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.

That’s really good news @piscofrisco and also, good alpacas.

Lucky you getting away to Lisbon @MadMadMad I’ve never been so I look forward to hearing about it.

I am still toiling away at the mittens and need to get a move on as we have a cold snap. Doing tiny thumbs etc is not my jam but they look pretty.

@MadMadMad I love Lisbon and strongly recommend the excellent aquarium if you have even a vague interest in that sort of thing. I don't know any specific restaurants (but have had lovely meals there) but let's put a call out to @GlomOfNit as her parents live there (I think?)

I third (fourth?) loving Lisbon. I even loved it in the rain (which happened the whole time we were there).
Love the mittens @Bimblesalong. Cold snap can do one. I've had enough of it. I start the day at work in full on salapettes but by lunch I am too hot, (yet with cold ears). It was lovely and sunny today. Who knows what to wear?

We are off to Burgh Island for our Christmas treat on Sunday (Bristol en route to see some friends). Don't know what to wear there either!!

Ex's for a reason in deed @RainbowZebraWarrior. Such a bizarre and unhelpful reaction. Can't get my head around it.

Oh I have a day in Lisbon in May - need some recommendations so am all ears.

The mittens are IMMENSE. I absolutely love them.

Sorry to hear about all the various DDs struggling. It is so very difficult isn’t it. Added to that no one turning up at your panel @RainbowZebraWarrior - how frustrating when you’re all geared up for it. I feel for you all.

Another day of errands here. I too just cannot get warm. I’ve gone back to bed with the electric blanket on full power 5 times today.

We have also been doing some DIY - we are going to be turning our tiny guest room with a bureau desk into a proper office with a huge desk for working/homework/crafting. I can’t wait.

I would love a trip to Burgh Island @piscofrisco - I always thought it was quite formal (black tie for dinner) and guests like to dress in keeping with the period of the hotel. I also love Lisbon @MadMadMad and @AgathaMystery (shouldn’t you be going to Burgh Island?!) though we have always stayed up the coast in Caiscais and gone in by train. Rather indulgently posting one of my favourite views from there as a reminder that it won’t always be winter.

Ha! I have been to Burgh island - a few times! My dad’s best friend once hired the whole place for a weekend for a party. It was wild.

Obvs there was that time I went off grid there as well.

What's the phrase? Light after darkness, or Post tenebras lux (in Latin I believe)

It turns out I have had more moments of joy today than I have had all month. In a world seemingly full of madness and political point scoring, my mind seems to search out joy even more. Here are a few of them:

This thread and all it's amazing contributors and their photographs.
Jo Whiley playing 'Teenage Dirtbag' on the radio tonight and having a little dance along.
My Mum finally being seen by a very fabulous and kind podiatrist.
The lovely Mr Darcy and his unconditional love and cuddles.
My wonderful DD and how much we understand each other. (Despite the fact that we have gone from her sketching alongside me in companionable silence then her asking me about Darth Vader's back story and actually being interested to her being utterly hyper all in the space of 30 minutes)
Stereophonics releasing a new song today called "There's always gonna be something"
Being warm and safe and having a roof over our heads.
Getting a bargain from Vinted delivered today (£7 for a turquoise Le Creuset utensil pot).

For anyone else who may also be a Stereophonics fan, here's my favourite song of theirs.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GoR4Rzn5-pg

Here are some "no wrong weather only wong clothes" photos of the mud in our local woodland yesterday. Definitely welly conditions but I still felt better for going.

Today's grateful thought on this chilly night, as I washed my hands and the water turned warm, was how fortunate to have warm water on tap and how amazing that would have been not long ago.

Unless you were a Roman with slaves.

Knowing my luck I would have been the slave carrying the water @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper
It certainly is approaching peak Mud Month time. Feb-March are not it for the low tummed Dog owner. Or any Dog owner for that matter.

Jealous of your utensil pot @RainbowZebraWarrior. My next ever charity shop find was a pair of small le creuset soup pans. I use them daily, and I think they were about £6 for both.
Local boy in the photograph is where it's at for me. What a banger.

I'm on a mission today as I've heard that M and S have introduced a Lemon curd filled hot cross bun. I would imagine this is NVN as he would not approve messing around with the classic, but so help me, I love a hot cross bun and due to this thread I've had a lemon curd renaissance, so to M and S I will be going. Following what looks like a very rainy day of work. A Happy Friday to all!

Oh good Lord @piscofrisco that sounds amazing. Do report back. I’m not going into shops until after treatment (immunity), so dh is going out for me with lists and screenshots of desired products. I shall add these to the list. I’m needing soft food so currently have a m&s blueberry hot cross bun first thing before adding fruit of the day to my overnight oats.

Today I plan to make a load of bagels (surprise surprise!) and a further bergamot lemon cake. Ds2 is driving to stay with my mum and I want to send loveliness with him.

Good morning all and Happy International Zebra day!

@piscofrisco I saw those lemon curd buns, but opted for my favourite extremely cheesy hot cross buns instead. I also bought an extremely chocolatey custard cream Easter egg as folks were going mad for them and I'm a sheep I have just noticed that their christmassy Spiced biscuits are back under the guise of Easter Spiced Biscuits therefore I'll be trotting down there at teatime to snaffle some.

Have a good day, all.

Happy Friday!

It's a fabulous day here, DC are off school for an inset day, so we're snowboarding! It's perfect weather, lots of fluffy snow falling and we almost have the slopes to ourselves.

I’ve made edible marmalade! First try, honestly assumed it would be a totally unusable sticky (expensive) orange mush.

Well clearly I was not the only one who heard news of the lemon curd buns. Loads of all the other kinds left but the lemon curd bun shelf was empty 😡.

Well done @frozendaisy

That looks amazing @IngenTing

@frozendaisy awesome achievement!

uh oh @piscofrisco we are getting on a par with @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense and my M&S satsumagate.

@IngenTing do you want to adopt a rather uncoordinated lady in her middle years? Bakes brilliantly but will fall over whilst admiring the fabulous outdoors. Has own technical gear tested to -30°
It looks like the perfect snow day.

@AgathaMystery I’d love to hear more about Burgh Island and I sense there are some very good stories to be told re your experiences there.

Big bakeup to send a goody box to mum has been achieved. ds2 has driven down to stay with her for a few days. My big knitty news is that I have finally finished A Thumb. It has taken me 2 weeks and yes, I did procrastinate about it because it was fiddly. Good lord I need to get through treatment and back to work, I am literally going stir crazy (baking joke)!

@Bimblesalong I picked up stitches on a half-done long-abandoned jumper 3 weeks ago (stitches were just floating about because I had needed the needles for something else, in a hurry, so just pulled them out and went; my knitting is poorly treated). it has sat on my coffee table ever since. I see your procrastination and I raise you tenfold 😂

Oh my goodness, I was in M&S at lunchtime, if I had known about lemon curd hot cross buns I would certainly have looked. Wonder what time it closes…..

DH makes marmalade most years and it is quite the performance, none of the rest of us can bear it though so it lasts a long time. He has got 6 jars left from last year so not making any this time. I make jam in summer and sometimes pickles and chutneys, I love the process.

No photos taken the last few days, I need to rectify that, but it is lovely to see the snowdrops all coming out in the last few days.

@@Bimblesalong I used to knit fingerless gloves, gloves and mittens years ago and really ought to start again as most shop ones are too small for me!

Good morning all. TFI February is all I can say. Yesterday was another shambles and a waste of time for us.

I've woken this morning needing to make candles as the Fireside one I lit the other night really didn't suit (very 'soapy'?) so I've scraped it out and made a blend of lime, grapefruit, and black pepper. It feels uplifting for February. For a fresh start!

Other receptacles are ready to go, so I'm just waiting for further inspiration to strike for a second blend of the day.

I have just turned the page for the new Kitchen Diaries February chapter and was greeted with a photograph of a daffodil. That feels some way off here, but is still a lovely sign of hope. It's quiet here this morning and all I can hear are the crows and woodpigeons.

Hope everyone is well and has a good Saturday.

Also, I'm on the lookout for a new Audible recommendation.

I'm currently looking at A Year of Miracles and Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger. Has anyone read either of these? I like the idea that the former is about a year in the kitchen, but I'm not sure I'm keen on both books being based around grief. It seems somewhat depressing.

I might actually go back to basics and download How to Eat by Nigella as I love her voice (and let's face it, at almost 20 hrs long, it's value for money!)

Oooo @RainbowZebraWarrior the black pepper sounds amazing.

In my house I burn ‘winter’ in, erm, winter, and the rest of the year I have diffusers and wax melts all the time (and sometimes candles) from a small local company named ‘The Candle Brand’ - their dark honey and pepper scent is incredible. I cannot describe it. It’s amazing.

Audible…. I listen to a wide mixture of things. Right now I’m enjoying ‘mother, neighbour, Russian spy’ - a podcast about one of the Russian sleeper agents living in the USA at the turn of this century (seems weird to write that). I’m also re-enjoying Richard Osman’s ‘We solve Murders’ - a great listen. And I always have a Jilly Cooper in the background because why not.

I’m just back from my fave charity shop. My friends husband took 6 bin bags of her clothes there yesterday so I was there at opening this morning and asked to look through them. I have picked out some pieces for her daughter, who said no to wanting to keep any clothes yesterday, 50 hours after her mother had died. I am going to pack them away carefully and vacuum bag them and if she ever wants them they are safe.

it’s a lovely day here and I’m going to spend it at home. I am in a relentless cleaning and clearing mood. You can imagine how popular I am with my family.

@AgathaMystery I've just had a look at Candle Brand. They have a four day sale on (ends tomorrow) I love the fact that you can buy refills!

Also, can I just say that I think you are marvellous for what you've just done about keeping some of your friends clothes for her daughter. I was a bit shocked to read about the six bags being sent, so very well done for finding a way to try and resolve that during what is also a difficult time for you too Hugs and I hope you enjoy your cleaning and clearing day. Do take care of yourself x