The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong 2025 - Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 2. We Continue our CC journey.

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 began on 1st November.

We continue to read along and comment with the book which is set out in diary form. I will make a post each day (or let you know if there is no entry on a particular day)

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.

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!

The William Morris calendar looks beautiful @martha79 I'm sure your friend ill be very happy to receive it!

Unfortunately I am the only one in the house who enjoys Christmas Cake so I usually end up doing a Yule Log which goes down well with everyone.

I had some excellent news yesterday, my birthday is right before Christmas and a spot has opened up on the waitlist for the Gingerbread Man afternoon tea at the Ritz complete with live music, cookie decorating, visit from Santa and all the usual goodies! I had resigned myself to it not happening as waitlist places rarely open up whereas now I am debating if a gold sequinned gown is too much for 11.30am

Oh CAKE DAY?! I have no time for Cake. It'll have to wait until next week when I've got this weekend out of the way. I don't have any lovely heritage stories about my cake - I always make the Nigella Christmas one, it always works well but I tweak it to add things like chopped figs and walnuts. I like texture. I'm the only cake eater here but my parents devour a fruit cake and making consumables for them to ... consume is what I tend to do these days - it doesn't contribute to their clutter/hoarding problems and they genuinely like my jams, marmalade and the cake. So I'll be making one for us (eg me) and one for them. My mother will complain about the weight (she'll be taking it over to Portugal) as she does every year... (parents aren't always easy, are they?) but she and dad will enjoy it.

I feed mine with the finest Aldi brandy. Mum used to use Port on hers but I've tried to convince her that there isn't enough spirit in it to evaporate a bit and any sort of fortified wine will make it soggy.

Oh WOW! The Ritz for your birthday sounds fabulous! Do The Gold Gown. I'd also wear a tiara if it were me, then all the other diners would be wondering if I was some sort of lesser known European Royalty!

@cocoya that sounds like an amazing way to spend a birthday, lucky you! 100% yes to the sequins at any time of the day ✨

Tuesday is the only day I get to run in daylight, at this time of the year, and it is a cold and crisp day, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Having lunch out with DH in a bit, so we can discuss extensions or moving, plus the Christmas organising. We had a bit of a shock yesterday, as the butcher/pie maker we've ordered our turkey crown/sausages/bacon/pies from, has decided this year to only offer meat hampers, rather than order what you want. There isn't a single hamper with a turkey crown, and the sizes of the other things are not what we'd want. So, we also need to discuss options for other local butchers or farms.

Just a word of warning with Nigel's drink recipes. They almost all call for you to boil the mixture. This has the effect of reducing the alcohol content of the drink. This is because ethanol (the alcohol we drink) boils at around 78°C, so evaporates before the water will boil at 100°C.

So, the mixture has less alcohol, so has less 'keeping' power. Hence, sugar needs to be added to reduce the water concentration, so any fresh fruit doesn't rot. And the drink is weaker 😱

I mix mine cold, with the fruit/spices, and no extra sugar (sloe gin needs a little, due to the water content of the berries diluting the alcohol). If you agitate the bottle occasionally, that will help any added sugar to dissolve.

It's one of the reasons baking bread smells so nice, the alcohol produced by the yeast, when rising, evaporates in the hot oven. And we can smell it 😁

Hello! I’m new too, have been enjoying reading through the thread since I came across it accidentally.

I’ve been reading The CC every year for about 4 years, but it’s become especially comforting this year as I’m in the middle of treatment for breast cancer, and it’s lovely to read it along with other people with whom it resonates.

Funnily enough I am a rare fan of Wintering. I read it earlier in the summer (I recall sitting on a sun lounger on a really hot day reading it!) when I’d recently started chemotherapy. I enjoyed it but perhaps that was because I found its message of allowing yourself to retreat during difficult times (rather than feeling like you “should” always be productive in some way), helpful and timely given the situation I found myself in.

Made my Christmas cake in the first week of November. My Mum was a teacher and she always made the cake in October half term, so if it gets to much beyond that I always feel that it’s terribly late, although in reality there’s still plenty of time! I usually do Delia’s but this year have given Rachel Allen’s recipe a try. It’s more cake-y and less fruity than Delia’s so I’m worried that it’s not going to mature very well, but keep feeding it with whatever bits of whisky I find in the cupboard (my husband has many bottles as he always seems to be given whisky as gifts). I don’t know why I’ve never tried making Nigel’s version. Next year.

Thank you for the thread.

@AlicePottery it doesn’t take much to tip us over the edge and then it can take weeks to get to a more balanced state. I look to be coming out of my relapse, but I hardly dare do anything much out of fear of overdoing things.

I have managed to catch up with my reading, although I need to read today’s entry and try not to get behind again. There will be no Christmas cake here as I would be the only one to eat it. I would love to veganise my grandmother’s cake recipe, but sadly its not worth the risk of it going wrong, plus I would be eating cake beyond Easter!

Totally agree with you on the whole boiling / watering down thing @WeMeetInFairIthilien

Welcome @gremolata (I love gremolata!) and I hope the rest of your treatment goes well. There is another poster here who also read Wintering at the same time as having treatment (last year) and had similar feelings iirc.

@GlomOfNit I somehow managed to shoehorn about an extra 400g of walnuts into my cake mix this year. Love a bit of texture. I added dates as I didn't have figs. I'm also in a similar situation with my parents (minus living in Portugal)

I've cleaned and moved stuff around in my kitchen as I have a new air fryer to pick up today. It wasn't really working for me where the old one lived, so I've taken the opportunity to make some changes and throw some crap away

I fancy making a couple of puddings to put away for next year, as I always used to, but could only find one pudding bowl. Found this vintage one on Vinted which is quite unusual. I'm guessing it's probably for sponge puddings really. Thought I'd take a punt for £1.50 anyway. Hopefully a bonny looking Christmas pud will be the result. Not seen one like it before. (More like a bundt tin)

I love Christmas cake and always make one. I love nuts in it, too - usually toasted pecans, and it’s also heavily spiked with slivers of stem ginger. No peel because I hate it. My mum used to make hers from a recipe in the good old BeRo book, I think (of which I have a copy, but sadly not hers, which literally fell to bits). A friend gave me the Betty's Christmas cake recipe ages ago, and that’s the one I’ve always made since.

(Marzipan haters, look away now - there’s always a lovely thick coat of home-made almond paste on our cakes too)

I've never made a Christmas cake, my DH isn't keen, but one year I made a ginger cake which went down really well. I've long since lost the recipe (it was in a magazine) but might try the ginger cake from Nigel's Kitchen Diary this year.
My top thing to do with leftover mincemeat is apple and mincemeat crumble - one of my favourite post Christmas puddings.
I'm having a quick lunch break eating up random things from the cupboards while packing for our house move tomorrow! I didn't think we had all that much stuff, but the amount of boxes is astonishing. I bet Nigel would be lovingly wrapping every little ceramic bowl and placing them reverently in the correct box, but I'm getting to the stage of just chucking things in now!

Welcome, @gremolata - sorry to hear of your current health difficulties and I wish you all the best for your treatment. Hopefully the book, and this thread will provide inspiration for little treats and moments of peace and happiness to see you through the difficult days.

Similar to christmas pudding, I'm not a fan of christmas cake either, so have never made it. Nigella's clementine cake has become our traditional "christmas cake". This year, however, I'm making my very first yule log. Please send any tips my way!

The Ritz sounds amazing as a birthday treat. I also have a December birthday and have booked a sauna on the beach with the aim of plunging into the freezing Firth of Forth. Probably the opposite of The Ritz but both fairly Nigel-esque in their own way.

This thread has also reminded me that that I did a sound bath a few years ago and loved it. Going to try to find another experience like this.

Thank you for everyone's input on the apricot Brandy. I did question whether I'd actually boil the alcohol off, and I don't want to do that. So I'll try it today. I have 2 jars I be using, one will have some sugar, the other will not. Fingers crossed this works for me! I think the hardest part is going to be waiting to try it 😂

I have really been enjoying all of the pictures, candles and food conversations.

I love Christmas cake (& pudding) but I am the only one that likes it so I won't be making it sadly. I might get a small individual portion I can have during the Christmas period. I do feel sad that less people are eating the traditional Xmas foods and wonder if it will faze out completely in time.
I think Nigel is right, not many people will eat the whole cake any more and just pick the bits they do like. I had to giggle as I do believe that is a rare thing to eat the whole cake!

I don't have the energy to make anything right now but this thread has given me the inspiration to do an apple crumble this weekend with mincemeat to accompany the decorations going up (usually have mince pies).
Lovely light this evening, with the added bonus of rainbows scattered all over my bedroom ceiling and walls from the crystals hanging in the window.

Not Christmas cake fans here either (DH excepted) - I dislike peel and nuts so most fruit cakes don't do it for me. Although if we have a lot of visitors lined up I have been known to make Nigella's one with tia maria (I think?) and prunes and maybe some cocoa? I'll have to dig it out, I quite fancy it this year. I'm generally happy to make an effort for other people even if it is something I don't like but I have never wanted it to turn into a yearly essential - happy to roll it out on occasions
@PricklyBob Nigella's yule log from her Christmas book is excellent. We do it Christmas Eve every year - I bake it, DD2 rolls and decorates, DD3 makes marzipan mushrooms to decorate. I don't know what DD1 does - eats it, I suppose!

I love marzipan, but used to hate Christmas cake as a kid, so I'd get bought a block of marzipan for myself. My Mum still buys me marzipan fruits every year. I also remember making marzipan fruits when I was around 9 years old in Home Economics. I think we made a yule log the following year. I've not made one since as I dislike chocolate cakes.

I am so cold. DD is sweating so doesn't want the heating on, so I'm layered up and sitting with my gloves on waiting for my waitrose order to arrive. Hoping to be 'allowed' to put the stove on later as I've bought some olive logs.

Got my St Eval BF order earlier. I love the pots of enchantment, and can see me using them for something lovely once the candles are spent.

Gorgeous photos @AlicePottery

I can eat a block of marzipan like other people eat chocolate.

Today I am being incredibly NVN and having a Christmas dinner supermarket pizza. Sorry Nige.

Welcome @gremolataand best wishes for your treatment. I have realised that I’ve failed to shake my sloe gin for two weeks. Will it now be ruined?

Went to work, felt rubbish, came home and slept all afternoon. MUST start ordering Christmas presents. I’ve never felt less festive in my life (at this point even an appearance in my kitchen of Nigel himself might not even rouse me). Will I be kicked off the thread? 😁

Im also a big fan of Marzipan. At Easter I make a hot cross bun Bread and butter pudding thing into which I grate a block of marzipan (which is about 100 times more than the recipe calls for), which no one but me actually likes so I end up eating the whole thing for about 4 straight days and it’s one of the best things about the whole time! I was quite sad when FIL had a piece one year but had to dish it out to him with pretended good grace.😂

Hello @gremolata - wishing you all the best with your treatment.

I can't stand marzipan as in Christmas cakes and marzipan fruits. But I love stollen marzipan - I read somewhere it's to do with bitter almonds and sweet almonds?

I'm not quite sure how I ended up reading this Nigel article today but I think he's summed up my Christmas holiday plans: "You know the routine I'm after, sleep, massage, swim, eat, massage, eat, swim, sleep. I suppose I want both bath and buns." Today the holiday 'retreat' plans have continued with a booking for a session at the local Turkish baths in the new year. They have an ice cave, but also a wonderful assortment of types of warmth.

I've had beans on toast for tea, but I did follow it up with a mince pie.

I love marzipan, especially the Neiredddiger brand; which is higher in ground almond and lower in sugar than standard marzipan. (These are sweets rather than cake decoration) We don't eat much cake, so on alternate years I make a small fruit cke from a Slimming World recipe; which has no sugar at all. The other year I make a Spiced Chocolate Cake from a Sainsburys recipe, which also has chopped stem ginger in it.https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/chocolate/spiced-choc

Oooh, for all my moaning on this thread about my dislike of dried fruit, peel, Christmas pudding, mincemeat and Christmas cake... I can finally join in with something I do like. Mmm marzipan. Agree with eating it like a block of chocolate.

I have a difficult relationship with marzipan, it all stems from my 3rd or 4th birthday cake which my DM had lovingly decorated with miniature marzipan fruits BUT NOONE THOUGHT ABOUT TELLING ME before I took a huge bite into what I assumed would be a lovely fruity treat. It scarred me for life and I have to regularly remind myself that marzipan can actually be quite nice if you're expecting almond paste.

I love marzipan too, and almond flavours, but sadly suffer from oral allergy syndrome (sneezing, headaches, itchy lips/tongue/throat after eating a random selection of foods) which means I really only have a tiny nibble. It is tragic really. I do find that amaretto compensates a little 😂
@GlomOfNit I share your fear re colour work. I started a tea cosy to try to learn the techniques but it disappeared into the massive drawer of unfinished projects some years ago.
@martha79 i love a sound bath but I am not at all woo and find it really hard to find one where the leader doesn’t either insist you choose a crystal for your journey or tell you to breathe in pink or - my favourite, I nearly walked out of this one - tells you about how people get cancer because they bottle up their feelings

My Christmas cake was made a couple of weeks ago using a Mary Berry recipe for traditional dark fruit cake, complete with black treacle. I leave out the nuts and mixed peel! I do love marzipan though. Next year I might try the Nigel recipe for a change!
I’m pleased that my young adult son loves fruit cake, so there is no chance of it hanging around for long after Christmas!