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!

I love that shop @Bimblesalong - we bought lots of things there to furnish our home when we were just married (before it was taken over by LVMH I hasten to add!) Still lovely, but very much for browsing rather than purchasing these days. I shall pay a visit in your honour once it is in all its Christmas finery and report back (needless to say it has an extensive Trudon display!)

@RainbowZebraWarrior I absolutely agree M&S festive scent is delicious. It's been going for years, and yes I have the spray, the candle and the oil. Just waiting for December to begin using it.

This is an excellent idea! Thank you!

Some lovely recipes here. Tempted by the Christmas Spirit. I'm currently making Nigel's leek and sausage recipe tonight. Will let you know how it turns out.

@dazzlingdeborahrose one thing that has come up in the past is that some people find it too soupy following the recipe exactly and have cooked it down further to reduce/thicken. I like it either way.

Ooh, these arrived today (thank you to the pp who gave a very handy code!). I've never really been able to justify the cost of St Eval's to myself before but they are very lovely.

(If we're talking dupes, Lidl currently have some very good L'occitane dupes - the hand soap and moisturiser are bang on).

After a really long and difficult day, I enjoyed reading today's chapter. Liked the sound of both dishes and might make them or a variation in the future.

I liked this instruction: 'At this point they will look decidedly uninteresting, but carry on anyway.'

That's exactly the sort of information that's helpful when following an unfamiliar recipe.

You can tell Nigel and Nigella used to work together / are the same age. I've followed a lemon muffin recipe of Nigella's for years. You actually put melted butter, eggs and sugar etc in all together (rather than creaming) She says "It will curdle, but that's just fine"

And it is.

I have just seen Nigel’s latest post on Instagram about his collaboration with Lyn Harris (Perfumer H) so had a quick google and found this. Check out the price!!!! Makes Trudon look like an absolute bargain. An evocative blend of warmth and spice. Notes of neroli and cardamom mingle with clove, sandalwood and birch tar in this festive concoction created in collaboration with Nigel Slater. I need to find somewhere that sells this so I can go and have a sniff.

Good Lord the price but the description sounds like my perfect candle. I agree. We should find a place where we can go and sniff it, preferably with snacks and a comfy chair or two.

How I wish I had more money than sense...

Sticking to WC or JL for us!!

THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY POUNDS.

Literally money to burn. Guess I’ll be slumming it with my WC Candle.

The WC is slumming it 😂

I made the sausage recipe last night but I didn’t blend the leeks as I like to feel the texture of beg. It was good but Nigel’s portions are very stingy - if I gave only 2 sausages to my DH, he would not be happy.
I didn’t make the tart - maybe at the weekend.

6 November

Making Gnudi

Gnudi require the hands of an angel. You must treat the mixture of fresh, white ricotta and grated parmesan as delicately as if it were a Christmas bauble, which in this case I suppose it is. This is cooking with the utmost respect and care, and I love it.

Liberty sell Perfumer H I think. Or there's currently 10% off at PH website if anyone's feeling footloose and fancy free with their cash!

Here's a stockist in Paris, @LillianGish

Hello all! Started my read-along and made the apricot brandy last night - it's now steeping peacefully in the garage. I'll make the prunes in muscat this weekend. I've also put in my cheese order early, inspired by Nigel's description of nibble the booze-soaked fruits with blue cheese - sounds heavenly.

I love the idea of winter candles but have an asthmatic child, so I'll probably stick with sprinklings of warm LED fairy lights. At least it will still look cozy!

So I made the sausages last night. I had some pancetta to use up so I threw that in as well. It was tasty but as @NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights mentioned it was soupy and I would have preferred a thicker texture. If I make it again I'll replace the water with the stock so the liquid is reduced. Hopefully that will give a thicker texture. Making gnudi on Friday to have Saturday evening. Wish me luck 🤞

@dazzlingdeborahrose the sausages look good and very like the illustration in the book. We might have this today for dinner-(dh and I anyway, my step kids who are back tonight after a week with their mum, are fussy beyond belief and my DD's are both out).

It will be a nice distraction from events today at home on the dog front, and abroad on the politics front.

A mizzley morning here and the trees are showering leaves onto the lawn now. Depending on what happens with dog 1 later I'm intending on taking the other two for a long walk this afternoon to get some fresh air as everything feels a bit oppressive. Dh goes back to work today-he had been off with me as we were due to be away and he kept the leave anyway as he needed a break- and with the surgeons appointment for the dog, and then a decision to make, it feels like we are being forced out of our little bubble that we've been in for the last 6 days. It's been an odd time but actually in lots of ways not awful. We have been forced to slow down and rest and mostly it has just been us and the dogs here, so it's been peaceful and calm. Not sure either of us are ready to go back to normal today.

Good morning ...PRESIDENT TRUMP?

Let the games begin...

The stuffing recipe from my post a few days ago is very simple but because of that the quality of both the butter and bread are important.

.700kg of onions (1 1/2 lbs).

1 loaf of white country bread (not sourdough), a day or two old and ground to breadcrumbs, which should be largish rather than small and fine.
250g butter, a full block plus a third of another (not the spreadable one). We use Lurpak or Kerrygold, the Irish one.
Fresh herbs - lots of thyme and parsley, some sage and rosemary.
1 - 2 teaspoons of curry powder. The amount depends on the size of the bird.

Peel and chop onions, not too small (the width of two fingers together and the length of say, the tip of your index finger to the middle joint). Put the onions and butter in a roomy pot, cover with tin foil and also a lid. Put it on the lowest possible heat and let them melt over about an hour and a half. I know that seems like a lot of effort for onion, but it is worth it! Be very careful not to brown them, so it is worth checking from time to time. When they are translucent, pour the mixture into a large bowl, and let the onions cool to room temperature.

Chop up your herbs, and here you can play to your own tastes. For example, I use a lot of thyme and parsley, a little sage and rosemary. I like the sweetness of the first two and prefer the woody flavor of the others in the background. I use around 40g of thyme, 50 g parsley, and 10/15g of the others.

When the onion mix is room temp mix everything together - the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, black pepper and the curry powder. Mix really well, do taste at this point but keeping in mind that all the flavors will intensify (especially the salt) while cooking.

Stuff the bird. I do the cavity (after cleaning and salting) and under the skin on the breast.

Simple and, in our opinion, delicious!

And no, I won't give up the day job for recipe writing - that was HARD! 😁

Trump is definitely NVN.🤬

Hello @RayonSunrise Looks lovely @dazzlingdeborahrose

Speaking of cheese, I went to Fenwick food hall yesterday and was appalled at what it has become. The deli counters are nothing like they were 20, 30 years ago. The whole space has given way to as many pop up themed bars as possible. Gin bar, cocktail bar, a hot sausages and drinks bar at the butchers counter and the now infamous Greggs champagne bar (full of people taking selfies) It's all Emperors New Clothes to me now I'm afraid. Good food has given way to tacky trends. I went to the now less than half the size cheese counter and asked if they had Havarti. He didn't know what it was. They didn't stock it any more, I could see that. I also perused a rather yummy looking onion bhaji at another part of the deli. I was about to purchase only to be told it was an onion bhaji Scotch egg collaboration. (Oh get stuffed with that!) I had a look at their small collection of jarred Sauces and scoffed at the £10 price tag for Gymkhana Indian Sauces which are £6 in Waitrose. This is a food hall that I used to be able to get my shopping at every evening after work. Never any need for a real supermarket as it sold everything. Bah!

Anyway, the kids were back to school, so this kid had Fenwick window all to themselves.

Also. I spotted this in Sainsbury's. It's not half bad as supermarket cheese selection offerings go. I think it was about £10

Whoever decided there was a need for scotch egg onion bhaji hybrid has no business working anywhere near food imo. And they probably voted Trump.

@dazzlingdeborahrose yes Nigel eats quite sparsely. The sausages and beans look really good!

@RainbowZebraWarrior that was a supremely depressing read! I see this sort of degradation everywhere. Makes the shopping experience almost entirely pointless IMO.

That candle is a thing of beauty and the fragrance sounds divine! Last I checked I haven't won the lottery so it'll be a no from me, sadly.