The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024 Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Welcome all new and old friends.

The journey continues.

I want to consult about mincemeat, please. I make it every 2 years or so, not every year, and because of that I don't use the same recipe every time. I usually make it up, 'inspired by' the methods in proper recipes. I'm going to make a proper note this year so if it is brilliant or just normally nice I can refer back - does anybody have any idea why some recipes are 'put it in a bowl somewhere cold, stir daily, leave for a week then bottle' while some are 'put in a low oven'? Obviously the latter melts the fats so they coat the fruit, but perhaps that isn't essential. Any thoughts or opinions? (also there was a freezer recipe up thread?)

Lovely idea @bigbadbarry.
I need to go and find my Christmas branches this weekend. I spray paint them white then hang things from them, as a sort of supplementary Christmas tree.

I've been doing it for 10 years but It's harder and harder to find the Branches nowadays as other people have cottoned on to it.

Poor pics of a previous years efforts.... but it's very effective in real life

wow that's beautiful! My twigs are much twiggier 😂

Ha! I think mine will be this year those ones were quite the effort to drag home from the woods.

Whamageddon doesn't start til 1st December, so you're OK!

Can anyone help me out with finding where I should be with the read-along?

Also thanks @MovingCrib for the Spotify link - I listened to the first half hour on my way to work this morning and I'm already looking forward to the drive home so I can listen to more!

@Mediocrates every entry is dated, so it's just a matter of reading up to the current date.

You should be on today's entry which is 20th November and I posted an excerpt this morning at around 7.30am

Tbh, I think we have discussed it a lot more in previous years, but perhaps some of us have read it so many times now that the conversation ends up revolving around news of our lives.

I am LOVING the Twigs!! White used to have a Sort of Twig, which was actually a massive yew branch my dad would drag in. My Mum can't be bothered with it much these days, so my Dad cuts back the yew tree still and gives the offcuts to his mate who makes loads of wreaths then gives them all to their allotment pals. Such lovely traditions.

I don't know whether do do an NT wreath course or not. I've made them myself in previous years as we have plenty of willow and greenery at our disposal which would cost nowt as opposed to £45. Last year I did one and then Dad's pal presented me with one of his, so I had them front and back. It was very late in the day though so I think I'll get Dad to give him a nudge.

@bigbadbarry on mincemeat, we've done quite a few different recipes over the years and various methods and it doesn't really make all that much difference IMO. Obviously the mix itself looks more glossy if it's been cooked down due to the melted suet.

This year I did the Hairy Bikers old-fashioned mincemeat again (DH really liked it last year) and it's a non-cook one. It also requires most of the dried fruits, mixed peel etc to be blended up with the apple, and currants are put in whole. Except I forgot and blended up the currants too...so I will probably add some chopped cranberries to the mix when I make the mince pies. I made it up and jarred it on the same day - added an extra slosh or three of booze to help with preservation - and now it will sit quite happily in the fridge until somewhere around mid December.

@RainbowZebraWarrior @NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights

OMG I'm such an idiot - I'm still on the introduction and hadn't realised it's written in diary form

I still haven't caught up on the book. Or on the thread. Quite a busy and stressful week and yesterday I had the worst deep clean on my teeth which was quite painful! I came home and cooked and then went to bed! But hopefully tonight.

No worries. I did think that I should have confirmed it's in diary form. Page 108 anyway 😊

You have my sympathies. I eventually had both my fillings and a deep clean done last Friday. It was horrid and I almost can no longer bear having a scale and polish as it has become a bit of a sensory nightmare. It has left my teeth sensitive, too. Most discombobulated.

Just to say, for anyone needing to catch up, we have a breather coming up soon. There are no entries this Saturday and Sunday.

I can't remember who said upthread about their mother and the Christmas baton being passed, but that has happened here and she's handed over all her decorations and associated traditions. That was me @BobBobBobbing! in addition to setting up her artificial tree in her conservatory (and working out how to programme the infernal light timer!) I also picked up a lovely little real tree with root ball in Tesco for £12.50 (they are half price at the moment if anyone is interested - saw similar in the posh garden centre for £59 so a real bargain). This tree will remain outside until I return with the family for Christmas when we will bring it in and decorate it with ornaments from my childhood. I’m heading home on the Eurostar today for a short pause before starting again there (not before December 1!)

@piscofrisco that is a beautiful and super impressive Twig.

@LillianGish the extra tree decorated together with family decorations sounds lovely. Another of our traditions is that the big tree doesn't go up til Christmas Eve. (We have Fun Tree with the childrens selection from the decorations on, Smart Tree which has matching decorations and Big Tree which has family decorations which are added to each year with everyone in the family picking a new thing) Only DS2 helps with Big Tree now, but that's probably a good thing as he's the only one that treats the very elderly family decorations with the gentle touch they need to not entirely fall to pieces...

Hooray! I can stop banging on about mincemeat now and start on the next thing …

@bigbadbarry that mincemeat looks really delicious!

I'm attaching a photo of NS's Orange Poppy Seed Cake - it turned out really well and actually tastes more delicious as days go by.

I have loved seeing all the snowy pictures. Unfortunately we are in London and only saw a few flakes, which didn't settle. I did go on a beautiful dog walk this morning however, and I attempted to photograph some rather pretty and sparkly frosted leaves (which haven't actually shown up very well in the picture, but never mind..)

DH found a large branch (6 ft tall) a couple of winters ago, blown down during a storm, dragged it home, sprayed it white and we’ve used it at home instead of a Christmas tree when we’ve been staying at DD’s over Christmas. We didn’t want to be without a tree, but a real one would have been left without water, so this has been a lovely replacement, and much nicer than an artificial tree . Tiny white fairy lights and glass baubles on the white branches looked sparkly and ethereal - unfortunately haven’t a photograph. Will probably use it again this year as we’re going to DD’s again.

Good evening!
@RainbowZebraWarrior I think I am birthday twins with your daughter! Although she's probably not turning 41 in the morning!
It's minus 12 today for me today and due to turn to minus 17 tomorrow. Lots more lovely snow due and my daughter is able to ski to and from nursery. It's VERY dark here now as well and the sun is low all day.
We'll be putting our warm white (always warm white) lights out next weekend. Next Friday there is the lighting festival in our little village for the Christmas tree.
I'm really enjoying the read along. I was a bit stressed at first thinking that I should make everything on every day, but I like how it's turned into a winter food inspiration handbook.

The festive Eurostar terminal at St Pancras which has a tree promoting the film Wicked in the shape of the Emerald City which NVN, but it is immediately adjacent to a pop-up Diptique shop with the full range of candles (VN indeed). Mincemeat looks fab @bigbadbarry - dare I ask if you went Ultimate Nigel and got the suet from the butcher? Actually I don’t think anyone but Nigel himself would do this and I have some doubt even he would bother 🤣

@IngenTing you are indeed birthday twins with my DD. She will officially become a teenager tomorrow! Temperatures of -12 to -17 sound difficult. It's due to drop to -3 here tonight, and my body is struggling. I have three layers on, two pairs of socks, a bobble hat and cashmere gloves. My arthritis is making it hard to type. Heating is on though, and we only have a small bungalow so it will be toasty soon. I really need to get round to updating the ancient double glazing and fitting a porch as that would help no end.

Pictures of mincemeat and orange & poppy seed cake look amazing. As does the festive St Pancras and frosted leaves. Twiggy stories also continue to warm the cockles. It's so lovely to hear of all your traditions.

The ice here is something else. It seems to take ages to go away, even though the main roads are clear. Had to pick DD up early from school for an appointment and couldn't get down the road to the school. I just absolutely freeze (pardon the pun!) even with my crutches as I'm so scared of slipping.

I seem to recall this time last year that some of us bought a book called The little book of Christmas calm or such like. I can't for the life of me think where I've put it, though.

I went to the library yesterday and picked up a few Chriatmas books. I'm thoroughly enjoying leafing through this one.

lol I did not - it came in a packet from Ocado! If Nige comes for tea he can jolly well be polite and say mmm delicious

I put Sheherezade in the charity shop a couple of christmases ago, she was too annoying even for me and I have a very high tolerance for seasonal nonsense 😂