The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024 Part 3

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Welcome to thread three.

The Christmas Chronicles is the story of Nigel Slater’s love for winter. Taking you from 1 November all the way to early February, The Christmas Chronicles covers everything from Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Year to Epiphany. Throughout the season, Nigel offers over 100 recipes to see you through the build-up, the celebrations and the aftermath.

Anyone who hasn't yet joined in, there's still a big chunk of the book to go as you can see from the description above. It's in diary form with an entry most days and is easy to dip in and out of.

Anyway, welcome friends new and old. Pull a cosy chair closer the the fire, light a candle, pour a glass of something warming and settle in.

I am envious of the wreaths, I keep meaning to make one and never managing it! However my fun learning point last year was that it is possible to be allergic to ivy, and I am. Pulled some of our shed, my face swelled up like a balloon and I ended up in A&E so need to be careful with which components I use, it may not be the only thing I am allergic to!

Our cat is much too sophisticated for messing with the tree!

Mine are far too lazy and take no notice at all!
The little one is a terror though, if you don’t spring to action within 5 seconds of her announcing that she would like the door opened, she jumps up on the sideboard and starts swatting things off. One nice Sostrene Green candlestick, two porcelain ducks and a glass snowman have already fallen victim. You’d think I’d learn not to put breakables up there.

The cake icing section gets me every time. I know it’s coming, but it still pulls me up short. Nigel was so young when he lost his mum and yet all his formative memories of Christmas are tied up with her making it such a special time. No wonder he tears up with the opening lines of Christmas carols. I will be icing my mum’s Christmas cake later today and counting my blessings that’s she’s made it to 88. Also popping in to Fortnums at St Pancras when my Eurostar gets in to pick up some marmalade and a pot of Stilton. Hope you are enjoying your trip @RainbowZebraWarrior. Loving everyone’s cat anecdotes.

Happy birthday to your Mum @LillianGish

We've spent rather a lot so far (entirely expected, and things we had on our list)

We will be going to Tivoli tomorrow, but have passed it a few times today and it looks beautiful. Off out again now for a much needed thirst quenching drink. (I'm so sick of coffee)

Here's DDs newest pal. We've named him Alpaca Cino.

I've utterly failed on the worth front this year. But I have sort of trimmed up the two posts by the door. It's not my best work to be fair but I want telling great the day I did it and it was a half hearted attempt.

Just checking in to say hello. It's ended up being a very busy day as had to go into work again to cover sickness, had some last minute bits to buy, the house to clean as we are having friends around at 5...now just getting changed and about to mix up some amaretto sours, which I love, but are a bit labour intense with all the lemon squeezing and egg white separating. So had best crack on. Have a lovely evening all x

@RainbowZebraWarrior what have you bought?

I'm mid kitchen disaster...

Unwrapped my dad's cake to marzipan & ice. All good. Grabbed the pile of baking paper for the bin...did not even realise our cake was under it (small cake this year) & smooshed the paper up. Thought to myself while lobbing it in the bin that it felt a bit off 🤔. Turns round to marzipan our cake...gone. it's in the flippin' bin! <BIG SIGH>

Now, do I bake a replacement tomorrow? Or do I write it off?

Brush it off!

@lucysmam brush it off. Gravy and sprout leaves will enhance the flavour.

🤣 really? I'm not sure the girls will go for it! Dd2 knows where it's been!

All the more for you!

Ok, I'll rescue the cake 🤣 flippin heck! Not in my mental plan for the day!

Oh no, @lucysmam I would also have gotten it back out of the bin, but DD says it very much depends what was in the bin (if it ended up being 'wrapped' in the paper though, it will be protected) I've made shortbread and ice cream before with crumbled bits of Christmas cake. Could be an idea?

We've bought Maileg mice and bunnies (I am going back tomorrow morning for some Nisser), Nordic wool socks, costume jewellery, Lego, Stationery, Marzipan, Christmas decorations, and the obligatory fridge magnets. I also saw some large, very beautiful traditional advent calendars but I'm worried they would get bent in the suitcase.

lol at cat's favourite chopping board! They are odd little buggers sometimes.

oh good god, get that thing out of the bin, dust it off, job's a good 'un!

Sorry, I think you may already have done so!

Sort of thing I'm more than capable of, frankly.

We went into our local small city today (think tourist central, shedloads of shopping and tourist crowds) because we thought perhaps DS2 might like a go on the double-decker trad carousel in their Christmas market. He did not. He did throw a wobbly in a model car and bus shop in the covered market and I'm afraid I ended up buying him yet another bus, because actually I don't know how else we'd have got him out of there. Not brilliant parenting but for a kid who doesn't eat much, he's surprisingly strong when determined and I wasn't sure how we'd leave. Autism+Christmas crowds+bus entitlement=we shouldn't really have gone in!

Going out tonight, to small local town to listen to small local music, lovely. Obliging DS1 is DS2-sitting.

Ok, rescued, marzipanned & iced. My icing's a tad runny but setting as it goes & frankly, I'm done for the day!

@GlomOfNit I love a tiny gig!

@RainbowZebraWarrior sounds fun! & memories to treasure in your purchases too 😊.

The cake looks great @lucysmam hope you can relax a bit this evening now x

Cake looks great @lucysmam and fishing It out of the bin was definitely the right way to go! In my cookery O Level exam (yes, I'm that old!), I accidentally poured the veg for the meal I was cooking into the washing up water. I had a quick look round, saw the examiner was at the other end of the room and scooped the veg up, rinsed them under the hot tap and no one was any the wiser - at least I assume so since I passed!

Great shopping @RainbowZebraWarrior and I love the alpaca.

@GlomOfNit enjoy the gig!

@GlomOfNit i also live a tiny gig, hope it is lovely
We were invited to some friends for a pre-Xmas party which was very lovely but unfortunately almost no food (nibbly bits of meat and cheese) plus most of the party-goers standing around the table in a we will judge what you eat fashion, plus starting at 4pm, means I am now home, sloshed and starving. But you sloshed to go and find food 😱😱😱

@lucysmam that cake is magnificent! Yours looks better having been in the bin than any of my finest efforts kept carefully in the tin or on the side. What would Nigel do? I think accidentally throwing your cake in the bin probably comes under the umbrella of I rally against tasteful cakes, designer cakes, and will have no truck with any type of healthy cake. One could imagine him adding throw it in the bin by all means as long as you serve it on an Edmund de Waal plate.

Oh nooo! Hope you managed to find something to line your stomach in the end. DH and I were both driving to the tiny gig as one of us had to get DS2 to bed first, so we were both on tiny drinks too. 😂

22 December

A terrine or two

I make lists. Shopping lists, to-do lists, Christmas card and present lists. Lists long and short, urgent lists and pipe dreams. And never more so than in the days that bookend Christmas. The one I write today is unusually long and detailed. A stream of consciousness that may or may not be followed. Either way, it is an aide-memiore I feel I cannot live without. There is no point in reproducing it here, because a list is your own and pretty much useless to anyone else.

I hope you're having a wonderful time @RainbowZebraWarrior
If you can find some Norwegian brunost (brown cheese) in a shop, I really recommend taking some home. This one is a staple in our house! It's not as weird as it sounds, I promise!
We're having it this morning for breakfast on waffles.

Thanks, Ingen. There's not much left on my list of things to get, apart from Havarti cheese, so I do need to find a cheese shop or good deli. I've added brown cheese to the list.

I've just googled and found a cracking sounding cheese shop / deli called Gastronomer just a few hundred metres from me with great reviews. Obviously they are closed today, so this is a very important mission for tomorrow. Today is Tivoli day (with a couple of other brief daliances)

Morning all, thank you for managingthe posting while you are away @RainbowZebraWarrior you are very dedicated! I got up early this morning to go to the loo and decided to stay up, so candles have been lit and the mini cakes made in baked bean tins have been marzipanned (the baked bean tin also makes a handy cutter). However DH did some tidying up and has hidden Nigel, so I need to go on a Nigel-hunt in a minute.