The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024

[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 good few pages by way of introduction. This is why I start the thread now; so that we have time to prepare and settle in.

A lot 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.

I shall post each day and we can share our thoughts and feelings on the day's recipes and sentiments. It's particularly lovely to share any memories and personal traditions (as Nigel himself does)

Note: Reading by candle light can be particularly enjoyable. Cire Trudon may be one of Nigel's favourites but they are somewhat pricey. Share your festive finds here, even if they are at the cheaper end of the scale and possibly NVN (Not Very Nigel)

Pull up a chair, grab a cosy blanket, and light your candle of choice. It's that most wonderful time of the year!

This is such a lovely offer I'm just reposting in case anyone wants to take you up on this.

Yes @Webbb what a lovely offer. Hope the book finds its way to the right person. ✨✨✨

@Webbb i would gratefully accept this but I insist on paying the postage, if it is still available? I've been following along since the preambling and it the loveliest of threads

@JustAMiddleAgedDirtBagBaby I love winter thyme. I'm waiting to light my one for the first day of cc proper.
A long drive to visit my poorly parents in Derbyshire yesterday and I was up early to ferry various children and dh to workplaces as both dd and DD's cars have chosen now to go on the Fritz. So feeling a bit jaded this morning but a day of various errands and little niggly jobs in store.

Going to try and at least have one nice hour popping the last of my tulib bulbs in this afternoon in the due-to-be unseasonably warm afternoon.

I had a Google after reading this last night and ended up down a fruit-cake-rabbit-hole. I fancied the idea of making small ones as I've done it before, but then I saw this one and it just looked so moist

It uses the boiled fruit method and an orange syrup glaze. Well that's me sold. Bit o' Brandy in the orange syrup? Yum!

I've used the Good Housekeeping recipe for 32 years so I reckon I'm due a switch up.

cakesbymk.com/recipe/easy-moist-fruit-cake/

Forgot to add picture of said moist cake.

I do like the walnut to fruit ratio, too.

Oh wow @RainbowZebraWarrior that looks amazing. A good friend (from NcT days) is an incredible cook and has offered to make me a Christmas cake as a cheer up gift. I am delighted. Dh doesn’t like fruit cake so I don’t have to worry about the gf aspect. I’m already thinking about cheeses to pair it with.

@piscofrisco thats a weekend job here. Another friend has gifted me some very naice tulip bulbs. It’ll be lovely to think of them nestling under the soil ready for spring and the return to colour. I see that Monty has now lifted all his dahlias, which is my cue to get my act together and do likewise.

Morning, today is the day to read the introduction.

Candles ✅ ( I make them so have a seemingly never ending supply)

Fire ✅ (open and still too warm to light)

Dog ✅ (bouncy cocker so will have to wait until he calms down this evening)

Not sure I will do the recipes but thank you @bigbadbarry I have the 12 days of Christmas on its way. I had a small amount of back pay from the NHS pay rise and decided to treat myself to that, some new swim socks and gloves for my endeavours to keep going in the sea and some new wellies to walk Dave the dog

@cartreffi I've sent you a PM!

@LillianGish that's a lovely picture. One of my guilty pleasures once the evenings are dark is the little glimpses into other people's houses when their lights are on and they haven't closed the curtains. Always gives me a lovely warm feeling of families being tucked up warm out of the cold and dark. Plus I get to nosey at their decor It gets even better when the christmas lights start- it adds to the anticipation. I think it stems back to when I was a child and my brother was in hospital a lot. Dad would always distract me on the endless journeys back and forth for visiting by getting me to spot christmas decorations. We never put ours up til Christmas Eve so I'd be getting steadily more and more excited as the decorations in everyone's houses multiplied as it meant we were getting closer to ours going up.

Off to take DD Christmas decoration shopping this morning. She has grand plans for her bedroom this year.

Me too @BobBobBobbing! DD and I love to go out for a twilight walk. When lights are going on, but before curtains are closed. Her other favourite trick here is nipping through any open doors into courtyards. Often a massive door on the street at the front of a building will conceal a complex of courtyards with the buildings at the back in a little oasis of birdsong and greenery. Christmas decorations in people’s homes just don’t seem to be such a big thing here though (quite the reverse of our years in Germany) - our neighbours love it when we put Christmas lights in the windows and a wreath on the door and a couple of DD’s school friends used to specifically asked to come round to visit once the decorations went up (est-ce que ta mère a mis ses décorations??) @Gummibärchen do you have a German connection?

I have just purchased the book and it's due to arrive 1st November.

Lots to catch up on... Enjoying everyone's Autumnal photos!

@Bimblesalong Lovely of your son to get you the treat you wanted! Hope it was delicious.

@ExquisiteIyDecorated I love the idea of long-stewing apples and you've made me want a bowl of apple purée with yoghurt - a taste of my chidhood. 🥰

@Songlines Those Christmas socks are beautiful! I really need to finish my current pair and do a red and green pair...

@piscofrisco Speaking of tulips and other bulbs, I can't wait to get planting but I'm waiting for a special offer I ordered of 🌟500 bulbs🌟 to arrive and don't have a clue when it'll be! Yes, five hundred...

I actually started my Christmas food prep. today, which I wouldn't usually do. I just don't want to spend the entire Christmas Eve and Christmas Day cooking, but do want loads of delicious food, so am freezing as much as I can. Red cabbage with apple, DONE, and I'm going to make a fancy red wine gravy to freeze, too. I'm making a mini roast for supper this evening so keeping some back to have with roast potatoes, vegan sausages, carrot & swede mash, broccoli and gravy. Can't wait.

I also made these chocolate swirl buns yesterday and am going to enjoy one today, maybe with a hot chocolate, while crocheting coasters.

Do people generally look ahead to recipes in CC or do you wait and see what comes up on the day?

@BobBobBobbing that's also one of my most favourite things. It's so hyggelig. And I purposely leave our curtains drawn of an evening in the autumn/winter months to allow for others to see in and feel that same warmth.

@HowManyDaysTilChristmas I personally don't like to look ahead because it spoils some of the joy of reading each chapter on the day itself, but I think some people probably do - some might like to get a feel for the recipe from the relevant entry, especially on first reading.

There's a companion recipe title/ingredients list thread which you could consult to see what recipes are coming up.

As it stands it only goes up to 16 Dec. but I'll hopefully add the rest this year.

Recipe Thread

🎄🎄🎄

I have been making my mini Christmas cakes (a bit late) but they don't need as much feeding as the larger ones I've found.

Goodness me, they are such darling cakes! I've just realised that I have this little houses mould I could use. They are about the size of small tins of beans. No idea if it will be much cop as it's just silicone. I've put this weekend aside for cake shenanigans anyway.

Ooh I'm excited. Halloween on Thursday, book begins Friday. Fenwick window reveal on Sunday evening (watching on YouTube channel as I wasn't lucky in the ballot for tickets) Next week will be the John Lewis ad.
My candle of choice for Friday evening is ready. I've chosen Perfect Peace by Neom as it was discussed last week, so I got a new one.

On the 'do you look ahead to the recipes' question, no, I don't. Although I did have a quick peak at the orange and Apricot whisky recipe this year juts to make sure I have everything in (I want to make it on Friday) Although as I've said before, I don't much stick to the recipe anyway hehe!

Oh, and it is absolutely one of our favourite things to do when walking in the evening. Seeing everyone's houses decorated, that is. DD also likes to leave certain lights on in our house as when we are walking back, she sees the welcoming lights, and it makes her feel all warm and fuzzy.

@BobBobBobbing @LillianGish and others who enjoy the stolen glance at a lighted window, may I recommend Peter Davidson's The Lighted Window: Evening Walks Remembered, which my son (who knows me only too well) gave me a few Christmases ago? It's engaging and erudite and wonderfully illustrated. There's a good review of it here, by Seamus Perry:
https://literaryreview.co.uk/into-that-good-night

Oh my goodness all the book recommendations 😍 my list is getting longer and longer and I've lots to read already...

@GrannyWeatherwaxsBroomstick gorgeous little cakes! 🎄 I'm coveting another mini-cakes tin but I've already got one that I treated myself to last year and didn't end up using...must use that this year!!

@RainbowZebraWarrior have you got your yellow coffee maker yet? I'd love a peek at it. 🙂

@NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights after dithering for two autumn's in a row and deciding 'right, definitely' I didn't get it. I wanted it because it looked lovely. I don't drink enough coffee (maybe one cup a fortnight) and I'm the only adult in my house. So in the end it was a but crazy really. I still have the money sitting there from our Scarecrow Festival sales for something else when the fancy takes me* I think I was mostly influenced by nostalgia from the days where I owned a coffee shop.

*currently top of the list is a vintage cast iron bistro set for the garden

@RainbowZebraWarrior You sound like a character in a novel with your coffee shop owning days. I am picturing you like Meg Ryan in 'Have I got mail?' - she owned a cute book shop.

Edit: 'You've got mail' - a movie

Ah @RainbowZebraWarrior I can totally understand that! I have to shake myself out of that sort of buy fairly often. It was a lovely idea though.

@GrannyWeatherwaxsBroomstick Those cakes look amazing!

Those cake moulds are wonderful. Such beautiful little treats.

@LillianGish I was in Paris last year as the Christmas windows and shop decorations were being revealed - eg Galeries Lafayette. Wonderful! Won’t get down to Picadilly this year but love a Fortnums window.

I love peering into warm window scenes. - I really enjoy the photography of Todd Hido too,any of which are looking into houses at night. A little twin peaks and unsettling but fascinating. Makes me appreciate the brambly hedge type of interior views. www.lensculture.com/articles/todd-hido-todd-hido-on-homes-at-night-and-illustrating-memories-in-photography

That reminds me it'll soon be time for my annual viewing of You've got Mail. One of my favourite snuggle-in films! 🍁🌾🍂🍁🌾🍂

My DH and I used to go to my Mum's for her birthday every
Dec.17th, and we always counted Christmas trees while driving home.