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.

The good news is I hardly recognised anything in the bags so it means her husband did a fine job of choosing what to keep.

@AgathaMystery i listened to the Russian spy audiobook some time ago - thought it was fascinating. I’m currently immersed in Wolf Hall, which I have read twice, watched on stage, watched on tv … so a safe choice but Ben Miles is the most extraordinary voice artist and it is absolutely wonderful.
I’ve spent the morning freezing my bum off watching DD3 play football and now we are trying for a late lunch at Wagamama with the entire western world what is the matter with people 😂

Godspeed. Wagamama drives me mad ‘hi yeah so all the food will come at different times. Yah?’ As I watch my entire family eat 3 courses and only my dumplings have arrived after 90 mins.

rage. 😩😂

Proper chuckling at this. I experienced Wagamama for the first time whilst at Tivoli in December. When they came out with this --shite- line, my mouth literally fell open. What I wanted to say was "Eh? Are you not actually capable of making all the food at the same time like normal restaurants?" What I actually said of course was "Oh that's fine, thanks!"

❤️ @AgathaMystery for being guardian to those clothes.

Muddy woods again today. We don't have smell vision but the newly felled pines smell strongly.

A cloudy day with a grey sky that made me think of Bill Bryson in Notes from a Small Island. I'm paraphrasing but he says something like this about British weather:

It's weather for grown ups. Moderate so that for much of the year you only need a sweater. The sky is often cloudy though, giving the feeling of living in a tupperware box with the lid on.

Right?! Also - they measure out all the ingredients overnight before they open so they are literally chucking it in a wok. No one is chopping up or prepping during service.

My fave visit was when my BIL and I ordered a dish with ‘prawns’. We got 2 each. It was £14 in about 2014. SPENDY! He called the waitress over and said ‘there are just 2 prawns in this’ and she replied (super chipper) ‘yah, like the menu says, prawns - there’s more than one. So you have actually got prawns’.

He’s from Lancashire and has never got over it.

Oh, I love Wagamama, I go there with DD when we go to London to the theatre, the one by the Southbank Centre. It isn’t cheap but it is fast and very tasty and feels less UPF-like than most chain restaurants.

I got the all clear from my biopsy. They’ve said they’ll keep on the system for another three months and if I have any more bleeding they will do a hysteroscopy under GA. It has all been very fast and efficient, all comms through the NHS app.

That's great news @ExquisiteDecorations and a hysteroscopy with GA is definitely the way to go if needed (but hope it's not)

Just for info, both myself and my Mum had unexplained bleeding about a year and a half ago shortly after our covid jabs. Both got the all clear, but we were told it was a known issue at that time (and we were both asked to yellow card it) I'm very pro vax BTW, so I'm not scaremongering, just sharing personal experience.

Quick poll, if you all don't mind. We will be due a new thread in the next few days as we agreed to carry on the chat throughout the year. I'm thinking of calling it something like the Year Round Nigel Slater Appreciation and Discussion Thread. Are we happy to keep this in the Christmas topic, or should I switch over to the Books/ What we are reading topic, or even elsewhere like Chat?

@AgathaMystery fine work there. Your friend knew that you had her dd covered.
@ExquisiteDecorations really pleased to hear that news.

@HannahDefoesChristmasHamperlove that - it’s new to me so thanks for sharing.

It’s been a beautifully clear day here. Ds1 got up at 4.30am to drive his beloved and their two best friends (a couple) to Yr Wyddfa. They reached the summit just after sunrise. I am bursting with pride for the way the young man has embraced life with everything the family has been through this year.

I have been out of the house to somewhere other than the hospital on an actual day trip. A picnic and walk on a Welsh beach. It was lovely and a super recharge. I wonder if beaches are a little too windswept for Nigel. He seems to prefer still, calm places where the sensory input is known and measured.

(1st image Ds1, 2nd mine, 3rd -look at the moon and Venus tonight!)

Lovely title @RainbowZebraWarrior I have little preference on topic and am overthinking categories!

Srunning photographs @Bimblesalong and what a fine young Man your DS sounds. I've also been admiring the clear night sky myself this evening. Pleased you have managed to venture further afield and enjoyed a nice day.

I recently found out that my Welsh grandmother originated from Blaenau Ffestiniog which is only around 8 miles from Yr Wyddfa. It's an amazing part of the world. Unfortunately, as we have uncovered more of that part of the family tree, we have discovered some rather unpalatable information. It reads is like an episode of Who Do You Think You Are meets Catherine Cookson!

@Bimblesalong those photos are stunning. How incredible to climb something like that. I climbed Snowdon once. It almost killed me. I was furious when I realised you could get the train up.

@RainbowZebraWarrior have no preference as to name or where it goes although Christmas does seem a little inappropriate, will happily follow link to new thread.
@AgathaMystery when my father died very unexpectedly I was horrified to meet my brother the next morning at the house only to find he was already clearing out his wardrobe! It did need to be done but I would have preferred a couple of days to get over the shock.

@MadMadMad I'm sure you were stunned. Where is the rush?!

@RainbowZebraWarrior i don’t mind where we hang out. I think Xmas will be a quiet corner and we won’t get ‘lost’ or attract MN lunatics like we will in chat. Maybe books is a good idea. Not sure but also don’t mind xx

A quiet corner without the unpleasant side but where we might gather the occasional gentle soul.

Yes. Gentle souls welcome. We could do a questionnaire:

1. what is your preferred method of heating your home?
2. Your fave cashmere jumper develops a hole. What do you do?
3. The correct order of burn for candles is…?
4. Velvet ribbon is to be used for….?
5. the perfect winter getaway involves what?

suggested answers:

1. a wood burning stove filled with well seasoned apple logs
2. whip out your darning mushroom and set to with haste
3. trick question. Burn them all.
4. everything
5. Crisp winter weather with a low sun, pref Germany or Scandinavia, some sort of mulled wine and a market where one can buy figs/candles/marzipan & a felt mouse

Have had lots going on here and lost all impetus for keeping up with anything much but went for a walk yesterday and saw snowdrops, daffodils and catkins made me think of you all. Have got up early and re-opened CC and found the last and lovely chapter will do my best to catch up with the thread with just a few minutes of reading this morning reminds me what a wonderfully warm and supportive corner of Mumsnet we have. Hope everyone is doing well x x

2 February

Candlemas, Japan and the best present of all

The feeling you have on Christmas morning. That there is something special about this day, even before you are awake enough to realise what day it is. Well, that.

Love that checklist @AgathaMystery

Sorry to hear you've had lots going on @imp2007 lovely to hear from you though and sending gentle hugs.

That last chapter always seems a little sad. I've lit a candle and put the tree lights on for the last time this morning. It's chilly and there was a delightful sunrise, however I'm now considering going back to bed until the heating kicks in. The tree will be put away later today and then it's definitely all focus on Spring!

Also looking forward to seeing Nigel's photographs start to appear on his Instagram. (Although I think it was April when he went away last year)

@AgathaMystery I loved that! 😆
@RainbowZebraWarrior a quiet corner would be beautiful.

It's a beautiful morning here, slowly getting lighter. A crisp -16! It was a quick in and out for the dog. I know it sounds a little strange, but I get a little sad when it starts to get lighter. I love winter, I love the cosy darkness, candles, firepits, cooking outside in autumn and especially the snow. So I don't want it to go!

We've had two lovely days on the mountain on our snowboards. We were supposed to stay at the tiny cabin, but the extreme cold lately seems to have sapped all the glycol from the heating system. There was some electric basic heating, but we decided it wasn't enough and wouldn't be sensible to stay with the overnight drops in temperatures.

Despite neither of my DC being born in UK (1 in Channel Islands and 1 in Norway), I try to give a little of English culture/ tradition to them. So in the winter I make Yorkshire pudding every week. Today we'll have roast beef and yorkshires.

Happy to go along with the majority if you’re happy to continue the thread, @RainbowZebraWarrior, whatever it’s called. Although I haven’t been posting for a while I’ve been following everyone’s stories, comments and photographs, enjoying the glimpses into different ways of celebrating Christmas and other culture’s festivals and I’ve sent my sympathy and best wishes through the ether to those who are having to cope with illness and stress. I’m sure the kind thoughts expressed by so many in this thread must have been a great help during difficult times.

And I too have been making marmalade - six glowing amber jars sitting in the pantry, and minimal effort required. Just some sugar, a splash of water and a tin of Mamade! Absolutely NVN!!! 🤗

I'm going to keep the ongoing thread in the Christmas topic, as I think it's such a nice, quiet, cosy corner.

I've had a very satisfying morning trimming the wicks of the candles I made yesterday. I've also made lentil soup which has turned out perfectly. It's amazing how it's the same ingredients every time, but the results vary ever so slightly.

I've also got the washing out of the way, had a flick through a magazine, listened to the radio, opened Pokemon cards with DD, downloaded a new audio book (I went with Sarah Millican's How to be Champion in the end) so a very pleasant Sunday morning all round.

Loving the sound of the marmalade and Yorkshire puddings. Do feel free to post pictures 😊

@RainbowZebraWarrior The NVN marmalade!

@AgathaMystery Well done in supporting your friend so very well. I hope you are ok in the deeper sense, and able to process it all well enough going forward. It will have taken it's toll somewhere, these things always do.
It's bittersweet to be part of the provision, but a good death at the right time supported by those who love and care for you, is every bit as important as a good life and an excellent way to acknowledge deep friendship.