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!

Evening all, love all the 70s drink chat, I remember winning a bottle of Pomagne in a raffle and thinking it was so sophisticated. I never did like Babycham, snowballs, any of them really but I was partial to Martini Extra Dry (the green bottle) and lemonade. And weren't there some brilliant adverts, Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter, Lorraine Chase

I love that sky @RainbowZebraWarrior

I also love a snowball. My DH makes a mean one! He also makes a fantastic lemon drop martini. One year, for Children In Need a group of close friends decided to host a cocktail evening and auction. DH was the cocktail maker and did a brilliant job. Too brilliant in fact because the auction that followed the cocktail tasting was absolute chaos! One of our friends has never lived down the fact that at one point she was bidding against herself and we were all laughing too much to stop her. Mind you, a lot of money was raised that night!

@ExquisiteIyDecorated ”No, Luton Airport”

Classic - as a child so many of us used to copy this and burst into a fit of giggles 😂

The mackerel sky is indeed stunning @RainbowZebraWarrior

I’ve jumped ahead on the CC as I only really get to read at the weekend properly - there’s a fantastic candle chapter coming up folks.

Ooh yes @ExquisiteIyDecorated I did love a dry martini and lemonade as a teen. Also a dry sherry, which still feels comforting. And my favourite cocktail ever has to be the classic 1970s Pina Colada 🍸

13 November

Maple syrup and Fig terrine

The garden has skeletons - hydrangea, hornbeam and beech - holding their leaves even now. The pale walnut browns are smart and crisp against the green of the highyew hedges. Blue tits feast. Leaves, yellow, grey, black lie frozen to the garden table, silver with frost. The space is tidy, but beneath the neatness lie worries. Two much loved trees in the garden require major surgery, a third lost it's leaves in the summer.

I also used to love a dry martini and lemonade! Didn't Lorraine Chase release 'Luton Airport' as a record? I may regret saying that now as I'm feeling an ear worm.

Cold here. Heating on to warm the house and DDs uniform through and time to get up..

I've just read November 13th's entry, with a Cauliflower and leek soup with toasted cheese. That's our supper sorted tonight.

I've been listening to CC daily on early morning dog walks, but this morning I've enjoyed reading the latest chapter in bed, with a cup of tea.

I do love the photographs, which I've been missing when listening on Audible. I find the picture below of frosted leaves very calming. I think it's the fractals that have benefits to the brain and mental health? I'm channelling my inner Chris Packham now..

Luton airport … who are you? 🎶

Lovely chapter today. I also long for a very cold snap. Chilly-ish but sunny today. I've been up early on the school run, been to Aldi, where the middle aisle yielded some surprisingly nice Christmas lights and a natty jumper for my Daschund (he gets a bit shivery on a longer walk being so low of tum-though I'm not an advocate of Dogs in clothes as a rule). Also got some bits-that-can't-be-eaten-til-Christmas- cocoa dusted truffles and poppy seed bread sticks and such. All to be stashed away until the week of.
Wishing everyone a lovely day.
Luton airport has a song?! Who knew? I loathe it as a place, especially since the car park burned down which makes it an absolute pain to even get in to. I've never felt much like singing when there

Very busy with building work this week so haven't read. Will hopefully catch up tonight.

Just popped in to say I've bought the Advent book - it's reduced by a few pounds on Amazon today so if anyone else wants to save a little now's the time! 🎄

Luton Airport song:

@Willow12345 you gain so much with the photos in the book; they add such a lot of beauty and nuance. This one is one of my favourites as well - the calming, grounding feeling I get from it is really lovely.

Highly recommend the Advent book - I think I advocated for it a couple of years ago on the thread but it would have been several name changes ago.

The biscotti have never failed for me and are delicious - but someone earlier in the thread said they'd had trouble. I do think sometimes you get a recipe book which just works with the way you cook but might not work for others. Which makes no sense at all given we all follow the same recipe, but there we are.

There's probably an obscure life lesson there but I'm not currently in the market for obscure life lessons!

Just off for treatment with a playlist full of lovely podcasts. Popping on with my tadah moment from the weekend - this cardi is So Cosy!

Have a lovely day, all.

Smashing cardie! Hope your treatment goes well and not too arduous today x

The song is quite something....

@JustAMiddleAgedDirtBagBaby I've had my eye on it since it was first published and have resisted every year on the threads, hoping I might catch a half price (or close) deal or a secondhand bargain but I think it's too nice for people to be selling it on, and this is the cheapest I've seen it new. Looking forward to it so much - have waited long enough! 🙂

Beautiful cardie @Bimblesalong hope it goes well today.

Quite a few things can affect baking - elevation, protein and hydration level in the flour, plus of course different ovens and whether or not they're running high or low or bang on.

We really like biscotti and we've not got any in our Christmas cupboard stash so I might have a go!

@Bimblesalong that's an absolutely stunning cardigan in such beautiful autumn colours. Hope all goes well with the treatment.

@Bimblesalong you look a vision of loveliness in your beautiful knits. Best of luck with your treatment today my lovely.

I've also had Advent on my list for years. I've spent the last few months bookmarking various German and Scandi recipes though and I know which ones I really want to try so I'm resisting.

My house smells amazing after having a gorgeous cheese dip baking in the oven and some warm crusty bread. Can't take the credit for the cheese bake though as its just one I'm reviewing for Sainsbury's.

I probably should have resisted @RainbowZebraWarrior but building work really stresses me out so I needed the relief!

I don't blame you at all. It would stress me out too. I hope it's not going on for too long. I've spent way too much this week already as its DDs birthday next week and we also have a trip to York coming up which is going to prove expensive I feel.

It's been 4 years so far @RainbowZebraWarrior 😭😭 DH is doing all of it himself (I help where I can), not continuously because he works part-time too, but often enough where I never actually get to a stage of equilibrium which, as you know, is really crucial with ADHD.

Currently he's dismantled, and is rebuilding, our bathroom floor which is above the kitchen and has got rid of all the lath and plaster and is fixing the joists some of which were in a bad state. So much filth and dirt and grit and dust all over everything, everywhere; it's great to get 150 years' worth of crap out but I do get stressed. The sitting room is just about habitable, so I'm hiding in here whenever I can.

It's not a horrendous situation and of course I'm grateful for our warm, secure house, but I will be so very happy when it's all over. 🙂

@Bimblesalong such a gorgeous cardigan. The very best of luck with your treatment today x