The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2025

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, it's that time of year again!

For anyone who has not already had the pleasure, the annual Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles read along is a real time annual MN tradition.

The Christmas Chronicles (Notes, stories and 100 essential recipes for midwinter) book begins on 1st November, however there are 25 pages of Introduction. That's why I start the thread one now; to allow time to prepare and fully appreciate Nigel in All His Splendour come 1st November.

Some regulars to the thread already have the book. For anyone new, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up a bargain. Vinted has come up trumps in the past, as has ebay. A rare and precious charity shop find is always a bonus. Don't forget, you can also listen along to Nigel's dulcet tones via Audible.

I shall post daily and we can share our thoughts and feelings on the days recipes, sentiments and indeed Dear Nigel himself. Observations of nature and the seasons are also very welcome.

So welcome to old friends and new, and don't forget that reading by candle light is particularly enjoyable. Cire Trudon may be one of Nige's candles of choice, but it's somewhat pricey. We don't discriminate against other less expensive brands - even if they are NVN (Not Very Nigel)

Pull up a chair, light a candle, grab a cosy blanket and join in!

A Happy Guy Fawkes to all. DD and I have got a few sparklers for later. She has always loved a sparkler.
I’ve got a ham poaching in cherry coke on the go for dinner. It’s a Nigella Christmas recipe but I use it year round. I will drug it with cloves and cherry jam drizzle it for finishing off in the oven later and it will smell like Christmas Eve.
Off to pick up a chest of drawers now that I bought on fb for upcycling. Then a long walk with the Doggo’s and that’s about it for my day off today. I feel so tired at the minute. The last few months of moving house, dad dying, dd2 going to uni and all attendant stress catching up I think. Also started HRT which has been a wild ride. So a slow day called for.
Have a nice day all

I'm genuinely surprised it was a school text - at the end of the day it is a children's story - but a good one. It is, I guess, if we must categorise everything by genre, iprobably "realist fantasy". The things I like about it: it evokes another time (the 60s or 70s I think) and does so beautifully. There is a decent "cast" of "fleshed-out" characters. It is grounded in myths and legends that have been kicking around the British Isles for centuries. Finally, it evokes the season beautifully.

I've said all that because it may not be to your taste, and maybe that gives you an idea of whether you might enjoy it.

My other "winter" books are the Hogfather (of course), Consolation of Philosophy, I do dip back into M R James, the Wolves of Willoughby Chase, the Georgette Heyer Christmas murder mystery (can't remember the name but will be digging it out of the "storage locker library" soon). I'm looking forward to these!

I'm also going to try Wolf Winter and If On A Winter's Night A Traveler. I might also push myself to give Anna Karenina a go, but I don't always get on with Russian literature.

The British Library of the Weird is (mostly) amazing at this time of year! The Sunless Solstice you mentioned is one of them but there are at least three Christmassy collections (and I have them all) plus books about the 'weird woods', megalithic sites, spooky clerics, even the London Underground! I think I've got about 8 of the collection but the BL keep pumping them out every year. They're for the most part collections of short stories, often very vintage, pulled from the British Library collection (so - everything ever published...? ) and 'curated' thematically. I'll not lie - some of them in each collection are duds, but some are great. It's widened my reading a bit - I had no idea that E Nesbitt wrote a whole swathe of adult ghost stories, for instance, so then I went and got a collection of those by her. E.R. James I think I only became consciously aware of since Mark Gatiss started his Ghost Story for Christmas tv specials a few years ago. Most of these BL collections have an E.R. James story in. Others are pretty much pulp - pulled from magazines and newspapers in the days when they ran regular short stories. Anyway, the whole series is very Dark Academia and well-suited to this time of year!

I always try and re-read Dark is Rising. A few years back we actually started reading it as a family but it petered out after a few nights. Children of Green Knowe is another one I like to read to myself just before Christmas and I think about 90% of my yearning for an unattainable, simple, atmospheric Christmas comes from that book! One page makes me weep and even thinking about it makes me tear up.

My older son and I are addicted to Uncanny Danny! In fact I'm re-reading Danny's book (not the kids' one he just published) and it's very enjoyable with the wind howling (and takes my mind off the bloody roof!).

Finally, if we're chatting about autumnal reads and spooky things, I surprised myself by writing an actual ghost story last month! For a village competition. We're all going to sit in a darkened room, lit only by the fire and candles, and 'actors' (I suspect members of the village am dram group) are going to read some of the entries. Can't wait!

re Lardo - I think the only time I've definitely eaten lardo was in Venice a few years ago, on a blissful (but exhausting and sensory-overload) solo short trip. I basically ate my way around the islands and discovered 'cicchetti' - those little Venetian bite-sized snacks. The best place I ate them was just on the edge of the Ghetto - I'd been on a tour of the ghetto and inside a couple of the historic synagogues, which was something else I'd never done. Then straight into this tiny wine bar, beautifully decorated, ancient building, ambient warm lighting, 'raw' oak benches and tables, lots of textures. The glass-fronted counter housed dozens of different tiny snacks arranged like trinkets, and I think I had about 6 of them with a glass of wine. I'm afraid they included baby octopus (my son was furious with me) in a deep red winey sauce, and some lardo on top of a creamy soft cheese. The lardo was pure, piggy fat! It genuinely melted in my mouth and I was simultaneously in a state of culinary ecstasy and terror for my arteries! (Apols to the vegetarians on this thread...)

HornungTheHelpful The Georgette Heyer one was originally published as Envious Casca; but has been re-titiled A Christmas Party. It's one of my favourites, and very clever.

That’s sounds amazing @GlomOfNit! I would love that! And that so interesting re the British library of the weird-I will check that out a bit more.
Id forgotten entirely another the children of Green Know! Another one I loved as a child.
So odd how childhood reading can shape us in so many ways. I’ve got these two books-Tales from end cottage and More Tales from End Cottage about an older woman who lives in a country cottage with cats, dogs and hens. I found them in a charity shop again having been read them endlessly as a small child. When I re read I realised that they are the blueprint for the life I aspire to!
I love uncanny Danny. And his toddler esque outfits!

@GlomOfNit that sounds like heaven 😋

Ooh I'm scribbling down loads of reading ideas here (none of which seem to be on Audible unfortunately)

@GlomOfNit that's mighty impressive about writing the ghost story, and sounds really exciting having it read out alongside fire and candles. I dont know why, but I have an image of Sir Ian McKellen draped in a hood and sitting on a bale of straw holding a lantern whilst projecting a spooky and gripping tale.

@PrizedPickledPopcorn I agree about the garlic and have to say that I prefer my own Masterchef recipe to Nigels bean one. (Beans, rosemary, creme fraiche, plenty of salt and pepper and as much garlic as you can muster) Originally served with monkfish.

@piscofrisco my blueprint for life was The Cherry tree farm / Willow farm series of books by Enid Blyton. It's the way I have always wanted to live my life. Also, sending gentle hugs. You've had a really tough time and I hope you get the chance for some time out. Good luck with the HRT. I'm five years in and whilst I haven't found it all singing and dancing, it has at least completely removed the hot flushes and the murderous moods.

DD and I saw our local Tawny owl sheltering from the rain huddled in a tree surveying the farmland on the way to school. It was (and still is) so flipping dark!

That's it - I have an "Envious Casca" edition. Love it and bizarrely love it more as "Envious Casca" than "A Christmas Mystery".

https://observer.co.uk/style/food/article/nigel-slaters-kitchen-diary-haricot-beans-and-sausages

Not in the book but we are having a Nigel Bonfire Night main this evening

Might make s'mores instead of the toffee apple eton mess thing

Some lovely book recommendations on here - my Christmas list is growing!
The sausage beans and leeks recipe is one of the few that I make regularly from CC. Definitely agree no extra water needed, and I usually add a bit of creme fraiche at the end. I'm not really one for making puddings (as I always feel Marks and Spencer do it so much better than me!!) but I love the sound of the marmalade pears and am determined to get round to trying it this year.
Some nice sunshine here today after heavy rain yesterday. I've had a little walk round the village and got some washing on the line. An afternoon of clearing out awaits now. We are moving house in a few weeks and I am ruthlessly decluttering.
Happy bonfire night all.

That's todays CC entry Haricot beans and sausages recipe that we've been talking about. (I might have missed something, so apologies if I have) 😊

@RainbowZebraWarrior
I’ve caught up now! Apologies
got list in the book recommendations (I am going to read dark is rising for the first time this winter) then went out for sausages and tarragon - I am veggie so will be doing two pans this evening
I read CC last year but haven’t opened yet as am trying to get house back under control after painting the teenager’s rooms over half term.

There is a nip in the wind so perfect night for a broth dinner.

It was a glorious morning but think it’s time to get laundry in as it won’t dry more in this temperature and declutter the kitchen/paint pot dumping ground I have neglected house, it can go from under control to chaos in minutes

I also want baked apples - easy enough

I found nothing ruined a book like studying it for English lit! The endless search for metaphors and meaning rather than just cracking on with the story.

I made that bean and sausage thing a week or so ago and I must've left out the water as it was good. I still have trauma from seeing baby octopusses fried alive outside restaurants in South Korea. I am not vegetarian but try to eat meat only on special occasions but that made me reconsider eating it at all. Just hideous.

@frozendaisy ’s recipe has got tarragon in, and different beans. Even Nigel thought it bland and unseasoned - or perhaps he just missed out an ingredient when he was writing CC!

What is an Italian sausage, do you think? The newspaper recipe just calls for sausages, but the CC one specifies Italian.

I wondered if it was more like a salami or Chorizo type sausage, which would certainly pep up the flavour!

Oh aye. I linked to that exact recipe from Sundays observer myself this morning, read it thoroughly and still didn't spot that. I had a feeling he'd changed it up in some way. Doing too much at once I think. Need a few hours time out.

In my head, Italian sausages are very herby and often garlicky. They are not something I actually like. I'm a chipolata girl.

I haven't compared to the CC book one, I am just in the middle with bickering with a 17 year old about work experience placements and driving theory tests (which is the opposite of Nigel in his lovely kitchen)

I am not too bad on flavour, so will adjust if need be I guess.

Have bought "Naked Pork Sausages" for the meateaters, everyone else, and "This isn't pork sausages" for me, pancetta for them, some huge leeks and couple of tins of haricot beans, I love tinned beans, there is something so velvety about them. I have fresh tarragon, fresh parsley, vegetable stock cubes. And there is a loaf of white fluffy bread in nearly baked in the breadmaker we will have dipped into the broth.

I have noted the water content issue and will add accordingly and I might add cracked pepper to give it a kick if need be.

Honestly I can't wait once I get to cooking this later it will be dark, I might have anything up to 40% of kitchen surfaces cleared, the laundry will be away, the load to start first thing in the morning will be in the machine and I can slowly cook two one-pans hearty meals with the radio on, teens content, and not outstanding jobs for the evening. I do like healthy, hot, autumn cooking. I like a lot of cooking. I just don't get as much time or space to swan about all nigel, nibbling samples at the market and coming back for an afternoon of baking cookies! I watched a couple of Nigel at Christmas programmes when he was being super Nigel and decided after a hard morning's work (H saying "doing what?") he was taking a stroll around his local delis. What a nice way to live.

Would it be fair to plonk Nigel this kitchen, with piles of catch up laundry on table and side (I will put it away even though putting laundry away is my domestic nemesis - all these "robot hoovers" that's the easy job stupid robots, how about a robot put laundry away or some other such task that might actually really help, hoovering is quite quick, easy, and can have such a dramatic effect on a room even my teen boys will do that - to be fair they will put their clean clothes away if I give them in neatly sorted folded piles), a pile of a level text books, a couple of DND manuals, couple of boxes of pens, packet of drill bits, pile of newspapers to catch up on, a teddy panda (thought we were past that but it's quite sweet), some steroid cream, couple of bottles of lynx aftershave, bowl of left over halloween crap sugar sweets, a mirror, fluorescent light that needs refixing under a cupboard, packet of driving theory flashcards, empty flower pot and whatever else is there that I am not getting closer to to find out. Nigel round this lot then Slater :-)

It will be an ocean of calm, well not an ocean, a large puddle down one side perhaps, of calm a bit later with bbc radio on. Only to be spoilt by the one of the teens peering into the bowl convinced I am trying to poison him with leeks. I am banking on "traditional bonfire fare" to get through this disapproval rating.

Tarragon is quite fennel-y and I would assume Italian sausage, actual sausage, would mean the garlicy pork ones rather than chorizo, chorizo is incredibly overpowering.

If it's too bland on first tasting perhaps some garlic or onion granules rather than the full hit fresh versions would be better, all the flavours are quite soft really, so I wouldn't add anything too pungent into this to start with, and we are a very garlic heavy family. I am hoping the herbs, meat juices, softness of the leeks and velvet beans will dance their magic. Could always contemplate a dash of Worchester sauce, or wholegrain mustard if feeling it needs a bit more of a kick. - some crushed mustard seeds might work as well.

I agree re: mustard. I add this and it makes a big difference.

I went with garlic granules, @frozendaisy . I try to stick the recipe the first time, so I know what I am aiming for. Then do whatever I fancy 😁

I quite liked the liquid level as we had lovely crusty sourdough to dip as well.

Tonight we have mash for the turkey stuffing/meatballs. I’m making lots, so will freeze the excess for Christmas maybe.
I am considering adding a pinch smoked paprika for the missing /cured smoked lardo.

I fancy really coarse garlicky sausage now, @RainbowZebraWarrior . I must keep an eye out.

I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole, help!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/265538/homemade-italian-sausage/

I may make this, but into meatballs rather than sausage casings.

I've just spent a contemplative half hour or so removing fennel seeds from some sprigs given to me by a friend who grew them in his Normandy garden. It's a very fragrant task, but rather fiddly, essentially made tolerable by the thought this was sort of thing Nigel himself might do which spurred me on when I was at the point of giving up and thinking it would just be much easier to go out and buy some!

Thank you @RainbowZebraWarrior I've seen this thread in the past and didn't get round to joining. I've just had to my local library and picked up a copy of CC, looks like I'm the first to borrow it. I'll think about buying my own copy for next year. I've had an awful year so I'm looking forward to it...

@LillianGish Normandy fennel seeds hand harvested is total nigel surely?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/23/beef-shin-stew-recipe-doughnuts-prune-cream-thomasina-miers

If anyone wants "the best beef stew I have ever had" (according to H) - follow the above recipe exactly as it is.

Do make the onion puree that goes with it. The two together are divine.

The house smells of rosemary, stout and pickled walnuts when it is cooking.

It is cold autumn in a pan.

Currently sitting with my sausages, leeks and beans and a mulled apple juice. Rather lovely. We're going out to watch fireworks from the hill in the park later; we always take sweets and sit on a bench.