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!

Gorgeous pics, @Bimblesalong That first photo looks like cow parsley, but I don't think it's the right time of year for it.

Stunning photos all round today. It reminds me that the world of nature is actually amazing, even when the world / news can be quite awful at times.

I have an Audible credit today. Can anyone recommend a Nigelesque read / listen for me? I love anything nature / cookery. Currently listening to Chris Packham; Fingers in the Sparkle Jar.

It's been a funny old day here in the end. Productive but a bit...meh 🤷‍♀️.

I'm listening to the intro but not really taken it in, this evening. & done some crochet - but only because I'm conscious it's a project for someone else. Think I need to go to bed really 💤

The robin's a beauty. We have at least one in our garden, not sure if male or female. It's quite tame & sits on the grass nearby if I potter about out in the garden. There's a hedgehog too...not seen her about lately so presume she's made her nest. I nearly raked her up with the fallen leaves a few years ago - she was well snuggled underneath them.

Not sure I'd call it Nigelesque, @RainbowZebraWarrior but The Forager's Calendar by John Wright ticks a lot of nature/cookery boxes (you can listen to an Audible sample via the link below) or The Forager's Almanac by Danielle Gallacher:

https://amzn.eu/d/d6AxCaW

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foragers-Almanac-sustainable-foraging-wildcraft/dp/1529437121

@lucysmam I think when we have a day like that, we should cut ourselves some slack. I have a habit of planning my days and then they don't always end up the way I thought..
I took DD for a haircut today, we made some muffins and I visited my Mum. That was nothing like my plan. My plan was I was going to make a table runner.

It will happen eventually. And even if it doesn't, then maybe that's OK. Maybe I did bite off more than I could chew. All is still OK. I'm ready for bed now. Looking forward to the extra hour. Tomorrow is another day.

@Gummibärchen that sounds right up my street. Thank you.

You're very welcome @RainbowZebraWarrior . In fact I have another one for you - a deep dive into all things arboreal! The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben:

https://amzn.eu/d/4RCwbmu

Checking in. Picked up a copy of CC after Christmas last year. I've read the introduction this week and I'm excited for 1st November.

We have a hedgehog here too, @lucysmam ; equally, he hasn't been sighted in a few days, so I think he's gone into hibernation. I built a hedgehog house last weekend so I'm hoping he's checked in there. I don't want to open it and risk disturbing him!

Evening, all. I'm another who started with good intentions last year and then fell away when life intervened. But my copy is at the ready and I've downloaded it on Audible as well so that there is no excuse this year.
I'm just finishing knitting the first pair of Christmas socks, so tomorrow will be spent setting up my quiet reading and knitting corner, finding a special candle, working out the best oils for the diffuser and cleaning out the grate for the first proper fire of the year.
Thank you for this oasis of sanity in the mad build up to Christmas

I wish I had your discernment with diffuser oils @Songlines , I stuck a sinus-blasting 'Frosted Pine' wax melt in my diffuser last night and transformed the living room into a miasma of sugary Harpic! 😂

Noooo! Poor you.
I was given a steam diffuser for Christmas several years ago and it was a game changer. I'll probably start with something citrus based and then add clove and/or cinnamon over the next few weeks. Clove is tricky, it's easy to end up smelling like a dental emergency!

On a roll with book recs! For anyone who enjoys studying the night sky at this time of year and wants to learn more, this is a great read:

https://amzn.eu/d/aXNTk6l

I've just looked up steam diffusers @Songlines and I see what you mean by game-changing. Makes my oil burner look primitive - I'll be either gifting one or putting it on my wishlist (much more likely, lol!)

@Gummibärchen I hope someone gifts you one. I have mine on most days once the weather cools down. I did once show a small child how they worked.... and then had to suffer the consequences of his overpowering oil combination 😂

Not really Nigelesque but I loved The Wilderness Cure by Mo Wilde - her account of a year living on what she foraged or occasionally bartered in exchange for foraged goods- fascinating and incredibly thought provoking.

Joining the thread as a previous lurker but longtime fan of Nigel, since his days on Marie Claire.

I've had a fairly Nigel-esque day today. Went out for a nature walk this morning (I'm in a local group who go out regularly). It was cool, grey and very calm, not a whisper of breeze, saw lots of autumn colours, fungi etc. Then home and a cosy couple
of hours listening to the afternoon football (probably NVN but I love it) and doing some paperwork, then on an errand cross country driving back at dusk there was low mist lying everywhere so we stopped to take some photos. Quiet evening in with some crocheting and TV, then I peeled a load of Bramleys to make caramelised apple sauce overnight in our low oven.

I have visitors coming next weekend, so I've been busy cleaning and making up beds and unearthing all the missing towels from DD's laundry basket and buying in extra groceries and alcohol etc. I have a long list of things to do tomorrow. But my reward tomorrow evening will be a glass or two of Pinot Grigio and the introduction.

It's a Bank Holiday weekend here, so as well as the extra hour because of the clocks changing, we have an extra day off on Monday. I spotted lots of kids in Hallowe'en costume today, Some of them were accompanied by parents in fancy dress too. I'm guessing the Saturday sports clubs or dance classes had Hallowe'en parties today. And maybe some of the parents are volunteers or leaders?

DD has gone out for the night. I raised my eyebrows at her very short skirt but bit my tongue.

I gave my cats some extra food before bed, in the hope that I'll get a bit of a lie on tomorrow. We'll see........

Those photos are beautiful @ExquisiteIyDecorated , it's like autumn in diorama format right there.

Gosh is it that time already?!

I'd love to rejoin. I faltered with my book reading last year but stuck with this thread which is very cheering and has such beautiful photos. It inspired me to buy a copper tray so I will dust that off and set up my autumn decorations before November 1st.

Just to confuse matters, I've never ever used the desert wine in it, either. Mine is straight up 'flavoured Brandy'.

@RainbowZebraWarrior So can I just check, do you use twice the quality of brandy in that case, 600ml instead of 300ml? Or do you just stick to 300ml brandy?

Yes. 600mls of Brandy, the orange peel, apricots and sugar.

Why do I always wake up really early after the clocks go back? I guess its because I've had my sleep. My body isn't automatically going to know I have the benefit of an extra hour if I want it.

Still, I love the silence of a Sunday morning. I can hear crows in the distance outside and the cat is softly purring next to me. That'll do for me.

Just to add that using 600mls of Brandy leaves just enough in a standard bottle for a good old cake soaking feeding or a glug or two added to the old mincemeat.

Oh this is right up my bridleway! DD jokes that all I do is look at the sky. My love of birdwatching, aircraft (and Flight Radar 24) the stars and planets, the weather and Aurora Borealis means I have a permanent crick in my neck from looking up! Usually with a camera or binoculars in hand.

Fabulous time of year for planet watching and space station spotting. The geese and swans flying overhead each day at the moment also give me so much joy. I always love the fact that (with the geese) you can hear them long before you can see them.

I have this neom diffuser which I love.

neomwellbeing.com/products/wellbeing-pod-mini-essential-oil-diffuser-nude

It doesn't use water which is a bonus for my condensation hating husband.
They do do water ones which look VN.

Loving this thread! Will have to search for my copy as I have packed it away. It’s a lovely bright morning here so I am looking forward to taking my dogs out for a woodland walk. Reading this thread this morning has put me in a fabulously autumnal mood; so thank you ☺️

I love all the autumnal photos.

We're all heading off for a Midlands adventure today, so I was up early and out for a run. I had bats wheeling past me, with a thin crescent of a waining Moon.

I got to see the first light of dawn peeking over the hills, and then later, have sat down with a special cup of cardamom coffee, in the silence of the house.

A perfect start to what will be a hectic day (likely to involve faaaaarrrr to much chocolate for the children!)