the worst year our family experienced starting from last July. So we missed out on our koselig høst. This year I was determined to have it. And then I found you all here, discovered Nigel and his books and it's like everything has clicked into place.

I couldn’t resist any longer! First one of the season…

@ranoutofquinoaandprosecco I'll be interested to hear about the Neom dupes. People went mad earlier this year for their Neom dupe massage candle. It was awful and nothing like the real one. I also hated the Trudon style ones.

I'm not a complete candle snob, mind. I've got a Wickford & co Gingerbread one from B&M which I love. It doesn't get lit, it just sits beside the light switch in the kitchen and I get a whiff every time I walk in.
I also love Aldi's No 22 which hasn't been in stock for ages.

What a wonderful post, @IngenTing It has reminded me of the book I mentioned recently on here (a novel called Winter beneath the stars by Jo Thomas). It's a typical Chick lit affair in a way, but actually, the author has spent time where it's set. The crux of the story is about a female courier who finds herself in Sweden joining forces with a native man and learns all about the Sami way of life. I actually found it really interesting, and I have put it away to read again later in the winter.

For any Neom candle fans they are currently on Brand Alley including the Christmas ones. My Sunday hasn't turned out quite as planned, has instead been hectic and I've yet to bake my planned apple cake which I was looking forward to. However in good news my book has arrived yey! I've brought it with me to my son's swimming lesson for a sneaky peek! 👀

I finished making this quilt the other day and am currently lying under it with a cup of tea and Garden Rescue on the TV. ☺️ I'm glad it's chilly enough to do so!

Hope everyone's having a nice weekend doing Autumnal things.

@HowManyDaysTilChristmas your quilt is lovely. You must be very patient and talented.

I've spent the day labelling honey and identifying all the wild flowers our bees have been feeding on. Basically, we have taken our bees to feed on the Heather in Northumberland every year for 30 years. We realised when we were looking in the hives that it wasn't Heather honey. We then noticed that the local farmers have been diversifying and planting wild flowers nearby. The bees therefore have been mostly feeding on red clover, Devils-bit scabious, meadow buttercups and Birds foot Trefoil.

@HowManyDaysTilChristmas sounds a perfect Sunday and I love your user name!!! 🎄

Can anyone more knowledgeable identify these spotted in the hedgerow on our dog walk this eve growing alongside blackberries. I thought they were sloes but there are no thorns on the branches?

Possibly Bullace?

Sorry for the rather brief reply but my taxi arrived. Bullard are a type of wild plum and the leaves in your photo look like a match. I’ve never eaten them myself.

Two beautiful autumn days this week here on the north east coast, and the opportunity for DH and me to go off for the day and take a picnic on to the glorious North York moors. Sitting high up in the heather, beautiful views all around, and the little Pickering to Whitby steam train puffing away far below, it was like sitting on top of the world! A special treat as DH finished radiotherapy treatment a few weeks ago and is just starting to regain his strength and energy, it felt like being normal again after a very worrying couple of years.
This is a catch up, having read so many lovely posts on this thread over the past few days, especially from @EphemeraleEudemonia, and the beautiful photos from @RainbowZebraWarrior, and@IngenTing. You could try The Range for seed beads@StiffyByngsDogBartholomew if there’s one near you; @HowManyDaysTilChristmas your quilt is lovely, beautiful work; @imp2007 these look like wild plums (known as bullaces in this part of the country). @PricklyBob - so sorry you’re having a rough time, and hope things soon get better for you. And @Bimblesalong, very best wishes for your op on Friday, and for a speedy recovery.

I'd also agree with a variation of wild plum. We have lots of them round here (as well as damsons)

Thank you so much @narniabusiness and @Bubblesbythesea I will have a google never heard of Bullance but thanks to this lovely thread am taking much more notice of the gorgeous hedgerows around us here in Cornwall. Sounds like an amazing day up on the Moors must have been super lovely after such a tough couple of years really makes you appreciate the simple magic in things. The apple cake was finally made and is now cooling I can't wait to try thank you for the recipe recommendation x

@Bubblesbythesea Pickering area / North Yorkshire moors is my absolute favourite part of England. I almost moved there at one point. I used to stay regularly in holiday cottages in both Cropton and Wrelton as well as the idyllic Thornton Le Dale which is a much photographed village. (Shame they also suffer from regular flooding). The NYM steam railway is simply wonderful and like stepping back in time. Dalby Forest is also a must for anyone who visits this part of the world.

Pleased to hear that your DH has finished radiotherapy, and you have both had a restorative trip.

I grew up in the North York Moors and miss it so much. My partner is from down South and doesn't love the idea of moving to Yorkshire! It's nice to hear people appreciating the area. 😁

(PS: Thanks for the kind words on the quilt, everyone!)

I've never been on the NYM steam railway, despite living nearby. I should look into it.

When I read @Bubblesbythesea message it made me picture a Harry Potteresque scene with a lovely old steam train in the countryside! Never been to Yorkshire bet it's beautiful. Happy Monday everyone.

Goathland Station on the NYM railway was actually used as Hogwarts Station. Goathland also being where Heartbeat was filmed.

Nigel's book is out next week. So excited. Had to resist going to buy the Observer yesterday for sneak peeks. I see he also ut his new portrait photo on his Insta over the weekend.

Have only been that way (NYM) once and absolutely loved it. If we were ever to leave Scotland, this is defintiely the area we'd consider.

Just want to say thanks to everyone for well-wishes. I don't want to derail a thread of loveliness but I do want to acknowledge all the wonderful people here. I've had a lovely seasonal weekend - got out for anoth woodland walk and this time was able to be fully in the moment, appreciating the turning leaves and low sunlight. It was such lovely weather too. Also had a great cold water swim in the sea, which is something I love but haven't been in the water for almost three months - so restorative. Did a bit of gardening and some reading - explored a new bookshop in the area which has the section "Classic and Cosy Crime" separate from the actual crime/thriller section. Didn't buy anything this time around - my Nigel pre-order is enough book expenditure for this month and I have a stack of unread books already, but thought this was a stroke of genius and will be back.

@PricklyBob that book shop sounds amazing. Whereabouts was it? I'm about 30 mins away from Thornton le Dale!
Just been to Bingley this morning to look at radiators - yawn, but coming back it was lovely and sunny. Such a shame I need to do inside jobs for most of today!

I just want to say that if anyone is struggling at all, ever, with anything, then it's not derailing the thread to say so. We are all human and we all have our ups and downs in life, our challenges and our struggles. No details need to be given, but sometimes we all need a virtual hug, or to offload a bit.

One of the things that saddens me most in life is the pretence that all is perfect. You see it on social media all the time. It's not healthy.

Sending love to all and hoping the sun is shining where you are as much as it is here.