The Year Round Nigel Slater Discussion thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all.

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong usually takes place here between November and February each year (the Christmas Chronicles being a book written by Nigel Slater full of winter recipes and anecdotes) It's been running for a few years, and the contributors have collectively decided it would be nice to have it running all year round.

So here it is. It is a place to appreciate all things Nigel-esque. Think seasonal food and recipes, enjoyment of nature, sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

Hello all! @AgathaMystery that is a gorgeous tribute, you're very talented. @piscofrisco I'm sorry to hear things aren't great with your dad, @RainbowZebraWarrior I hope DD has a better return to school after her break. @Bimblesalong that's great news! And anyone else I've neglected to mention, hope all is well with you.
Busy few days here with work and general household stuff. The houseplant jungle has been repotted/refreshed, that was a task in itself! Today is a lovely sunny day, the bees are really busy, all 4 hives have come through winter very well, so that's a big relief! I have been out with Terrier for a good walk to make the most of it. We ended up on a beach (again!), she has a homing instinct for the sea, she must have spaniel or Labrador in her family tree! Have dug out horses rugs to give them some extra protection for the horrible weather tomorrow... Only problem was new addition has meant I had to put the smaller of the boys into girl horse's rug, so new boy could have his, and girl horse is in her baby rug, so everyone looks a little like something you see on a Saturday night out in town, all short skirts and nothing left to the imagination! Oh well, it's only while the storm is here. Hoping we avoid too much damage 🤞
Hope you all have a lovely evening

@LostInAMist that sounds a lovely day and super about the bees.

I can’t trust I’ll get there until I’ve been and am home iyswim but the hope is not gone at present.

I forgot to say, not Welsh but a keen linguist and lover of words and their meanings set within their cultures. I live almost on the Welsh border The word hiraeth was found engraved on a display at a building near to a friend’s in sw Wales. I’ve loved
it ever since.

I can’t PM - they’ve been disabled. Are we perhaps local to one another?

Forgot to add a picture of tonight's new candle, now I've finally stopped for today!

Ooh yes, I think we are. I live around eight miles outside the city, in the Broads. I used to live on Duke Street, opposite NUA where your friend sometimes lectured. It's such a small world sometimes!

Morning, all!

Gosh I love Sunday mornings (especially ones where I'm not having to prepare for school the next day!) It's so peaceful and completely silent here. I love this time of year because the jet washing wankers will be out in force at 8.30am on summer mornings, but for now it is peace, perfect peace.

That's a handsome candle @LostInAMist and thanks for sharing the photo. I haven't been able to light a candle for a few days as DD has a hacking cough and 'smells' are making it worse. I might dig out my battery candles and lanterns for this evening.

What's everyone's plans today? I don't have any as such due to DD being unwell, but I am looking forward to a day of pottering and I may get some pots cleaned and seeds planted. For now, I am enjoying the solitude and silence.

Oh, I also meant to say @LostInAMist that I'm pleased your hives have come through winter well 😊🐝 My Dad has spent the past few days checking ours, and all seems good. We have around 40 hives at the minute, and I'm hoping we don't get many swarms this summer as it just becomes unmanageable. The honey requests have started to come in already. People read about it being good for hay fever, so they are starting to stock up early! I must get some more jars labelled to keep beside the front door as folk often call on spec. I've just had a few hundred shiny new labels delivered from my printer. Happy days!

It's meteorological spring in 6 days!

God morgen! Thank you for the kind wishes about my new job!

I think I'm in the minority here, but I've never had any experience of Bridget Jones! Book or film!

DD has been invited to a birthday party today, it's a sledging party, so we need to get our outdoor gear on and get ready soon.

I'm very pleased that we don't have the madness of some of the kids parties I read about on mumsnet! No pressure here, just kids play outside, then inside. They eat a bit of pizza, bit of cake, play again outside, then go home with a bag of sweets!

I'm very jealous of your hives. We have some on the farm so I'm trying to learn as much as possible about bee keeping with the hopes of having my own one day.

Was up early and walked the dogs to pick up our car from our friends where we left it last light after the party. Lovely and sunny but the sky is beginning to bruise here already. About to take dd to work (she got a weekend job in the cafe also at the farm where I work) then todays job is to recover our bed headboard and shop for some curtains. Bridget jones postponed until tomorrow as dd at work and then has to finish her a level course work to be handed in tomorrow. @IngenTing I love Bridget-both books and the first two films. I would give the third a swerve maybe. Not sure it's aged that well in terms of being PC but worth a watch or a read if you've a spare hour and a half or so.

Oh wow @RainbowZebraWarrior 40! DH would love to expand to that many. Our honey sold out very quickly, and we've had requests already too, I think he'd love to leave his generational family business and have an income from his bees if we could make it work. @piscofrisco we've only had the hives two years, very much learning as we go, but doing it completely different to what many of the commercial beekeepers advise.
It is blowing a hoolie and sideways down pouring here. Field Gang are all hugging hedgelines (horses have a shelter, will they use it? No 🙄) so me and Terrier have gone back for a duvet morning after having to physically plonk her out for a pee! Apparently this is on until 6pm, so a very lazy Sunday here

Morning all! It is very grey and a bit damp here today so I am delighted that I spent a couple of hours in the garden yesterday. I finally finally planted those sodding tulip bulbs that have been sitting on my desk and shaming me since they were supposed to go in in November! I have no idea what they will do, if anything. I am a lazy toad.
@RainbowZebraWarrior my Sunday started unusually early as the only Ocado slot I could get was 630-730, so I went back to bed for a bit. I've got to do an hour of work but apart from that, for the first time in recent memory, no plans. Delicious. I'm doing the 'wolf crawl' slow read of Wolf Hall (but listening to the audiobook, read brilliantly by Ben Miles) so I will sit with this week's instalment of that later.
@piscofrisco big Bridget fan here too - agree re poor third film but looking forward to the new one although not a clue when I might get to the cinema. Books are good, films are good. Renee's accent is absolutely remarkably spot on.
I have plans for DH to get bees when he retires. I don't know how he feels about it.
@LostInAMist that is a nice looking candle! I've still got my winter ones out, should really start to transition to spring soon

Morning all.
Today I was the first to get up so managed what I think of a 'Nigel breakfast', I.e. peace and quiet first thing. A candle-lit breakfast is one of the things I've learned from Nigel and it definitely sets a lovely tranquil atmosphere - until DD (5) bursts in with "Mummy can you paint my face?!". She is now a rainbow dragon.

Yesterday was beautiful here. We went down to the beach first thing and bumped into friends/ parents of dd and all the kids were playing with their buckets and spades... Cullercoats Bay is an absolute sun trap and when it's shining it gets so warm on the sand. It really did feel like summer.

Back to grey drizzle again today though. Going to make a beef and ale pie this afternoon (actually a Jamie Oliver recipe; not sure if I'm allowed to admit that - will ask mods to remove if it causes offence)

Morning all… early start for me as the heating failed in the apartment I borrowed for Helen’s twin & her family to stay in. Nipped over in my PJs to repressurize the boiler. Another new string to my bow. A string I didn’t want or ask for.

ANYWAY. Cold here so I’m going to do some sewing and then cook a roast dinner for a lot of Germans. House is a half tip (the upstairs) so I need to sort that.

I’m rewarding myself a bit as I applied for 2 jobs yesterday so feel like that was productive. I should crack on and ready my garden for spring as it brings me so much joy but I’ve no heart for it just yet. Anyway - I’m still in bed - contemplating learning to quilt. Does anyone make quilts here? I am sure someone must!

@GettingFestiveNow we have a Jamie dinner planned tonight too. Shh!

Ooh that's a very well timed mention of Wolf Hall on Audible there @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I'm due a credit in a couple of days and I needed something that would last me more than a few days.

I absolutely love Jamie Oliver @GettingFestiveNow so definitely no judgement from me. Yesterday was indeed gorgeous wasn't it? Everyone was commenting and smiling. I also want to say thanks for your advice earlier in the week and apologies I haven't got back to you yet. I felt like my brain was fried, but I'm somwhat revived now. I'll text you later.

Right. I need to go and put my bread in the oven. I'm trying the Cranks wholemeal recipe from their ancient cookbook since I've been mourning not being able to buy it anymore.

Oh @RainbowZebraWarrior donyou ever make Cranks apple buns or their Leek Croustade? It is AMAZING.

Just had a look and both recipes are in my book. Somehow, I've never happened across apple buns. They sound like a cross between a rock cake and an apple crumble. My Dad would love them. The leek croustade sounds delicious, so I've bookmarked that. Next on my list is the cheese baps as I've lost count of how many times I've drooled over the photo.

Morning all

I'm still in bed 🙊 went out last night for too many cocktails and the weather is crap. And it's the first time in weeks I have absolutely nothing to do today so making the most of it.

I have but a wash on and had breakfast but apart from that

What’s your go to in that book? My mum and dad both love it too and cook from it all the time. The apple buns are a family fave here.

I nicked the book from my mum and Dad as my Dad was vegetarian back in the 80s and 90s, so my mum cooked a lot from Cranks and Linda McCartney books. They used to make all the salads; hawaiian, waldorf, celery and apple. I make Cranks lemonade all the time in summer and their Country Vegetable soup every week which is amazing as it has tomato juice in it. Years ago, when I was married to a weird chap that didn't eat vegetables he would skim the 'juice' from the soup and drink it as it's just so full of flavour. I've also always used their cauliflower cheese recipe. I've made all of their chutneys and jams over the years and love their wholmeal pastry. I used to get a gorgeous wholemeal vegetable roll from Fenwick deli about 30 years ago, which I've pretty much managed to recreate with their pastry.

That was for @AgathaMystery (and obviously anyone else interested)

Good for you and definitely make the most of it. The wind is howling here, so we are staying put for the day.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I've got an old Linda McCartney book that I almost never use but her lentil soup is the best ever

Spooky that you mentioned that just as DD and I are watching the simpsons episode where Lisa is a vegetarian with the Paul and Linda cameo. Paul actually mentions the lentil soup recipe!

I loved Cranks Homity Pie. Double carbs -potatoes, wholemeal pastry, garlic, onion, parsley and cheese.

A lovely walk in Puzzle Wood, Forest of Dean yesterday. It's been a scene in lots of films and tv including Dr Who (some angels) and The Hobbit.

The stone angels in Dr Who