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 have not been around recently, there's been a very difficult roller coaster to navigate here and definitely NVN at all. Have caught up the thread, but not the book.

Acquired brain damaged DD became suddenly ill, and into ICU where it became clear she needed an expensive replacement titanium plate in her skull to survive.
Initial decision was to not provide and accept she'd go within days. Horrible whirlwind of fighting brought a change of heart, and a new plate, and she's now recovering and expected to be roughly as alright as she was, but it's been beyond awful and so much about financial 'burdens' and budgets, rather than right to life for someone with quality of life, even if not one others might value.
I started a new business at the beginning of the year and currently working with homeless folk with creativity and how it can be used to help in some unlikely ways. There was no one to take over or bring the project to fruition, so it was keep going and run between the two badly, or let down some very vulnerable hard to reach people. Right decision, but beyond exhausted.
In the middle of it the storms wiped out most of my garden by others (with outhouses) sliding downhill. The back of the house got damaged and part of the back door gave in. The good news is in the destruction, the three 'not really my' chickens, fled through it, and some hours after frantic digging through the mud afraid they might be buried alive injured and suffocating, they were unexpectedly discovered huddled together in the cupboard under the stairs! They are currently a bit unacceptably spending their nights in a ginormous cardboard box in the kitchen until I can do something about things. Our robin also survived, though all his nest sites are destroyed. Has been offered a new teapot and a load of ivy shoved in a tree and a dug patch, so we'll see if he stays, but it does currently look like Mordor out there.

Our Christmas tree is due to start coming down tonight as we accept Candlemass as the date for removal as 'moving with the times,' (however slowly!) but traditionally it is 14th/15th of Feb it actually must be down by, (from before a Roman emperor moved it to the 2nd to coincide with winters end and a festival of light) so given it takes as many days to take down as it does to put up, and everything else going on, I'm starting tonight but completing it all over the next few days.
(@RainbowZebraWarrior Glad you found yourself a 'pickle' in the sales.)

Last night things finally quietened down enough that I was able to take a breath and got some sleep, but am about to go out and deliver food and materials to those of the projects participants I've been working on that I can find, and an invitation to meet up informally next week and encourage them and the bridges they've built, not to be dissipated by the ending of funded sessions and official fruition of the project.
Hope to catch up better with everyone over the next few days on whichever thread, and thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior for great facilitation!

Good gracious @EphemeraleEudemonia I am so pleased to hear that DD has come through this. I admire your resilience and hope you are able to pace yourself and have the support you need in the coming days. I smiled at the chickens bundled under the stairs. Our animal friends often give us moments of solace in extremis.

We have had a sorting day. Nothing to the extent that some of you are dealing with but a gradual work through a build up of kitchen clutter. Dh has hoarder tendencies and it’s getting a little much. I feel a huge sense of achievement at getting him to go through the drawer of doom today, whilst I dealt with a few cupboards. More after I recover from next week’s treatment.

A nice sit down with classic fm and a spring scented candle for me.

I like the ideal of the Christmas corner @RainbowZebraWarrior A little Christmas spirit and magic in a quiet place (for now).

@EphemeraleEudemonia i cannot imagine what you been though. It all sounds absolutely traumatising. I’m so so sorry - sending love.

January seems the harshest month, no?

@EphemeraleEudemonia you are very much in my thoughts and I send you so much love. I hope that peace and better times are with you soon.

A busy few days here and I'm not cough up with thread, but wanted to send love to all those that need it.
I am happily ensconced in our room on Burgh Island, where I have been watching the tide come in and cut us off from the mainland from our balcony. What an amazing place!

Never heard of Burgh Island @piscofrisco so looked it up - and it looks amazing! Have a wonderful time.

I’m happy to stay in the Christmas corner too @RainbowZebraWarrior

@EphemeraleEudemonia oh my word, you have been through a lot in recent weeks, I’m glad your DD has come through and has got you fighting her corner, to have all those other things happen in the same timeframe is an awful lot to juggle

@Bimblesalong I had a bit of a kitchen sort out today too, I have some baskets in a cupboard with packets of dried goods in, lentils, seeds, risotto rice etc, tidied those up, threw out a few nearly empty packets and put out a couple of things to use up this week.

It has been a glorious day here today. Hard frost overnight and then sunshine all day. Went out for a walk in a local nature reserve, then pottering around at the allotment with DH this afternoon (he only comes up about once a year when there is some lifting and shifting to do but it was a good opportunity to catch up on some chat as we’ve hardly seen each other since Christmas and have got a lot going on at the moment).

@EphemeraleEudemonia sorry things have been so hugely challenging.

Sending a cuppa your way ☕️

@EphemeraleEudemonia so sorry that you've been having a hugely challenging time.

Good morning, all.

Firstly, sending much love and gentle hugs to @EphemeraleEudemonia what an awfully stressful time.

I will likely prepare the new thread sometime tomorrow. I don't know how things will be working in the near future due to what happened in the night here on MN (for anyone who doesn't know, some horrendous CSA photographs were posted on lots of random threads last night) I know MNHQ have the police involved and will no doubt be (rightly) reviewing their policy regarding uploading photographs.

Thankfully, I didn't see these horrific images, but I feel rather shaken and I hope MN can put some robust practices in place. I hope nobody here saw them. I really feel for the volunteers who were manning the site last night that had to deal with this.

@RainbowZebraWarrior thankyou. It will be nice to be tucked away in a Nigel Nook.
The events of last night sound horrible. Thoughts with the poor little ones involved as well as those who saw the images. No doubt there will be changes and mn will make a statement when things are in hand.

@EphemeraleEudemonia I hope things continue positively for your DD

@ExquisiteDecorations the traceries on those ivy leaves are so delicate.

Around household chores and an emergency dentist dash for a broken tooth 🙄, we’ve had a potter out to a local garden centre. I’ve bought a few pots of white bulbs as spring flowers to go under a magnolia tree at the end of the garden. Now we have zero chickens, it’ll be interesting to see what flowers (the last chicken had a penchant for pastel blooms).

there were some VVN pruning tools at the garden centre - a Japanese brand in beautiful packaging. Also, a display of nicely arranged wooden brushes for various household tasks. VN.

I’ve dug out a pile of Debussy and have had a sit and a play on my beautiful Bluthner grand. Feeds the soul.

Hello all, I'm behind with thread and book, unfortunately but have come to seek some assistance...

Our boiler's been condemned today so we have no heating/hot water/hob to cook on until the LL stops arguing about "why?" as if we're responsible for it <BIG EYEROLL>. If any of you have any favourite slow cooker recipes, would you mind posting them? I'm dreadful at using ours!

You’ve just reminded me @Bimblesalong , DH once bought me a Japanese razor hoe for my birthday - back in the days when we had a garden (apparently he’d read in a gardening supplement that year that it was the gardening gift of the year - in fact he was being inadvertently, or perhaps instinctively, Nigel!) Not much use for it in my window boxes so it’s languishing in a trug in the cellar. Your garden sounds wonderful - and your piano even more so. Taking the opportunity to post a quick blue Monday photo I snapped in Bastille this morning in case we get banned from adding pics - I love the fact it’s finally getting brighter and lighter.

oh no, that sounds rubbish! Unfortunately I have never really got to grips with a slow cooker - mine is very old (I had it when I was a student) and I think maybe they are better now but everything comes out of mine tasting a bit the same. Although when my children were small we all used to like a SC parmigiana - and I don't really understand that as none of them has ever knowingly enjoyed an aubergine. I haven't made it for years, tempted to revisit now I have remembered. Anyway - pile aubergine slices in the bottom of the SC. Flour/egg/breadcrumb some chicken, and fry it off a bit then pile that on top. Pour a bottle of passata over the lot of it, add some seasoning and lots of herbs, then leave it alone for the day.
Edit to say: Oh - maybe you won't be able to fry the chicken. Sorry, I didn't think that through very properly

Beautiful photo @LillianGish - there was a definite hint of spring in the air up here today, too. So much so I was tempted to FINALLY plant my SODDING tulips bulbs which yes should have gone in in November but I had a sprained ankle and then when I did get back on my feet it's been nothing but weather so far this year. But then I got some work in with a shortish deadline so I didn't do it. I wonder how late is genuinely too late 😂

So I was late reading the final entry which was, as per, beautiful. Felt bereft for a minute and then remembered A Thousand Feasts so my Nigel fix can continue.
Sending much love to everyone who's struggling at the moment particularly @EphemeraleEudemonia and her daughter.
I will also admit to being green with envy at @piscofrisco and her trip to Burgh Island. It's on my bucket list. 30th wedding anniversary next year. Maybe I should suggest a trip to DH.
I would definitely be up for a general Nigel reading thread. This thread has been a joy and it's also felt like a very safe space so a big thank you to @RainbowZebraWarrior for all the hard work.
Xx

Just to confirm in case anyone doesn't already know. Uploading images is currently disabled on MN

That's awful re what happened last night. What is the matter with people?

Burgh Island was so lovely. Like going back in time. No TV's in the hotel and everything is pretty much as it would have looked in the 1920's and 30's, with Period furniture and white gloved waiters. And What a pleasure to wake up to the sound of the sea. There is something lovely about being trapped on an island. You can see why Agatha Christie stayed there to write some of her novels-it lends itself perfectly to murder mystery. We took the sea tractor back to the mainland this morning in bright sunshine. Now back to grey old Hertfordshire and not happy about it at all! (For those that might be interested in going I got a great deal on it from Time Out Travel, though it is also often on offer on Secret Escapes and it was much cheaper to go on a Sunday and in Winter-and the hotel was full even on a Sunday evening. Alternatively the whole island, including the hotel, was for sale for £15 million pounds recently so maybe we could club together?!)

Wanted to say, again, Thankyou @RainbowZebraWarrior for this thread and the maintenance you have done on it. It's been such a pleasure. Look forward to seeing you all on the next iteration of our lovely corner of Mumsnet.

marvellous photo @LillianGish Sad that it’ll be the last one until mn sort things but needs must. What a beautiful day it is - cold though?

@piscofrisco Burgh Island sounds fantastic! So pleased you had such a good time. I have long wanted to visit - if you spot any offers, please let me know. I’ve quite a bit of catching up to do.

@dazzlingdeborahrose A Thousand Feasts is an uplifting read. Just what we need for Feb, which can sometimes feel as long as Jan. Hoping for the type of blue skies that make the days a treat.

@lucysmam gah at cooking situation. Do you have an air fryer? You may well have a grill which will sort things that could otherwise be fried, however.

I tend just to make a big vegetable casserole in my slow cooker, adding in cheese dumplings for the last hour or so.

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense you won’t know until you bung them in. I’m hoping my little pots get in the ground tomorrow. I was going to do them this afternoon until it got taken up with the emergency dentist 🙄. Next treatment on Weds so nothing will be done for a week or so after that.

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense frying's a small problem 🤣 but I do have an air fryer @Bimblesalong so maybe all is not lost! I shall converse with the instruction manual tomorrow (dd1, in the case of the air fryer) and we'll come up with a plan for a few days.

I cooked pork loin steaks and mini roasties in the oven tonight. Dd2 fancied salad so we had a very basic salad alongside & I added lots of pickles to mine.

I've been for a walk to my friend's house tonight to borrow their plug in heaters. I'm just mindlessly scrolling now so may well pick up CC for the final entry shortly & then decide whether to read back on the thread, or wait for tomorrow.

I have just spotted a poster called NigelAdjacent tagging didn’t work on this thread, but I wondered if it was one of you with a name change?

Ooh. I don't know. Advance search tells me they live in Spain, apparently, though.

I want to be Nigel Adjacent too!! 😂😂

V sad about photos but what a pretty last one we had. Events of last night sound horrific.

TBH MN HQ has been getting really slack with AI bots/ content farming. This is the result. awful.

not a sunny day here cold and frosty but grey with it. Paris looks much nicer. I did snap a lovely frosty pic but can’t post it. Another time.

AFAIK the NigelAdjacent poster only posted once on the thread back in November and they said it was their first year following. If you're still reading, NA do say hello 👋

Hope everyone is well. Here's a little excerpt from Kitchen Diaries:

February 4

A new pot

People imagine I have a vast batteries de cuisine at my fingertips. Nothing could be further from the truth. I cook today with much the same few pieces of cookware I have for the last thirty years. Yes, occasionally a new pan might catch my eye, a non-stick frying pan may need replacing or something might just vanish, only to turn up, inexplicably, months later. But generally, there is little in my kitchen that hasn't been there for a decade or more.

Here's a link to the accompanying recipe for today's chapter (Aubergine cassoulet)

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/14/vegetarian-christmas-dinner-nigel-slater

I’ve been browsing the Japanese gardening tool site. I reckon Nigel might use something like these:

https://www.niwaki.com/kurumi-secateurs/#P00463-1

(I’m wondering if mn might ban links due to the potential for foul play with what they link to).