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.

My mother makes game pies every week for my Dad. The best advice I can offer is to do what she does. She cooks all of the game in a large casserole dish (start off on hob then put in oven to fully cook through) then adds in any nuggets of black pudding or sausage meat for the final 20 mins. She then allows it to cool thoroughly and uses it as a pie filling. The pie can then be stored in the fridge for a couple of days (with an extra one for the freezer), and you can cook it when you're ready for it.

Hope that all makes sense. The beauty of pre cooking the game in a casserole dish is that you can cook it long and slow for lovely, tender meat.

Haha I was just re reading that yesterday when I was looking back at Christmas tree posts. He was so tickled with everyone's comments, I can't remember his exact words but something like "thanks for all your likes and comments. There were some right corkers"

Evening all… the spiced chocolate cake is finally in the oven!! Smells like a weak Parkin? Looks fab though.

I totally dialled it in today & went to Cook! and bought a pre made steak & red wine pie (wanted the bourgignon but DH not keen) and was offered a taster of Dijon pork and it was SO GOOD I got that too. I know it’s cheating but I feel like I’m fighting the black dog these short dark days so digging deep to get through to the 23rd when we get the final nail word about DH redundancy.

Anyway. The house is warm and cosy. My dad came for a lovely lovely visit and BIL is here now for a night and it’s lovely to see him. DD is makingPom poms and I’m wrapping gifts watching Wolf Hall. I’ve lit some tea lights and put them in wee glass holders. It looks so festive.

Good evening ladies, we are so close! It's getting so dark and I have lots of twinkling lights and tea candles going. Maybe more Nigella than Nigel?

Anyway, I have written my Christmas cards with a ball point pen (NVN) and cracked open the prunes in muscat wine from 1st November, which have been sitting for about 6 weeks (Nigel said to give it a month). Wow. It's good, really good.

I.must.not.drink.it.all.in.one.go.

I'm a teacher, Wednesday is my last teaching day of term. Thank Nigel for giving me a different focus this year and thanks so much @RainbowZebraWarrior, these threads have been saving my sanity. I can't wait to see what the rest of the book brings.

Hello everyone! 🎄🎄🎄

It's been a while...I just saw that Nigel's tree is up ✨✨✨✨✨

so I thought I'd pop in.

Hope everyone is well.

I've sent off the cards and I've decided it's definitely the last year I'm going to do so. We'll still send one to DH's very elderly grandmother, of course. But it just doesn't spark joy anymore and I'm going to free us - DH does his fair share - from the obligation. We don't need to send cards to let people know we love them.

That was one of my favourite posts of all time. 😆😆

This is so true.

I've had two visitors today. Both stayed for two and a half hours, each. That took up all of my day in the end and I'm exhausted, as is DD. It's good to know that my obligations are fulfilled, but I do ask myself what it's all about sometimes. My mother used to buy 'special' cards for myself and DD. This year, I gave her some of mine and she asked if it would be OK to just address one to both of us. Of course that's OK (especially when you're 80!) Life can seem like one long list of obligations at times. This is especially true for women and moreso when we have kids. The pressure to do it all (and with a smile on our faces) but it's also dark, cold and the season of viruses. The most important part of the season is to rest and look after ourselves, but this still tends to be cancelled out by expectation and a sense of duty.

I think Nigel, and the CC does romanticise Christmas and wintertime in general. It's exhausting. There are some lovely things about the season, but it's all too easy to become overwhelmed. I was looking back at my photos on my phone today (last minute panic and wanting to please family with personalised gifts, which rather demonstrates my point) and I came across some wonderful pictures of myself and DD wandering the farmland with our DDog. It seems a carefree time in many ways. The truth is, I find summertime a little too warm, but this point in winter can be unforgiving, too. I start to plan for Christmas in July, but I also start to look at the seed catalogues right now in anticipation of summer, as I need 'warming up' and something to look forward to.

It was really lovely to see that Nigel has his tree up, though.

Here's my favourite pics from this summer that I happened across today.

Gentle hugs all round x

That is so true @RainbowZebraWarrior We finally have our tree up here and ds2 has gone to perform in his Christmas orchestral concert. It is an amazing community orchestra. Really good standard. Dh is recording bits of it for me - shades of the nativity although ds2 is almost 25!

Love the idea of looking at seed catalogues. Now we have no more chickens (last girl died a few weeks ago) I will repurpose the very well manured chicken area back to veg and flowers. Which is exciting.

Thanks for the prompt re Nigel. Apart from enjoying that post, I’ve had a relaxing leaf through his insta and enjoyed many summer photos too.

but this point in winter can be unforgiving

This is so true @RainbowZebraWarrior ! I said similar to DH earlier, it can feel oppressive. Not long to go now until the solstice, then little by little the days will grow longer.

I planted lots of bulbs today. My back is now complaining.

I made my Christmas card list and it's about 10 including an aunt and my godmother and my parents separately but we have these cards and DD has been colouring them (and DS did a couple). I will write them with my fountain pen, VN I feel.

But I didn't manage to post my DNs' presents due to all the PO times being wrong online. And they are on the continent. So they will have to have 3 Kings presents. They are adults and are staying in a country where it's celebrated (they used to live there full time and I remember taking a tiny DN1 to a parade on our shoulders!) so it will be fine.

www.vam.ac.uk/shop/kids/toys-games-and-craft/very-merry-christmas-colouring-card-pack-155197.html

I've decanted my apricot brandy and it's all apricots and almost no brandy. So more of a boozy fruit than a fruity booze.

I've been out of the Christmas loop with flu and a solo road trip from Kent to Newcastle then Liverpool. Went to the Glyndebourne Christmas concert today so am back to feeling festive. Carols by Candlelight in our tiny hamlet church with no electricity tomorrow then we're hosting drinks. All the candles feel quite Nigel.

Good morning, all.

No chapter today. Time to catch up / catch our breath.

Hope everyone has the gentlest day possible for them.

Morning all.
A long road trip for us today for FIL's birthday lunch. Could do without it really but as pp it's an obligation of the season and it will be nice to see the wider family that are also going. We will take the puppy in his NVN festive hat and he will get cooed over so that will be nice.

A lovely Sunday to all

@piscofrisco what a gorgeous festive pup pic!!! That has made me smile this morning!! Had a bit of a rubbish day yesterday - everyone feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressy then stupidly stayed up really late last night and DS woke up really early. However making the best of it - making some mini mince pies with some carols on Alexa and feeling quite relaxed and Christmassy now if a bit tired!!! We have a little tradition where we always deliver a small bag of mince pies to our neighbours with the Christmas cards and also to a lovely elderly couple in our old road too so looking forward to doing that. Our usually fairly well behaved puppy has come back from boarding after our weekend away a bit of a hooligan - she ran amok on the beach yesterday so going to have to seek out a quiet walk today and do some some recall reinforcement, also hoping to pop to local Christmas market so hopefully a busy but nice day to look forward to and maybe a movie in front of the fire this evening. Hoping everyone else has a lovely Sunday x x

Planning a quiet day today Church this morning and then an afternoon writing Christmas cards which will each need a letter with them. Yesterday was hectic as we put up the Christmas decorations, outside in the morning and inside in the afternoon then my other daughter joined us for dinner. Still, it does look nice and festive and I have a new candle to light once I am home from Church.
Hope everyone gets the day they want today.

Awww @piscofrisco that photo would make an amazing Christmas card ❤️

@LillianGish I meant to comment yesterday, but that contraption looks like the thing someone would buy who has more money than sense. My first thought was, "Oh, look. A sunbed for a candle. " Scented nonsense indeed. Hope DD is enjoying her new job. I'd love to be there myself, if only for the celebrity spotting!

I woke up just after six, put the outside snow projector on, and then watched it projecting softly, slowly falling snowflakes upon the bedroom blinds. Most realistic and almost meditative. A nice way to gently start the day. I've made a pot of tea, put the carols on, and lit a candle as I did yesterday. I've barely lit a candle in the evenings for the past 10 days as I've been worried about nodding off whilst feeling poorly, so it's been lovely to enjoy weekend candlelight. I'm going to prep / blanch and freeze the Christmas veg today, so all I have to do on Christmas Eve / Christmas Day is take it all out of the freezer.

DD and I watched The Grinch last night. I don't think I've actually ever watched it before. It left me feeling rather like I needed some valium. Waaaay to hyper for me! I've told her it's my choice of film tonight.

Aw @piscofrisco cute pup 😊

For once, I do not need to catch up! I think this is the furthest I've ever got in the readalong <polishes halo>.

Quiet day planned here too @MadMadMad , sometimes it's just what everyone needs!

I'm going to ice and decorate a Christmas cake, do some wrapping with dd2, maybe fix the tree the kittens climbed yesterday 🎄. Along with towel & bedding washing. Nothing taxing & lots of sitting in between

Nice wander of Sheffield Christmas market yesterday with dd2. Picked up my yearly Christmas Kitchen candle from The Sheffield Candle Co, and an Amaretto Nog one that I may (or may not) add to my dad's stocking. I really rate their candles if anyone's after something more budget friendly & supporting a smaller business.

Also popped into Bird & Blend for some tea for my dad's stocking - dd chose Snowball tea. I didn't know they did tasters...I had a lovely time in there sampling their wares before deciding 😋.

The only place I missed was Sostrene Green! We were right by it but had wandered further by the time I realised we'd passed it.

Off to get the second load of towels now...

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

I've barely lit a candle in the evenings for the past 10 days as I've been worried about nodding off whilst feeling poorly - I think that is what prompted the invention of the ridiculous contraption I posted @RainbowZebraWarrior! A way of diffusing the scent without the risk of a naked flame - I think a few drops of essential oil on a radiator would have the same effect myself. DH described it as the ultimate "I saw you coming" type present (for fans of Harry Enfield) I think the reason many of us get more stressed than Nigel at this point is because we have more expectations to manage and other people to take into consideration. He can stay low key, light some candles and occasionally even swerve the Christmas tree in favour of redecoration. He only has himself to please in his rather splendid surroundings. We are usually trying to juggle the requirements of lots of other people who may all have slightly different ideas about what Christmas should involve and where we should be for it. Taking a moment with your snow projector sounds like the perfect time out. I'm just sitting here in the morning gloom enjoying the glow of the Christmas tree and the scent of today's advent candle (Jasmine - a bit sweet if I'm honest) content in the knowledge that both DCs are home and this is the calm before we head back to the UK on Saturday when I will be taking charge of Christmas and my mum's 88th birthday. Finding the calm moments is the key and Nigel and this thread help me to do that. @piscofrisco your puppy is my favourite photo so far ❤

I think the reason I do Christmas the way I do (and started on Christmas Chronicles!) is because otherwise I find this time of year so, so hard with the cold, short days.

It's been up and down for us - a job interview at the end of November which I thought went very well but still not heard so have to assume it's a no. Lovely day skating at a stately home with the DC but woke this morning to find our darling pet rat had passed away in his sleep. He had been to the vets and was on medication, and seemed to be well along the road to recovery but I suspect his heart gave out.

We still have his two brothers but they are all such a part of the family 😢

Aw, sorry to see about your rat @Bearsinmotion 💐

Sorry @Bearsinmotion I'm sure he had a good ife with you but they always leave a gap. 💐

I'm just watching Nigella in At My Table. She is making Chicken, pea and leek traybake.

She was just saying, "I'm proud to be crowned queen of the frozen pea by Nigel Slater." 😁

She's also just said that she does like a cluttered table and she's left hardly any room for the food between the little vintage milk bottles with Love in the mist blue flowers.

So sorry @Bearsinmotion , rats are such characters .

We are safely back home after our sojourn in Northumberland. Today's plans include lots of laundry and a bit of mince pie making.

I'm so sorry @Bearsinmotion