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!

In total awe of all the amazing knitting going on!

@Bimblesalong so sorry you're going through it. Your drink sounds really nice.
I went through a period of treatment that left me mainly tasting dirty metal. I know alcohol is a bit debatable, but the one thing I could taste was rough Stroh dark rum and fresh ginger beer. After my taste settled down I discovered Stroh actually tastes like disinfectant, but still grateful to it!

@RainbowZebraWarrior I'm chuckling at the concept of anything that delicious 'keeping for months in the fridge.' Not a chance here.

I'm not sure if I should be posting this here or on the Autumn preambles thread, as we're still very autumnal here even though it's a week off November?

Quinces are likely to be as ready as they will ever be by the end of a promised sunny tomorrow. Verbena is in full flow, sage not yet turned, so hopefully there's going to be membrillo, liqueur de membrillo, Quince, sage, and verbena jelly, sweets, and verbena tart on the cards soon, much of which will be for Christmas, if I can make the time..

My very well rotted manure and compost pile, is begging to be fully spread and dug in. Possibly NVN, but to me the huge crumbly brown pile makes me every bit as rich as gold and makes me happy. My little Christmas friend knows the drill and what will come to the surface, and has taken to hopping between me and it, buzzing me hopefully to get on with it!

Unusually there's more than one male here and they don't seem to fight having marked out their own territories despite it not being that big a space, but there's a definite pecking order, and they all give way to the tiny wrens if challenged! This one is five seasons old, and very sensibly 'owns' the compost corner, having nested in a log pile that they now also own. (I've grown ivy up it which seems to be approved of) They also use an ivy covered fence that I've handed over, an old pot wedged in a tree, and very unhelpfully, my potting table, forcing me to abandon it for long enough that it was unrecoverable!
A claim's been staked on all that grows above and around this corner but they're not beyond leaving the territory to steal cheese, cashew nuts and fruit from me, if given the chance. By Christmas they're likely to be one plump little robin, but will slim down again for mating season.

@EphemeraleEudemonia OMG I love your robins! ❤️

Most things I make keep for months here, as there's only one adult in the house (me) and I'm not actually that keen on a lot of drinks. I think I just like the alchemy of making such things. I get pleasure from seeing delicious things lined up on my pantry or fridge shelf. Some things inevitably get taken to my parents, but my Mum has just reminded me that they still have 'many of my concoctions from last year'. My Dad is always swimming in bottles of stuff as his shooting, fishing and allotment pals all give him all sorts of home made shenanigans. He meets other beekeepers from all over the world too, so has a stash of Tequilas and Limoncellos to rival the best bars in town!

When I was at the allotment yesterday, I spied through the fence, some yellowing quinces on someone else's tree. I may go a begging (with an offering in exchange) and see if I can procure some. If not, I've got Membrillo and Manchego cheese coming from Waitrose tonight.

Beautiful day here. Clocks back tonight. Candle stash sorted ready for darker eves.

My very well rotted manure and compost pile, is begging to be fully spread and dug in. Possibly NVN, but to me the huge crumbly brown pile makes me every bit as rich as gold and makes me happy.

Nigel loves his garden and plants and writes about it quite tenderly; he would, I'm quite sure, wholeheartedly agree with you on that.

I'm not sure if I should be posting this here or on the Autumn preambles thread what a wonderful post @EphemeraleEudemonia and I love your robins. Anything with quinces deserves to be firmly in the CC thread imo. Was it you (possibly under another name - I can never keep up) who posted a beautiful bowl of quinces on a previous CC thread? Either way, quinces are quintessentially Nigel (or should that be quince-essentially?) I am another who likes to have a hard copy of the book. It lives in a pile on the shelf under the coffee table throughout the year and then comes out around now into a prominent position as the first hint that Christmas is on the way. It starts out among the pumpkins and stays there as the Christmas decorations gradually go up and come down until eventually it's the last thing to be packed away on February 2. I love the photographs and I love the fact it now falls more easily open on certain pages. I find something new every year. I'm looking forward to getting properly stuck in after the clocks go back tonight - a moment I now relish, thanks to Nigel.

Thank you for starting the thread, op! I'm hoping to join in this year if I can just find my book - it went missing last year then turned up after Christmas ready to be misplaced again.

The Nigel shrine (as DH refers to it 🤣)

Here are my quince from 2 years ago.
I think I won't be able to recreate this year as crop is rubbish. I will check.

I have really skittish adopted whippet who is 2 and we've had a year but would run all around the house with the quince.

The Nigel point of the photos is that for 6 years I had walked past the scrabbly bush at the side of the house, oblivious to the fact that underneath the branches were these lovely, sweet fragranced ornamental quince.

Reading CC made me see them, pick them, bring them in and appreciate them. Thank you Nigel.

After a very cold and foggy walk today, with beautiful frozen cobwebs, an arctic hare and a woodpecker, I'm ready to start reading this evening with a glass of Baileys.

Thanks for reposting those @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper - they are gorgeous as ever. I like the sound of your dog too - undoubtedly equally photogenic. I now have dog envy as well as garden envy.

That's a tkmaxx candle, an Ikea brass tray, a bowl out if the drawer and a pouffe off marketplace. 😁

The whippet is gorgeous but very worried so therefore demanding... We keep saying "maybe next year she'll be better."

@RainbowZebraWarrior They are delightful little birds.
Adult offspring prowl the fridge here, though they've been raised to be cautious, dyes, mordants and paints also reside in containers, usually with a skull and crossbones to make the point.
You are better behaved than I, tbh I both appreciate the alchemy of creation, and the alchemy of absorption. 😎
@NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights
That's good to hear. I do have visions of discreet deliveries of pre rotted finest by a discreet bespoke gardening company.
My 'towny' neighbors dislike my habits of mulched leaf piles, logs, rotting wood heaps, ivy and trees, preferring lawns, ornamental flowers and more manicured surroundings with sun loungers etc.
They where not at all happy when I'm afraid I happily dragged literal van loads of it steaming.from a stables to deal with my builders rubble and clay once and for all. It did pong until covered, but the contents of their barbecues bother me for far longer... so horses for courses...
@LillianGish not me, I silently stalked the thread last year. But I think @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper is looking likely. Btw I learnt the hard way that quinces do need some pruning to keep them producing, having had several years of not knowing that and it producing fruit anyway. Then had a couple of lean years before it got going again. Your photo doesn't give away any origins. Also have dog envy, and a dog shaped hole here.
@IngenTing Oh wow! Beautiful. I'm imagining the sound of a woodpecker in a cold forest.

Here she is looking insta ready and as if butter wouldn't melt.
And in action in the woods.

Amazing robin photo. ❤️
I will set about bush and prune it.

That first photo @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper ❤️🥰💕

Heart melter!😍

@HannahDefoesChristmasHamper apparently they should be pruned into effectively a goblet shape, and any branches heading inwards should really be taken out, but the fruits mainly happen on the tips of the previous year's shoots, so avoid taking them out all at once if it's overgrown. If it's grafted then take out any suckers at the bottom, and they appreciate both well rotted compost (but not close to the trunk) and potassium in Spring to increase fruit production. (It's cheap and cheerful chopped up seaweed, banana skins, coffee grounds and hardwood ash here!)

My excuse to be here has just run out, so I'd better get on, but am also avoiding temptation to read past the intro to CC...

I'm sorry LillianGish but this made me guffaw.

I'll have to do better for my copy - it's on top of a speaker.

Oh my. What lovely posts and photographs.

This is just a reminder to anyone new that we have only 5 more days before the book starts properly on 1 November. Here are some of my favourite pictures from the Introduction. I could read or listen to the CC Introduction over and over and I do

Found it! Okay, I'm in...

Ahhh it all feels like it's properly starting now. I have a wonderful warm glow just thinking about our CC journey ahead.

I remember buying a lot of vintage baubles on eBay last year including some that look a bit like those in Nigel's pictures. This week, I happened upon these lovely glass mushroom decorations and had to scoop up a few as they did remind me of him.

I do hope Nigel puts his tree up this year!

I have apple juice ready. 🙂 I'm not going to make any of the liqueurs this year as we've cut our consumption right down, and there's no one around to gift it to!

Excellent we are back, time to buy an appropriate candle and settle down for a read by the fire. Looking to try the audiobook version this year too

Your robins are gorgeous @EphemeraleEudemonia and I love the descriptions of other things garden wise. Fnaring at the rum tasting like disinfectant but big thumbs up to ginger beer right now.

I too get confused with what will go where thread wise but hope to at least stick with the spirit of VN in my diversions!

lovely to hear of everyone starting reading. We had a lovely short walk in the countryside today, then I arrived home to find that ds2 had found the cardamom bun I was craving at a local bakery so I settled into my Nigel Nook and made a start. I like the idea of reading once the clocks have gone back so have not overdone the reading today.

It makes DH guffaw too 🤣🤣

I’m ready!!! Settling in for some CC with this rather lovely sparkling tea. My best friend found it for me as an alternative to wine and it’s wonderful. There are several varieties but winter unsurprisingly really hits the mark for this time of year.

I’ve had a rather lovely day today, we started out with our Christmas ceramics course which was lovely, very mindful and in the moment, the time flew by, the ornaments have still to be fired and will be ready to collect in 10 days so I’m interested to see the result, I’m not much of an artist but hopefully I’ll have something I can use for some gifts.

some shopping (tested myself to an autumnal tablecloth!) a visit to a new wine bar and raclette for dinner with friends. DH bought some pickled radishes which i was not looking forward to but which were surprisingly delicious. I need more days like today but perhaps with a little less cheese.

You’re very lucky to have such beautiful visitors @EphemeraleEudemonia, I miss robins, we rarely see them here.

@IngenTing those icy cobwebs are lovely, we’re still having pretty warm weather, 12-15 degrees, I’m still looking forward to the first frost.