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!

Catching up on book and thread. I've also made gnudi this afternoon for tomorrow's dinner. Found it really hard to make little balls. Ended up sort of quenelling the mix with a couple of teaspoons. Nigel would be horrified at my efforts.
I'm also having candle dilemmas. Popped in Fenwick o smell the Jo Malone xmas candle and it's really nice. Wish it hadn't been because I cannot justify £59 on a candle!! True Grace do nice candles and they offer refills as well but they're sold out of their Christmas candles at the mioment.

@Taytocrisps I'm sure Nigel would very much approve of the lists. This week was my first foray into Søstrene Grene and I walked straight up to the tills to ask if they had any chamberstick candle holders. I then perused the shop in an anti clockwise fashion, much to the annoyance of the other shoppers. I bought a random mixture of things including felt, gift tags, loose christmas tea, candles and marshmallows. I'm kicking myself now for not picking up a croissant bauble. It reminded me of a mashup of The Pier, IKEA and Internacionale back in the day.

bleeding colon

@RainbowZebraWarrior you are spot on. Urgh.

Nooo you mustn't got the wrong way! Anticlockwise is the proper way in my local branch but yesterday was like a freeforall with people all over the place. Heathens. Town has been really busy (for some reason I have been in four times this week) which is good to see after years of people moaning on about how there are no shops and no people any more

@Bimblesalong very little St E at TK Maxx online. There must have been a rush on it

@Bimblesalong A room with a view is one of my most favourite books and I adored the film. E M Forster-the only good thing to have come out of Stevenage (I can say that as I'm technically a resident of that fair burgh, albeit technically in a village near it). I've got it on my list to re watch with the dog. Dog-watch list if you will. Happy to take any further recommendations. To date we have watched Wolf Hall to prepare for the next instalment tomorrow, Sense and Sensibilty, all of The Last Kingdom, and the 2003 BBC Jane Eyre (which my friend won an Emmy for the costumes for).
I have on my Dog watch
Cranford
Pride and Prejudice (Firth version)
The White Queen (trash tv)
The Tudors (pure trash, love it).
Macbeth with Michael Fassbender in it.
Lark rise to Candleford
Band of Brothers (dd and I re watch this every year)

I like a period piece obvs :) and so does the Dog (poor beggar has no choice)

@EphemeraleEudemonia Thankyou for your dog tale. It's encouraging to know that you had a similar decision to make and it yielded the results I hope for here too

@piscofrisco your 'to watch' list sounds right up my street. I hope you and doggy find it relaxing. Love the Colin Firth version of P&P. If I may be so bold, then may I direct you to find Elizabeth the Virgin Queen (2005) with Anne-Marie Duff playing Elizabeth. It also stars a young Tom Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Emilia Fox and Kevin McKidd. It's a proper all star cast. I'm also in it myself, albeit a very small part. I'm not sure if it's on iplayer anymore but obviously I have it on DVD for posterity.

@piscofrisco how do you feel about Victorians? The bbc Bleak House from … I don’t know, 15? 20? Years ago. With a young Anna Maxwell Martin. V g.

Bleak House is also a great shout. I've just been through some old photos with DD and shared some great memories. Here's me in character on The Virgin Queen. Loved every minute of it. It was the early days of social media and we weren't allowed to share photos / leak details, but the main cast took selfies with us all as camera phones were new.

I'm not particularly bothered about being outed as there's likely more than enough on MN of me to do that anyway.

Ah @RainbowZebraWarrior I love it! You look fantastic!

Oooo just seen Nigel Slater has developed or plugging some candles and diffusers on instagram

A feast by perfumer London

Laughing at @Bimblesalong DH reaching saturation point with Nigel. My DH is not only at saturation point, but also at suffocation point in view of all the candles, incense and also eau de parfum he’s had to sniff this week (we may have taken a slight detour past the Trudon counter in Printemps this afternoon). @RainbowZebraWarrior you look exactly as I imagined you to look (albeit a few years younger which presumably you are in that photo).

@piscofrisco may I urge you to seek out the 1995 TV adaptation of Austen's 'Persuasion', with Amanda Root as Anne Elliott and Ciarán Hinds as Capt. Wentworth? It is wonderful - you can buy the DVD but it’s on YouTube in full.

@IngenTing great news about the lump. I'm so pleased for you.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I love the picture! And how exciting! Were you in other things as well?

@piscofrisco I hope DDog continues to improve. Can I come and watch with you? I love a period drama but DH isn't too keen. I keep recording them to watch later and then never getting around to it.

I felt right in tune with Nigel and his lists when I read about them today. I can't function without a list! I have then for everything and the first thing I do in the morning, before I even get out of bed is to write a list of things to be done that day. And the first item on the list is always 'Get Dressed'. I don't know why, but it doesn't feel right if I don't put it there. It's not as if I'm likely to forget to get dressed is it?!

That’s a great list of things to watch @piscofrisco fingers crossed for ddog. We are watching Wolf Hall, which I’ve always loved in its economy of delivery. Looking forward to the new series.

Loving that @RainbowZebraWarrior has such a fascinating past - great photo. I’ll be all excited watching Virgin Queen and looking forward to a sighting.

@LillianGish our dhs may be reaching saturation but we are not and I am Here for candle content. As an aside, I had treated myself to some fancy handcream by ds and Durga (Brooklyn lavender) which seems to have a lot of the same notes as the woody candles somehow. I’d had a candle of the same perfume in a gift bag and had loved it.

I’m a little behind and have woken early with an ongoing headache that my usual meds won’t touch. So the silence of the house and dark morning seem like an invitation to catch up. I have Parkin (not homemade, but from Betty’s, and very more-ish) and a fresh espresso at the bedside. At this point these things will not make the headache any worse so can be savoured to give some distraction.

I’m very much enjoying the thread so far - it’s my first year - and also Nigel’s recipes and gentle observation.

@IngenTing so glad to hear your good news! Will continue to send positive vibes.

@piscofrisco also very glad to hear that doggy is okay and will keep fingers crossed that it goes well.

@Bimblesalong continued well wishes and hope you can rest and relax.

@RainbowZebraWarrior Fabulous wench! Absolutely loved 'behind owl' as a location!

Neither of these photos are particularly Nigel in some ways, but... last nights fireworks were very beautiful, and included many bursts that remind me of seed heads, dandelion clocks, fatsia heads, and a particularly fabulous shimmering gypsophilia.

This may also not be everyone's cup of tea but I find it beautiful:

@WeMeetInFairIthilien thank you for the recipe for Christmas Spirit!
I had a minor kerfuffle putting it together. My clementines simply refused to have the skin pared off so I thought "Oh what harm can it do?" and just chucked it in, pith and all. Later googling suggested that this would absolutely not be ok, so I ended up fishing the clementine peel back out, before very gently zesting more clementines with the grater and chucking that in instead. Also I might have slightly over-chopped the cranberries because the spirit immediately went a fabulous ruby red. Anyway, I'm very excited to taste it in a couple of weeks!

I'm really enjoying catching up on this thread and reading CC - a welcome antidote to what's happening in the world atm.

Love the photo @RainbowZebraWarrior and I'm so pleased to hear your results @IngenTing.

I've woken to grey but bright skies in London and will enjoy an early dog walk listening to CC on audible.

Inspired by PP, I dusted off the slow cooker and made a chicken casserole and a beef stew this week. There's nothing more comforting than coming home from work to a warm fug, steamed up kitchen windows and having supper ready for you.

My new St Eval candle arrived - Bay & Rosemary. A really lovely, light Christmas scent.



11 November

Martinmas, a ham dinner and a citrus cake

For centuries this has been a feast day. The date marked the end of the agricultural year, the harvest was well and truly in, the livestock were ready for slaughter, wine was ready for drinking. It is officially the beginning of winter. In medieval times, such an important feast was celebrated by eating a goose for those who could afford it, duck or chicken for those who couldn't.

You’ve skipped a day Rainbow! Today is a sweet preserve with a savoury past.

I'm getting seriously homesick for Dublin at Christmas 😁 I now have no family in Ireland after generations of us being there. Happy memories of Hodges Figgis and the National Concert Hall and of course Brown Tomas' Christmas displays on Grafton Street. And coffee and a bun at Bewley's cafe.