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.

Sorry to hear it's been a difficult few weeks @ExquisiteDecorations Hope you get a chance to rest a bit in the coming days, now that DB has taken over the reins for a bit. Love your hyacinths. I'm with you on the leftovers, too. I used to enjoy them, but I get so sick of things so easily now. Also, I discovered about a year ago that reheating food increases the histamine levels, so I have to be careful. Everything got frozen or chucked last night.

I think I love roast potatoes, and I do. But once is enough, so like @ClaudineChronicles I'm looking forward to soup. Lentils sound like a lovely antidote to me right now. I don't know how people do multiple dinners / nights out, but my body doesn't like it, so the idea of feasting is not for me. I've updated my waitrose order for mine and DDs NYE buffet where we've decided to have vegetable curry with pitta and dips followed by fruit kebabs. It will make a refreshing change from the beigeness of sausage rolls, garlic bread, pizza etc.

Little heads up for St Eval fans. There's currently 40% off their Christmas range on their website. Quite a bit is sold out, but their advent candles and Inspiritus, Figgy Pudding and Winter Thyme candles are available in various forms. Cute Christmas crackers too which I've bought to put away as gifts for next year. THANKYOU20 takes an additional 20% off.

Sorry, that should have said 50% off.

@ExquisiteDecorations hope you're getting to relax a bit now. It's awful when you're pulled in all directions with caring responsibilities.
I was going to make soup today but the family looked at me in horror. So turkey curry it is. If I make a biggish amount I'm thinking I could turn it into a curry soup for Saturday if I add dome more stock and give it a blend. Then that will be all of the leftovers done and dusted. Is it wrong that I'm craving a salad 😂

My guests have all gone home now and we’re enjoying a quiet afternoon (and evening). I have finally had a chance to start looking at one of my Christmas presents- A Thousand Feasts, Nigel’s writing is just so evocative.
Hope you are all relaxing now especially those who have had a hectic couple of days.

Ah Thankyou @RainbowZebraWarrior that will be me having a browse on st Eval
When I get home from work

Lots of love @ExquisiteDecorations things that feel tricky feel even more tricky at Christmas I find so I hope you are ok

And a happy Friday to everyone else.
I'm just home from work to an empty house as both DD's out somewhere and dh has taken the dss's to see friends. If it didn't look like a bomb has gone off in here it would be quite restful. As it is I'm doing myself a quick leftover buffet tea-very cheese heavy and will have half an hour sit down in the quiet before I tackle the state of the place. DSS's go back to their mum tomorrow and DD's will be in an out so much as I will miss them I'm looking forward to a bit of time with just DH.

I got 9 candles for £41 delivered. Free delivery is over £50, but even though the extra 20% off put it below that, the free delivery still applied.

Hope you manage to relax a bit and enjoy your cheesy buffet dinner.

I've done nowt all day except listen to podcasts. I'm a bit bored now, so I'll get out tomorrow and do a spot of birdwatching at the local nature reserve.

Sympathy to all those caring for others. We are heading back to Paris tomorrow - packing up a lot of the stuff we brought over to unwrap here and more besides. Thought about logically I wonder why we bother, but it feels like some presents have to be unwrapped at Christmas. I have left a little pile of stuff under the tree at home to unwrap tomorrow night when we get in. That will be a calm, peaceful candlelit affair and something I am very much looking forward to, but first we have to navigate seasonal engineering works into Paddington so will have to allow extra time to get to the Eurostar. I have been restocking my mum’s pantry to get her into next week and beyond - all the kinds of things that Nigel never has to navigate. Really identifying with @dazzlingdeborahrose longing for soup and salad, but having to cater for the majority. @Bimblesalong camembert, cranberry and sliced pear sounds like a divine combination - thanks for the idea.

@RainbowZebraWarrior thank you for that link to the review of Nigel- I went down a rabbit hole on that site and ended up getting one of the reviewer's books on kindle as it fit with exactly what I wanted to do with my calmer life.

16 years today since DD arrived in an unplanned home birth under the fairy lights. The neighbours were gathered outside worried about the ambulance and there was a cheer when FIL went out to say "it's a baby girl". Meanwhile one of the paramedics was in tears as it was the first birth she'd attended. A midwife was called to deliver the placenta and I'll always remember how tender she was looking after me as they were worried I was going into shock after a 20 min labour. DD still doesn't do things by half!

Happy 16th birthday to your DD @BobBobBobbing what a lovely story ❤️

Safe travels back to Paris tomorrow @LillianGish Hope it isn't too problematic.

I also meant to say to @GettingFestiveNow that I loved your photos of Bolam Lake. I haven't been for a couple of years, but it's a favourite of mine, and has been since my childhood, along with Plessey Woods. I also use Nicholson's butchers. I actually bought my meat there for my Masterchef endeavours. Practising my recipes every night for a week before filming cost me around £200 and that was 20+ years ago!

My best seller when I had my café was brie and cranberry panini. Camembert, cranberry and sliced pear sounds perfect for this time of year. My absolute favourite, however, is a toasted Cheese, avocado and sundried tomato sandwich that my South African host used to make for me when I worked on her Macadamia farm just outside Auckland.

@RainbowZebraWarrior you have had such an exotic life!

@LillianGish safe journey back to Paris

@BobBobBobbing what a lovely story!

@ExquisiteDecorations I hope you are able to recuperate a bit yourself whilst your DB takes up the reins.

@LillianGish safe travels!

@BobBobBobbing happy birthday to your dd 🎉

@RainbowZebraWarrior you've done all sorts!

We've just put up some decorations for dd2's 15th tomorrow & barred her from downstairs so she doesn't see her gifts. She has one I'm looking forward to her opening in particular.

28 December

A sweet moment

The books. There are books in the kitchen, books in the study and books in the drawing room. There are books in my satchel, books on my desk and books by my bedside. There are novels and short stories, biographies and diaries, hiakus and travelogues. There are gardening books and poetry and of course there are cook books, though I am far from what you might call a collector.

Happy birthday to DD2 @lucysmam

DD is poorly. Possibly covid, so I've parked myself up in front of Food Network for the morning.

Safe trip @LillianGish
Sorry re dd @RainbowZebraWarrior . Dd2 is only just starting to feel better here and I'm convinced she has has covid too. Or there is a horrible virus going around that looks very like it. Two thirds of my team at work were off yesterday. Some of that is Christmas-itus I'm sure but that's still very abnormal sickness. It didn't make for a fun day.

I'm off til Friday now (unless work get really desperate) and I'm really looking forward to a few days of nothingness! That said we are seeing friends today and going into London for lunch tomorrow with the DD's-so not quite nothingness but less pressure than the last few days have been I hope.

Poor dd @RainbowZebraWarrior I hope she’s as comfy as possible as she works through whatever is plaguing her.

safe journey @LillianGish

@piscofrisco hope you manage the full time
off and do whatever makes you happy.

We’ve another day of murk here. Mum’s gone home (sniff!) and it’s been lovely to have her. She did really well on our first Christmas without dad.

Thinking back to a couple of winters years ago when we had some decent snow and how cosy it was to be inside. I had two long haired tortie cats then (sisters) who loved to sit like bookends on top of the sofa. I miss cats but ds1 is so allergic to them.

@piscofrisco I had some awful covid like virus a couple of weeks ago - it was truly awful.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I do hope dd doesn't have that 😥 and is on the mend soon.

@lucysmam happy birthday to your DD!

@RainbowZebraWarrior hope DD's lurgy is short lived and she's feeling better soon.

@Bimblesalong I have such a longing for some deep snow and that special silence you get with it when you do venture out. There's a possibility of some due for NY but it doesn't look like it'll hit here and I'm madly jealous as I didn't get any earlier in the year either.

@RainbowZebraWarrior Get well soon RZWdd. Fingers crossed it's short lived.

I want snow so much that our main present to all the kids (and me really) is 3 days in Finland in February, doing snow ish activities. My DD's haven't seen proper snow really, bar maybe one day, since we lived in Canada when they were 4 and 5.
I loathe this endless oppressive murk and mud.

And a happy birthday to dd @lucysmam

I woke up this morning and googled Finnish Lapland for Feb half term. Unfortunately it's a bit of a pain in the backside from Newcastle as there are only direct flights in December, so I'm looking at Iceland instead, then possibly Finland in December next year. Santa's Aurora looks fab as you get your own sauna. I'll see what DD thinks when she wakes up and is feeling well enough, as she gets final say.

We've been very lucky here to have had three beautiful sunny days when a lot of the UK has had this awful fog. Just a shame we can't go out as I was looking forward to going to the nature reserve this morning. The best laid plans..

I am really hoping to get out to “northwards” after treatment (although I reckon it’ll be Andalucia instead!). The sun’s solar maximum is this coming March, so a peak for aurora action.