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!

This is completely outing, but today I dressed my Nanny's standard lamp for Christmas.

We have a tradition here that no Christmas decorations go up until after Remembrance Day/Sunday, whichever is later.

The year my Grandad passed away, my Nanny couldn't bear to put up the tree, so she decorated the lamp instead. When we moved into our first house, she let me take some of her things "to tide you over until you get sorted".

She passed 10 years ago, so never got to meet her great grandchildren. But, when the DC were tiny babies, I had the lamp set up in the nursery, next to my rocking chair. I have lovely memories of snuggling and rocking the babies, in the middle of the night.

I was telling the DC about the lamp, and they both agreed that I should decorate it this year. So I have! We've had the loft reboarded, so the lamp can now take pride of place there.

In other news, I've made an apricot brandy, and set up sloe gin!

@WeMeetInFairIthilien ah I love the festive lamp. You can't beat a bit of tinsel! And a lovely tradition.

I too love the festive lamp @WeMeetInFairIthilien . It could be a new family tradition!

@LatteLady I love the embroideries.

13 November

Maple syrup and Fig terrine

The garden has skeletons - hydrangea, hornbeam and beech - holding their leaves even now. The pale walnut browns are smart and crisp against the green of the high yew hedges. Blue tits feast. Leaves, yellow, grey, black lie frozen to the garden table, silver with frost. The space is tidy, but beneath the neatness lie worries. Two much loved trees in the garden require major surgery, a third lost it's leaves in the summer.

Morning all up a bit early today enjoying CC and my coffee in heavenly peace for at least another 10mins!!! 🤞 The lamp looks fantastic so festive and a lovely way to remember your Nanny thank you for sharing the pic x

Loving the festive lamp and also those gorgeous embroidery hoops ❤️

My bats are back! Saw them in the back garden last night. I've been wondering where they were. I usually start seeing them around late August. Anyway, it was lovely to have a little treat to look at in the sky, even if it wasn't aurora.

I'm just imagining something along these lines now..

"The Twenty eighth of November.

Microwave Rice and Bananas

There's nothing quite as special for me as microwave rice and bananas. I often take a bowl full of each into the garden for a late lunch or early supper. The textures for me are simply perfect, and the combination is exceptional. The bananas need to be at that perfect ripeness - do try and catch them for the two hour window you have before they go brown and mushy - The rice needs just 2 minutes in the microwave. Simple pleasures to be enjoyed in peace and solitude."

That was in relation to @martha79 's post BTW, in case anyone thinks I've lost my marbles.

Lovely pic of the northern lights, I think visibility was possible in London last night but not till around 2am which is waaayyyyy too late for me sadly.

I think my garden looking like Nigels with the skeletons and i have a worry over my cherry tree.

I too have my granny’s standard lamp, @WeMeetInFairIthilien . In fact, though it’s hard to be sure under the tinsel, I think it may be identical to yours, though I have an Ikea shade not the original.

Speaking of advent knitting, there’s a church in Bristol that does a knit along. They release a couple of rows of a secret pattern each day. Everyone knits along to see what they’ll get.

Not me, though. My concentration hasn’t been good enough. I can’t count stitches these days.

Loving the nigelesque bananas and rice made me chuckle

Brilliant 😂

😂That has properly made me laugh this morning, thank you!

Last night I dreamt I had a copy of CC where each recipe was written on a little flap - if you lifted it up, you got an alternative version underneath, e.g. vegetarian for the meat ones, or gluten free for the bread or pastry items. Of course I haven't been thinking about Nigel too much...

That’s funny, @RainbowZebraWarrior

We are waiting on the men to fit the worktop slab today. Being able to cook is in sight! I get a hob and, huge excitement, my kitchen tap tomorrow so it’ll be an end to washing up in a bowl on the garden table! I’m really looking forward to making some soups and to baking, once I’ve worked out how to use the new oven. We won’t have the floor down for a couple of weeks but home made food is back on the menu from the weekend.

it’s a beautiful sunny day here in Cheshire, so I’ll be out for a walk to see how the leaves are doing, around work and the kitchen fitters.

If anyone else here enjoys the work of Bill Nighy, he does a great Instagram reel call “illadvisedbybillnighy”.

That's actually a rather brilliant idea!

Hurrah for the almost finished kitchen and thanks for the heads up about Bill's IG. I do love him and didn't know about that. (Theres another remider to kyself to get my annual viewing of Love Actually pencilled in!). If you have brilliant weather then definitely make the most of that today. We are currently under a weather warning of heavy rain and the wind is also pretty hideous. I've got an awful lot to do today too so I'm just fortifying myself with tea before heading back out.

That’s brilliant @RainbowZebraWarrior - reminds me of the R4 comedy In and Out of the Kitchen with Damien Trench which someone linked to last year. VVN indeed! Thanks for the Bill Nighy tip @Bimblesalong - I’ve just followed him only to find DH is already following which leads me question why he has never sent me any of these reels before! It has also just dawned on me that your Nigelesque washing of pottery on the terrace was because you literally have nowhere else to wash up and not because you have some artisanal set up out there for that express purpose.

I so excited - I just bought a copy of The Christmas Chronicles on Vinted for £8!! It looks in very good condition too 😍I never knew I could get so giddy over the purchase of a glorified recipe book but here we are 😂

Loving the banana prose.

A glorious day on the farm today. It will not be tomorrow as we have an Amber weather warning in place for rain. So we are making the most of it today with lots of outdoor gardening jobs and we have been promised a ride on the tractor trailer later which is the highlight of all the co farmers month…. So simple but they are so excited. I am happy as I have found the perfect branch to spray paint and suspend from my ceiling for Christmas festooning. Hopefully it will fit in the car.
And I’ve just ordered some fresh festive greenery to be delvivered end of November. I’m planning a big door arch and I don’t think I will have time to forage enough. I’ve got some eucalyptus and various other bits sitting in glycerine to preserve so they will be ready for end of November when I can start to trim up. Looking forward to the challenge of a new house this year-our old one lent itself perfectly to being trimmed-this one will take a bit more thinking about.

I saw that posted on Vinted yesterday and am so pleased it's gone to someone in our happy little gang. It did look in perfect condition. I usually give a heads up if I see one, but thought we were all sorted.

Will keep on keeping an eye out in case anyone else is after one.

@piscofrisco Oooh I remember your branch from last year and the rest of your wonderful trimmings. Can't wait to see more pics. I love seeing folks creations.

I've added a note to my to do list to go looking for a yule log in the woods. I need it to dry out before burning it on NYE. Everything will be sodden at the moment though as its rained non stop here for about 17 hours.

I read Advent knitting as Advent bunting for some reason, and I'm now trying to figure out what Advent bunting would involve and is it something I need to do...

I've had my hair cut and had the surveyor here again for the replacement conservatory roof (lots of sucking of air through teeth; It's awkward and much jiggery pokery will need to happen apparently) I've also just chucked some belly pork in the slow cooker which I'll be grateful for this evening after I've completed my other obligations for the day. Thursday is always a busy day, but tomorrow will be quiet.

In NVN news, I am excited today as I have opened the Snowman and Snowdog loo roll. I am still on a quest for the Kitchen roll!

I can also say that Boots White Collection candles are rubbish, but at half price, at least the vessel is bonny and will be nice refilled..

Shopping trip to Chester today for a new bra. I sniffed the candles in the White Company and I didn't think they were anything special. I found the last of the St Eval Inspiritus candles in a lovely gift shop and then popped into the new Søstrene Grene for a couple of things. Coffee and Eccles cake in the Cathedral Refectory VN!

There is much Nigelling going on I am so jealous :-)

Fig tart would be fine with me but the rest of the household would look at it with the "very nice mum where's real dinner" expression, whilst raiding cupboards for tinned soup and making scrambled eggs!

So the closest to Nigelling in this household today I am roasting a aubergine to sprinkle feta over, to go with sea bass fillets (eldest has expressed in our drive to have a healthier relationship to food a desire to eat more fish), rice/orzo mix, with some green things and a bit of lemon zing. It's Greek inspired so a bit too summer for CC hence the roasting of aubergine. I might put the jar of capers on the table and see what level of "oh my god she's trying to poison us with pickled items again" faces I am presented with.

Nigel doesn't have this audience.

I took a canal-side stroll at lunchtime to admire the final throes of autumn - the weather is still warm enough to go gloveless and scarfless so I find myself agreeing with Nigel’s longing for a fierce snap of cold. I do like to fully appreciate November though, rather than rushing headlong into Christmas too early. It’s sort of the anticipation before the anticipation. I love today’s entry. DS conducted a thorough stock take of our food cupboards (which is as close as we get to a larder) when he moved back home after uni - he needed to accommodate his extensive spice collection acquired in the Indian supermarkets of Birmingham and he tolerates nothing which is past its sell-by date. I must confess I rather enjoyed having someone bring order to the chaos and I never imagined that he would be that person!

Ah @LillianGish that is my actual stomping ground in your piccie. Happy memories of staying with friends there over 25 years of visits.

we have our worktop slab in. Yay!

Tonight I’m off to church choir, rehearsing for the VN 9 lessons and carols, which starts by candlelight.

@IlovetoKnitandRead what a lovely day - is the candle supplier in Chester itself or was it the garden shop in Hoole? Always on the lookout for suppliers!

I wish I was one of those people that could get up early, read and have a coffee before everyone else is up. Unfortunately I'm that person that hits snooze a few times before getting up.
I was just reading Nigel gets up early to write his CC, so jealous. Any tips on how to get up early?

I'm enjoying all your photos. I particularly like the Moomin chime @IlovetoKnitandRead . I also like to read and watch Christmas comes to Moominvalley. Another story that brings comfort, even if I am 37!