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.

Jam pans are designed to give jam lots of space to boil without going over. As long as you are careful you can even make jam in a normal saucepan - chutneys for sure, give it a go!

Thanks for the new thread Rainbow.

I am burning my Ginger and Lemongrass tea light from the St Eval advent calendar. It’s nice and bright which is what I need today!

Has anybody managed to find proper satsumas this year? Ocado had them in for a couple of weeks at the start of November but now they are nowhere to be seen - just ‘easy peelers’ which are not the same, and clementines which I actively dislike

Nope, not found any here @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I went galloping over to some promising looking ones in M&S on Tuesday, but alas, they were the easy peeler imposters with leaf and stalk. I need to go to the post office later today or tomorrow, so hope to find some at our brilliant greengrocer. Fingers crossed he may also even have Mistletoe.

I've reached that tipping point. Everything is busy. There's something every flipping day at school and DD only has 6 school days left. I've been telling friends and family that we need to meet now to exchange gifts, as it's my last weekend before Christmas. The penny finally dropped when my best friend said of course she would come and catch up over the weekend, but she would still see me again before Christmas, right? Wrong I'm afraid. Everyone's brains just become overloaded I think. I'm delivering honey and my mother's Christmas cards tonight. I've written down the days her shopping deliveries are booked for as she apparently wasn't taking any notice when I booked her Christmas slot. Apparently I do it ridiculously early (erm, you have to book as soon they come out!) I know I'm getting stressed as I'm awake at 4am every morning and I keep misplacing my phone and purse. I've just left it in the pharmacy thus morning, and only realised after searching the house high and low then trawling back for it.

I've got that constant feeling like I've forgotten something, so I have lists and back up lists.

Well, 13 days to Christmas & we have a leaky radiator and the hallway ceilings collapsed 🙄 . Perfect timing!

I have been MIA as I travelled to England, but loving the thread. I forgot to take pictures of the tree before I left so they will have to wait until I get back.

However, I did make a trip to Sorstrene Greene and although I was very restrained and didn't buy anything, I did take a few pics that I thought the thread might enjoy.

@lucysmam :( this is the kind of thing that happens to us on the regular. Bloody hell. I hope there isn't too much damage.

Cross-posted - sorry for everyone with overwhelm and domestic disasters!

Can I join? I love the thread.

The best chutney recipe I’ve found is by Pippa Middleton and it’s her grandmother’s marrow chutney recipe which is published in her book. Everyone loves it.

@piscofrisco I'm relieved it's not just us! But it's such a pain in the backside!

Ceiling seems to be a leak from the shower that's built up over time & picked now to show it's face. Radiator's old & knackered...I think the one in the downstairs loo is leaking too. Plumber's coming to assess the damage today.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I've tipped as well. Just opened the mug cupboard to put away some clean cups and found a pint of milk in there 🤦🏽‍♀️ I've got two deadlines to hit by the end of the week, a christmas lunch today, christmas do at the neighbours' house tonight and end of term christmas service at the cathedral tomorrow morning, before the kids break up tomorrow lunchtime - I absolutely love the cathedral service but do not have time for it! Sleep schmeep. Still no ideas for DD2 who is doing zero work for her mocks and shouting at me; not a card written yet. DD1 home on Saturday and we all fly to Krakow on Monday. Cannot wait.
happy days!

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense it's the Christmas madness...

If only I'd known about the marrow chutney. All that grew in my veg patch this year was marrows. And I had no idea what to do with em!

Oh gosh - sending warm hugs to everyone with Christmas overwhelm. I can't do anything more practical I'm afraid.

@Bimblesalong well done on getting halfway through. Nearly there!

Chutney is the absolutely only thing to do with marrows IMHO. Having grown courgettes for 40 years and being heartily sick of endless Ratatouille every summer.

Yup. The Christmas madness indeed! @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I love Krakow. Hope you manage to have some time out at least when you're there (although city breaks are rarely relaxing)

@lucysmam what a nightmare for you. Hope it gets sorted swiftly.

Welcome @RosieMilkJug

@noodlezoodle what darling little meeces!

I've had cheese on toast with chutney for lunch. It was perhaps a little too heavy for a busy day. <eyes up cosy blanket>

Chutney is the absolutely only thing to do with marrows IMHO. Having grown courgettes for 40 years and being heartily sick of endless Ratatouille every summer.

Yup. The Christmas madness indeed! @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I love Krakow. Hope you manage to have some time out at least when you're there (although city breaks are rarely relaxing)

@lucysmam what a nightmare for you. Hope it gets sorted swiftly.

Welcome @RosieMilkJug

@noodlezoodle what darling little meeces!

I've had cheese on toast with chutney for lunch. It was perhaps a little too heavy for a busy day. <eyes up cosy blanket>

No idea why that posted twice.

I always make Delia's spiced apricot chutney from her Christmas book - so easy and so delicious. Just catching up with CC - the Christmas tree chapters are among my favourites and with lovely photos. I share all Nigel's joy of unwrapping decorations from their tissue (and now, thanks to him, I even enjoy packing them away again when the time comes). I hope he will have a tree this year - I felt a bit cheated when I discovered he'd timed his regular five-year redecoration rota over the Christmas period last year which meant forgoing a tree. It was a bit like the moment I learned that Delia Smith in fact spent every Christmas in Barbados despite selling us all her step-by-step guide to getting through Christmas starting in October. Dare I whisper it - I actually wondered if Nigel actually loves Christmas as much as he purports to? I'm sitting here in the glow of my tree as the light fades outside. DS comes home tomorrow and I can't wait!

Seeing as I'm sitting in the car waiting for DD, I've scrolled through Nigel's insta and he posted his tree phot on 11th December 2022. He posted a photo of that same tree as a Christmas greeting on 24th December last year as obviously he was renovating as @LillianGish says and was without tree.

Come on, Nigel! 🌲

Delis smith spends every Christmas in Barbados?!?!
I feel cheated!

5 year redecoration schedule? Lord I wish I had one of those!

Hello all. I've tried my apricot brandy but the apricots are nicer than the actual drink. I will leave it for a bit longer!

Thanks for the new thread!

Sorry to hear about Christmas madness for some of you and for house maintenance woes. I'm sending some koselig thoughts and vibes to you.

Congratulations @Bimblesalong on your halfway treatment. That must feel fantastic.

We (the kids) baked some excellent lussekatter yesterday evening. It was very cosy, the house smelt amazing and the dough rose beautifully. No raisins for us, as my son hates them. The saffron made the dough such a wonderful golden yellow. They have been a welcome addition to lunchboxes and fika today.

Today we started a little Christmas food shopping, so we have some local Rørosrein Reinsdyr julepølse. This is like a giant Christmas sausage made with reindeer. We also found some lovely reindeer and moose salami type meats. And some fenalår, which is quite salty, thin cured slices of mutton. But so very delicious with blue cheese! And the first of a few different types of herring, this one is in a mustard dressing. A good start!

Just checking in and catching up - our electricity went off on Saturday/Sunday, and is still only on temporarily, no internet connection until today and mobile signal is very iffy so lots to catch up on. What an interesting, funny, and kind lot you are, I’ve really enjoyed all your posts. Thank you so much@RainbowZebraWarrior for sterling work keeping the thread going.

Stop the world I want to get off.

Jeeez it’s busy isn’t it?!

Im just about on my knees. Today I went to my DD old school to help run a Christmas shop for the children to buy gifts for their grown ups. Father Christmas arrived with his mini shetlands…. They were so beautiful.

Then I went off to my job and did a ton of school nursing and now I’m home and I’m teaching infant feeding tonight! I am done for.

Sounds like everyone is in the trenches with me. Nice calm day working in a hospital tomorrow.

Plumber was here less than 5 mins - isolated leaky rads, sorted boiler pressure, measured & took pics, and left! New to be ordered & they'll ring to arrange fitting.

Other leak that brought down the ceiling has to be arranged as a separate job 🙄

@IngenTing your selection of meats sounds interesting & tasty!

@noodlezoodle aw, the mice are very sweet, they made me smile 😊

@Seasidebubbles what a nightmare! Will it be restored properly soon?

Well that all sounds delicious @IngenTing
Why is nothing ever simple @lucysmam ?
And @Seasidebubbles what a time of year for it.

DSS2 turn to be sick in our house now. He's been asleep all afternoon and now in bed on his iPad not looking great. And so it goes on. I've been watching Harry Potter 'with' him. He was asleep for most of it to be fair