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.

No, it's weirder. I think it's like cheesy fudge. You can keep it.

Sorry, I was thinking of Gjetost. I presume it's similar?

Morning everyone 😊

I'm finally properly caught up with CC! I've never got this far so am rather pleased with myself.

I particularly enjoyed the 'Wrapping up Christmas' section. It's nice to see even Nigel has visions of beautifully wrapped gifts but doesn't always manage it.

Furoshiki (sp?) sounds fun! But, like Nigel, I think it's maybe something to look at for 'next' year...I'll be heading to Pinterest for a browse, once the kitchen's straightened up <sigh>.

I plan to make a mess of it again later with some baking. Maybe more biscotti and mince pies? There's a James Martin recipe for individual panettone I want to try too. And dd1 has her heart set on attempting Lebkuchen, but I'm not sure her post-party-hangover will co-operate 🤣

Have a lovely day all!

I think it’s like a cheesy caramac!

delicious though…

I hate gjetost so if it's similar you can keep it!

I am now undecided about brown cheese... if I find some, I will try it. If not, I shan't hunt it down especially. I've already felt rather gluttonous this past few days, so I've just pared back my final Christmas food order, which gets delivered to my mum's tomorrow. We are currently having a lie down after lunch at Tivoli and will be going back to Tivoli again this evening.

I've been deciding upon a couple of veg accompaniments for Christmas day. There's always too much leftover, which I never fancy, so I only want to cook stuff I know I'll definitely eat. After trialling different parsnip dishes over the years, I've settled on hasselback ones, which I can't believe I've never done before. I've also decided to ditch the mash this year. (Potato overload cos wagyu roast potatoes and dauphinoise already!)

Those parsnips look exceptional!

23 December

Getting the blues

A wedge of blue, the veins running like a road map through the creamy curds, something soft and giving, it's tendency to roam held in place by a downy white robe; a firm textured cheese with a hard rind for eating with a comics pear or a crisp, chilled apple. Christmas in this house is unthinkable without cheese.

Thank you @RainbowZebraWarrior for still posting while you are away!

I hope you've really enjoyed Copenhagen. 🙂

I'm excited to see your Maileg purchases! You'll have Nisser at home just in time for Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄You must give them a treat of some kind on Christmas eve (in lieu of rice porridge which is their preferred offering) so that they will bring you good fortune (and also lots of presents on Christmas day)!

The brown cheese is an acquired taste...but well worth looking for/trying if only because it's such an interesting foodstuff and unlike anything else.

A friend and I were stopped and searched at the airport in Norway one time (on our way home to Denmark) because my friend had packed two slabs of brunost in his suitcase...

They really do, but I'm not sure they're what I WANT in a Christmas parsnip. I want caramelised exterior and soft mealy interior, and plenty to chunk up for bubble-and-squeak later on.

If Gjetost is the same as brunost I've bought it a few times from Waitrose cheese counter - cheesy caramac or fudge is about right! I liked it but it didn't hit the cheesy spot for me. I know it's a favourite Scandinavian breakfast. I bought it initially because of reading Matt Haig's troll books with my son.

Am full of festive cold (back to back with the last one ) so have sent DH out with a massive list for the shopping. I almost NEVER relinquish control like this over the Christmas food so this is a biggie for me. The cheese list is in fact a sub-list with annotations and I've said hopefully/helpfully that if it's all too much, am very happy to drug myself up, perhaps don a mask and go and get the cheese in myself this afternoon. Basically all I wish to eat for next few days is Naice Crackers (got those in already), Naice Cheese and the ham I'm doing on Boxing Day.

@GlomOfNit I think you would end up with exactly that although it might take a go or two to get it perfect. If done right the tops would get lovely and caramelised/slightly crunchy, and the body would be soft and mealy.

I’m not going to do them for Christmas but have definitely earmarked them to try soon

@GlomOfNit I'm the same this year. Usually I'm very much a perfectionist but this year I'm firmly of the mindset that It's okay to let things slide. Good enough is good enough.

We're using the faux tree and I didn't spend hours (or any time at all, tbh) fluffing the branches and rearranging them to make sure the tree looked just so. I didn't take everything I'd already put on the tree off again once I'd located the white/iridescent tinsel that matched my vision. I just approximated my vision with things I already had. I haven't spent ages making sure the bead garland hangs exactly right - I'm happy to see the flashes of red even if it's not perfect.

I also haven't decorated a whole lot. I'm happy with just a few touches of Christmas. I even think I'm ready to go through my Christmas stash in the New Year and let quite a few things go.

It feels quite nice to just be relaxed about things.

Brunost isn't really a cheese at all, tbf. It's whey cooked down with milk and cream until the sugars caramalise.

Geitost is made with goat's milk and whey, so has a different character.

Yes, we have Nisser to take home in time for Christmas @AllTangledUpInTinselAndTiaras I could only get the girl pixy at the Illums Bolighus, so they rang around and reserved me a boy pixy at their Tivoli branch, which I picked up yesterday. They have been wrapped beautifully! I am so excited about getting them home. I've also just told DD about offering them something and she loves this idea. Our trip has been lovely and we are planning to return next year.

I've got my havarti cheese ❤️🇩🇰 and also more nordic socks and baubles. I pray they survive the journey home (deliberately didn't buy the pricier ones for this reason!) DD has been sneakily buying me more bits for Christmas, but I said no to an expensive wooden Moomin I saw her eyeing up for me, lovely as it was. This evening is a good time to be leaving as obviously everything here closes from tonight.

Get well soon @GlomOfNit and I hope DH comes up trumps with the all important cheese list! I know what you mean about the parsnips, too.

Sorry, missed that you're ill @GlomOfNit. I don't know why I only ever catch half of anything... Me too, full of cold...just hoping that DH won't come down with it today or the next day. Hope you feel better quickly!

@RainbowZebraWarrior that was nice of them to do! Wishing your baubles a safe trip.

Oh, one of the best bits of being here at Christmas time (after spending the past few weeks spying glimpses of inside people's Christmassy lives) has been spying glimpses of Danish styled Christmas interiors. Our room was on the top floor of our hotel, and there's a gorgeous NewYork style apartment block opposite. I could see the apartment directly opposite had a massive open plan lounge / kitchen with a huge real tree in the window. I swear it was just like Monica's apartment in Friends. Happy days! (Well, that's a different US TV show, but you know what I mean)

Oh yes @RainbowZebraWarrior the Danes do Christmas well. 🎄🎄🎄

I'm hopelessly behind on thread and book and mid wrapping after ending up working all weekend to cover staff shortages. So just popping in to say hello and wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve eve!

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve too @piscofrisco Hope you're finished soon and can have some relaxation.

We're about to board the plane. Just gone through passport control, and the lady who checked our passports coming in was sitting next to the lady checking ours going out. They exchanged a look, and some mock stage whispers. Our passport officer says to us - looking over her glasses - "She says she knows you"
I replied "Oh yes, yes she does" (DD had had a face like an arse at the time and she had tried to jolly her along by talking about the roller coaster at Tivoli which DD wasn't interested in at all)
The officer then said in an almost Arnold Schwarzenegger style "she will exact her revenge" to which we all laughed and wished each other a Merry Christmas as they waved us off.
A lovely way to end our trip after waiting in the bonkers queues.

24 December. Christmas Eve

Evergreens and a new fish pie

Christmas eve, and I am bringing in the evergreens. I do this early in the day, so they have time to dry if they are, somewhat inevitably, dripping with rain. My ritual, but one that dates back to Roman times. Yew from the garden to adorn the mantlepieces, Holly and ivy to drape over the oak table.

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone on this thread.
Haven't posted for a while, but I do love catching up with the thread at the end of the day.

And I did enjoy reading about your Arnie-impersonating passport control officer @RainbowZebraWarrior!

Morning and a very happy Christmas Eve to you all!! Excitement mounting in our house I got up early and thoroughly enjoyed today's chapter before anyone else woke up with just the Christmas tree lights and dog for company. Been a bit behind for a few days - had our works Christmas lunch and quiz yesterday where I managed to correctly answer a question about Krampus thanks to CC!! Hope you've all got a lovely day planned - I'm about to put the pulled pork on and a long family dog walk after that. Merry Christmas 🎄 🎄🎄🎄🎄

Happy Christmas Eve all! Sainsbury's have just been and no parsnips or turkey steaks (couldn't face trying to cook both turkey and chicken, as DD won't touch turkey, in our tiny oven). So just chicken for us tomorrow. Pigs in blankets and stuffing balls aplenty so I am good with that. Presents all wrapped, cake iced so I need to run round with the hoover, make lasagne for dinner and I think I'm all done. Elves have left a pile of chocolate so the DC must on the nice list 😁