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)

I said I was going to do this years ago, @Bimblesalong and I'm annoyed I haven't. I even have a space next to my pear tree (and beside one of my useless apple trees) I am toying with the idea of moving though, so I'll hold off. It would be a great thing to plant a Russet as the first thing I did in a new garden, though.

My Mum is a proper apple and cheese fan. She used to make grated apple and cheese sandwiches. She also likes a bit of crumbly Lancashire or some Red Leicester with her malt loaf. I love a crunchy apple sliced into a salad.

We have been out for a walk in the mountains today, slightly north of where we live.
I fear our autumn may be a short one this year, the leaves have pretty much gone already from the birch trees and we are due snow on Tuesday which the long term forecast shows is here to stay.
I'm actually very excited, we are a family of snowboarders and live walking distance from the drag lifts, so we've been counting down the days!

A grey and overcast sort of day, just right for pottering about. Set the slow cooker on this morning, so dinner is taken care of, and made a Victoria sponge for DH as it’s his favourite and he’s just getting back to eating after radiotherapy, so deserves a treat. Went for a walk down the lane in our village this afternoon and couldn’t resist bringing back hips and haws to make a wreath to hang in the garden, so spent a happy hour doing that. We haven’t had the rain and storms yet that other parts of the country have had, but expect heavy rain tomorrow, so I’ve been cutting my favourite Cosmos flowers to bring in indoors. They’re so late this year and have only just starting flowering, so don’t want to see them flattened by the rain. A lovely pottering sort of day.

@RainbowZebraWarrior sounds as if your doctor did you favour after all, your new way of eating (not a diet!) and food listing is VVN - congratulations!

Lovely photos once again @IngenTing .

@Bubblesbythesea I love your natural wreath. Sounds like a peaceful, relaxing sort of day.

We had a promotional event in the local park, for a community group I'm involved with. The weather wasn't great and there was nobody around at first. But things picked up and lots of people out walking their dogs stopped by to say 'Hello' and have a little food and to join in the festivities. So it was quite a successful event in the end.

I'm sharing a photo of the lovely tree outside my house. I love the clusters of red berries on it. When the sun hits it, it positively glows. Sadly, no sun today.

@Bubblesbythesea I only discovered Cosmos this year. So pretty and so easy to grow. Mine are flowering like mad now. I love them. I hope your DH enjoyed the sponge.

@Taytocrisps gorgeous tree.

@IngenTing I think we will need snow photos when it arrives, please!

Thanl you. Yes, I think some tough love was perhaps needed.

Edited to add: Beautiful looking wreath and cake, by the way.

@RainbowZebraWarrior love the sound of the cheese with cake - my mum makes a great brack, which is lovely with cheese.

@IngenTing loving your photos and descriptions.

@Bubblesbythesea what a lovely afternoon that sounds. I hope hubby’s treatment is going as well as possible.

@Taytocrisps what a lovely tree - a Rowan?

I have been candle making this afternoon and my house smells amazing. I can't say what scents I have used, as it is a bespoke blend I have created especially for the lovely @Bimblesalong I will leave it up to her to share, once she has recieved it. For the moment, I am calling it my Bimbles / Nigel collaboration. I'm very pleased with it, and I hope she likes it too. It's a very uplifting fragrance, I feel.

Some very beautiful photos today ❤️

Why have I never thought of apples with cheese? I love cheese and feel I ought to eat apples (because they are good for you). I’m going to give it a go. @Bubblesbythesea your wreath is gorgeous. I’m surrounded by haws and hips and have NEVER thought of making such a thing. I think it’s VVN.
@RainbowZebraWarrior so pleased to hear about your eating well strategy. I find when I’m on holiday somewhere with a good food culture I swear I won’t eat crap again but I do fall off the wagon. Our supermarkets are mainly shelf after shelf of crap aren’t they? Which makes it so much harder.

Oh that's so sweet of you.

@Bimblesalong I hope you are getting better with each day 💐💐

We've a pork roast on, red wine in glass, house mostly clean, lovely walk looking at nature.

I still need to tackle the ruddy garden but, hey, life's not perfect.

Still time to get it under control, little byittle. Will think of bulb planting as someone suggested earlier.

@narniabusiness - you obviously don’t live in Yorkshire! One of our well known sayings is: ‘Apple pie without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze’!

@RainbowZebraWarrior is so generous with her talent. I feel so very supported (& sore!) and am looking forward to this beautiful autumnal gift. @MontyVerdi I have been banned from gardening by my team for a month. 😬. Am having conniptions about directing dh although I reckon I can trim my dahlias in a couple of weeks with my “good arm” as that’s not heavy work. They’ll need lifting, drying and storing for winter (dh will do the heavy work bless him). The flowers are still going and are a welcome sight in the rainy outside.

Beautiful updates!

We’ve just finished a walk by the river. It is so mild but there are wonderful russett and tan colours everywhere.

I love the concept of eating less but eating better. I confess to grabbing the same things at the supermarket every week and our menus are repetitive.

I’ve never read CC before and so looking forward to starting it! The copy I ordered from World of Books is very good condition. I feel part of a rather special club now!

Beautiful wreath @Bubblesbythesea . My cosmos are resolutely refusing to flower, not a single bud on them despite masses of healthy green foliage. This has never happened to me before. I will leave them though, as there is still time, sometimes I’ve had them flowering into November.

@Bimblesalong I hope your soreness doesn't last too long. Mine didn't so hopefully yours won't. I was going to get a tattoo where the scar is, but I yelped at the three tiny black dots they tattoo on you for the radiotherapy and decided against it. I am a wimp!

I went on a steam train for a fine dining experience yesterday evening and it was wonderful! Baked camembert, followed by duck and sour cherries followed by plum clafoutis. Yummy and I thought the plum clafoutis was VN.

Perfect Sunday afternoon here. Children bathed, in clean pyjamas and clean beds.

This thread is such a joy.

I love grey and rainy days like today (and tomorrow looks to be even better). Went for a walk in the drizzle with my partner this morning and then to a local deli/garden centre to get some nice ingredients.

I spent most of the day on the sofa after that, doing a combo of TV watching, hand-quilting, Mumsnet reading, drinking a hot chocolate and eating. 😁 We had (vegan) sausage sandwiches for lunch and my partner made creamy pasta for supper. ❤️

I'm now in the bath because I've got awful leg/hip pain at the moment. 😔 Looking forward to getting into bed where my hot water bottle is waiting for me.

Enjoying reading everyone's posts and sharing the Autumn inspiration!

Thanks @Confusedmeanderings - an option for me at least!

@Champere must say your name makes me smile every time I read it.

dh has just made his first special autumn stew of the year. It’s Hugh Fernley Wittingstall’s North African squash and chickpea stew. He read Keats’ poem to us before we ate a ds2’s face was a picture! I rather like the idea of occasional poem reading at supper.

Fabulous autumn light and colours this afternoon - apparently today is the autumn equinox (apologies if someone has already pointed this out) so officially the start of autumn. DS is just back from picking Champagne grapes - describing feasts laid out on trestle tables in the fields and feeling very in touch with the land. Taking him back to university in the UK on Tuesday so looking forward to some lovely British, nights-are-closing-in vibes and to picking up my copy of Nigel’s new book which is being delivered to my mum’s house.

My nan used to serve me bread and butter with apple and cheese. Like a stripped back Ploughman's lunch.

If anyone likes cheese with fruitcake, the Kletzenbrot pear loaf from the Advent book is lovely. The loaf is like a posh, homemade fruit and nut bar so less flour than most cakes.

Recipe

Pic

Vegan list from Advent baking book for (I think) @HowManyDaysTilChristmas?

Ooh great! Sorry to be ignorant, but is that a Nigel Slater book?!