Year round Nigel Slater discussion thread Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all and welcome to this lovely space for our continued chats.

A bit of background for anyone not familiar with this topic:

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, gardening, appreciation of the weather, and sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a deckchair, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

Gorgeous picture @Seasidebubbles and I love your description of the subtly shifting season @RainbowZebraWarrior - it reminds me how far north you are. I was trying to find the list of birds I picked up on a trip to see Dh's brother in the Forest of Bowland which featured gold crests, plovers and also a pheasant among others - quite different from the usual blackbird, crow, pigeon and great tit I get from my window here in Paris. Off to deepest Burgundy next week so hoping to pick up some different bird calls! Thanks again to whoever it was on here who introduced me to Merlin - I've got quite obsessed.

That all sounds wonderful @CrushingOnRubies safe journey tomorrow.

I can smell the red wine tang of your visit @LillianGish Mmmm, forests and birds (also cheese!).

We have a friend over, which is lovely, so dh will be doing his vegetarian paella later. I’m doing a table full of veggie Ottolenghi for more friends at the weekend - it’s good to be socialising again.

In the face of the awful grey weather, I’ve been making up nice posies of flowers and blackberries from the garden to prettify the house.

Picked up a copy of Thirst in a charity shop. Now I've got to look for a juicer!

If you lived near me, I'd give you ours as we got sick of cleaning the darned thing after a month. It's a great contraption, but a lot of work.

My Dad has spent the last few days putting the bees up on the Scottish Borders so that they can feed on the Heather (to get Heather honey, obviously) It literally involves putting the - very heavy - hives in a trailer and doing the 100+ mile round trip with them repeatedly. They come back home from their 'holidays' in September. I worry about him as he's 77 now and has a terminal lung condition, but he's one of those chaps that just won't stop. Up and out at 4am every morning in the summer months, such is the dedication of a beekeeper. Bedtime calls by 7pm!

For the past few years, the surrounding farmland has changed massively and we (me) have to ID all the local plants to know what the bees might be feeding on (along with the heather) Last year was fairly typical wildflowers, however this year we found a field full of this pretty flower. Turned out to be a radish!

@CrushingOnRubies that sounds like a fabulous weekend. Rag n bone man and classical Ministry of sound is right up my street! I love William Orbit's version of Adagio for strings. Sends shivers down my spine!

@Bimblesalong those flowers are beautiful, as is your wall colour! They compliment each other perfectly ❤️

@RainbowZebraWarrioryes it was a fabulous weekend. The MoS music was beautiful and the singers and musicians were all very talented

now in Portugal, in the most straightforward get to a holiday ever. Even bagged emergency exit with extra leg room seats. Also managed to totally avoid the air traffic control issues.

this is the view from hotel in faro and lunch was a tuna salad.

Ah lovely blue skies @CrushingOnRubies We have a steady palette of grey here. I'm off to the gym and will put some uplifting music on to give me a boost.

Loving the stories of your dad and the bees, @RainbowZebraWarrior The heather honey must taste and smell delicious.

Enjoy the gym @Bimblesalong DD and I are starting next week as she's been given a young carers card which means she goes for free.

Our greengage glut has begun. I've decided to get on top of it this year before they all go to rot and I found a fabulous looking Indian plum chutney recipe which I was going to use. I've since had the brainwave of just doing my chilli jam recipe, but substituting the tomatoes for greengages. Might not be as vibrant, but worth a shot!

<toddles off to sterilise jars>

Well done for going to the gym @Bimblesalong - I have gone back to swimming for the summer after discovering the rather splendid pool at the end of my road which peels back the roof when warm (it is the refurbished Olympic pool from the 1924 games). If you squint in the sunlight you could almost be in my other favourite Parisian pool - Piscine Molitor - but for literally 100th of the price (I take a few Clarins products for the shower afterwards to reinforce the comparison). Johnny Weissmuller swam in both pools - winning three Olympic medals in the former and opening the latter.

Oh @LillianGish how utterly fabulous! I wish more than anything that we had an open air pool near here. We used to and I loved it as a child. The first pic is what it looked like when I was a child 40+ years ago. The second pic is it now. Full of sand and rocks after being repeatedly battered by storms. Various plans have been put forward for restoration, but it's on the sea edge and the North Sea is very unforgiving.

Absolutely loving those open air pools. Glorious! (Also rather fond of the repurposed former swimming pool that’s now the Hermes flagship in Paris ! Awesome architecture ). Growing up, our town’s swimming pool was open air and we would troop down there weekly in summer months for school swimming lessons.

I had the whole gym to myself, which was lovely (it’s a small one), so didn’t feel too self-conscious as I try to ease back into it. I’m still impossibly tired, but at least now I’m tired and worked-out.

love the outdoor pools. One at the hotel is rather non descript but glad it’s there.

a local delicacy is pumpkin jam. Which looks like and tastes like apricot jam and and as Portuguese for apricot is similar as the French thought it was a thing lost in translation. But nope and I now a new way to use pumpkin leftovers at Halloween.

also lupin beans which are a bar snack like.

Took a ferry to a local beach today, which was windy and rough sea. So after lunch went to the estuary on the other side which was much calmer for a swim.

As it was Lammas yesterday (sorry if that’s spelled wrong) I picked elderberries! They are currently in my freezer while I decide between making elderberry syrup or elderberry infused vodka

One of my favourite times of the year is Lammas. Harvest season.

I've got a nature diary going back to being 10 years old where I've recorded the times of the harvest. The usual time for our farmer to harvest the corn is the 5th of August (weather depending) Our farmer has a barn with chopped wood which you can help yourself to and put a couple of pounds in a wooden honesty box. I once rang him at this time of year and asked if the barn had any wood in it and all I could hear the combine harvester whirring in the background. He just said 'it's harvest time. Help yourself. If the barn isn't open then just go in the farmhouse and take some. Also, why on earth do you need firewood in August?"

Also, my favourite seasonal saying is 'Sunmer starts with Elderflowers and ends with Elderberries'.

That’s a lovely saying @RainbowZebraWarrior

We’ve had friends over for dinner. I made Ottolenghi’s Corsican Pie again, using homegrown courgettes and flowers. Dessert was icecream, with a coulis of garden blackberries cooked in a bit of sugar, with rose water added. Delicious!

Forgot to update that we had our meal at Jeremy Clarkson's pub for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing. Need to try and book for a Sunday carvery next 😃

Wow!! This sounds amazing, I might try the pie. We are big Ottolenghi fans. And I also love that elderflower flower/berry saying

At that point uncooked, with Audrey the giant courgette plant’s offerings laid out. Every time I do his roast cauliflower and pomegranate salad I get asked for the recipe.

It’s the first time entertaining our friend group since my treatment and has made me very happy.

It’s cool and damp here today, I could do with @RainbowZebraWarrior ’s farmer and some well dried wood.

Does it feel a little autumnal to anyone else?

@AutumnLover1989glad you had a lovely time at Clarkson’s pub. It’s on the list of places to go but it’s a bit far away but we are sometimes in that part of the world.

New Portuguese food discovery is Algarvian Carrots. Served as nibbles with drinks or as a side. Chopped carrots which are garlicky and lightly spiced. Definitely giving ago when I get home. Food on the whole here is amazing. Last night it was octopus and asparagus paella

Gosh the food all looks amazing. I've only had a few cherry tomatoes straight from the plant today but they have been excpetional. I must bottle some this year.! Chicken Casserole for tonight and a candle currently on the go as its dark and gloomy here too. We do keep getting some brief sunny moments though. At least the rain made it easier to get parked at the market this morning. I need to group the pots together tonight in advance of storm Floris arriving. We aren't far from the edge of the Amber warning and it's often worse here than forecast.

Bargain of the day was a OHS Acer clutch for a tenner!

@RainbowZebraWarriorwhat’s your nectarine and honey candle like. I seem them at the shop but haven’t tried any yet. I like the handcream and soap though.

love a bargain designer handbag.

@CrushingOnRubies it's lovely, albeit very subtle. I always find the throw isn't very strong on the Lidl and Aldi candles. Great for the price though.

Oh those carrots look gorgeous!

I've told family that I'm taking the week off from housework this week, so the meal plan is very basic as I'm the main cook in the household.

I'm enjoying the autumnal weather though, and the candle-lighting opportunities it presents. I painted my sitting room a really lovely shade of green (Little Greene Citrine - which is beautiful in my north-facing room) just over a month ago and am really enjoying seeing it change as the light changes.

I'm going swimming in the local swimming lake this evening, and am really looking forward to a proper rainy swim.

Ok cool thanks. That’s fine by me much prefer subtle scent to overpowering

Another fan of those carrots @CrushingOnRubies yum! We’ve really been enjoying the purple coloured French runner beans I’ve been growing. They turn green on cooking. It’s so nice just to pop out to pick stuff to cook.
Later today we are peeling and cooking the cooking apples ds1 picked for us yesterday (he’s very tall with long arms!). I’ll freeze a few potions for apple pies. This was one branch of the “family tree” I planted a few years ago. Three different varieties on one rootstock, all ready at different times. I can’t recall the mix of varieties tho 🤦🏼‍♀️