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!

One thing that I do sometimes is to make an ivy garland. It's really easy - you just need a pile of long, straightish strands of ivy, preferable the sort with lots of little leaves rather than just a few bigger ones. Start by securing 3 strands together (or more for a thicker garland) - I use a couple of rubber bands. Simply plait the strands together, adding in new strands about a foot before the end of one of the ones you're plaiting. The new strands seem to hold themselves in place on the whole. Sometimes I add tiny baubles, wired cones, dried orange slices etc too.

Where I live all the rooms open off a central landing, so I usually fix the garland over the doors with command strips and small hooks, and add a string of red berry lights. It looks much fancier than the effort it takes! I've also wound the same garland/lights combination into the banisters sometimes.

That sounds gorgeous! I used to make loads of wreaths from Holly and Ivy (mostly from my parents garden) but resorted to the - pimped up - Sainsbury's artificial number last year.

Today's Vinted bargain is this lovely Juliette Winter Solstice candle. They retail at £26 and are really lovely. I got it for £1!

I wonder if folk get stuff as gifts and just assume it's cheap. I'd always Google first!

I’m behind with the book, but excited to read there is a Nigel stollen recipe.
I have previously made a Paul Hollywood one and it looked like a brick! Tasted ok, but not at all pretty.
Love the Lidl stollen bites.

Afternoon all
very pretty all the Christmas craft - as much as I have big plans to swan around festive creating we have one gcse demanding pampered teen and one a level one - it never happens unless they want to do it - which is never - so I live through others!

hope the weekend brings relaxation and healing to those that need

Eldest needed a winter waterproof to go over thick hoodies - so on his day off college I got him out the house just after 9am, because it’s Black Friday and I said we shall arrive as the shops open. Which we more or less did - the coat shopping was fine, chill even, by the time we left it was heaving, inspiring Christmas market it was not

but he was great company, he chose his best mates present, his dad’s present, book for brother and totally understood the early start. We did traffic signs (for his theory driving test), did some of his post round in the sunshine. He was truly delightful company (worth every card swipe pound).

We bought kippers for tomorrow’s dinner. And visited the teenage Mecca - the anti-Nigel shop Greggs!

He even stood around whilst I checked out the candles in tkmax - one st evrl lavender - nothing else too inspiring - I made him sniff a couple and some fancy soaps - he tolerated it.

so surroundings were modern, busy, NVN, company delightful - you can’t have it all

@leporello no, but its the same production, I am just further down their schedule. I hope you have a lovely time ☺️.

I tried making stollen once (Dan Lepard recipe I think). It was leaden and not very nice. Surely I can do better than that?

This is a good, easy recipe. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/stollen-muffins

Nigel-inspired meal this evening - pork, apple and black pudding sausages baked with potatoes, apple, lemon, parsley.

@piscofrisco thank you for your advice! Actually, I did not know. I saw somebody on IG roll up a chicken wire in a long tube and put it on mantle piece with all the twigs and foliage. But you are right, having water in equation will keep things fresh for longer.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I love you wreath with Mr.Mousy, very cute, and lovely wooden door ❤️

I have never had a picture advent calendar, in fact I grew up without any advent calendar, it just wasn’t a thing in my childhood. But I love all the frivolous creations that retailers are throwing at us. 🫣 In our house we have few calendars each, dog included. We put the alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual to give us time to open and enjoy them. Excited DD and Ddog.

I fished out Trudon Ernesto candle out of HN fragrance calendar and was burning it this morning while wrapping some presents.

This looks fabulous! (and definitely VN)

It was an absolute treat (although church pews might not be the ideal seating), I thoroughly enjoyed it - really well done and thought through. I hope you enjoy it.

29 November

Tinsel, cheesecake and a windy night

There is tinsel and there is tinsel. The original silver strands - lametta - were single, fine, and possessed some of the shimmering character of the precious metal from which they were made. First produced in Nurenberg in the early 1600s, they reflected and amplified the light given by candles on the tree, giving the impression of icicles caught by the moonlight under a clear winter sky. The name is derived from the old French word estincele, meaning to sparkle.

Sorry today's entry is attached to your post @sueelleker - I meant to reply to your post first. I'll come back later when I'm more awake!

How on Earth didn't I realise that tinsel came from étincelle?! It seems so obvious (other than the fact that tinsel in French is called guirlande 😅).

It does seem obvious once you see it written anr say the two words aloud. Is guirlande just the generic word for garland in Feench?

Speaking of etincelles, this is probably one of my favourite candles, so is going to be lot today in honour of the chapter. The stars on the glass also glow in the dark, which I only realised recently when turning the light off in the hallway.

Still upon the theme of 'sparkle', you also inspired me (via the Poncetastic page) to make these candles shot with gold mica powder and some little wax melts. All scented with frankincense and clary sage.

French definition of guirlande is a decorative rope/cord. It's the word used for tinsel, fairy lights, garlands and anything else like that.

Apparently it's from the Italian word ghirlanda which means wreath.

Love the snowflake candle!

Ah I see- I thought you meant for a table scape. Receptacles are less easy for a mantle. For my mantle arrangement last year I used a pool woggle, cut to size and wrapped in chicken wire and secured to the mantle piece with duct tape. Otherwise it wouldn’t hold the weight of the foliage and kept sort of rolling forwards. (That said my mantle piece shelf was quite narrow, may not be an issue if yours is wider?). These conundrums actually keep me awake at night at Christmas. Last night I was awake and thinking about how I could attached my chicken wire to the top of an (unused) log burner chimney 🫣.

Happy Saturday to all.
I’ve woken up feeling I think slightly less rubbish. Which is good as I’ve an hours and a bits drive to FIL’s big birthday lunch and 4 kids to martial to leave in an hour and a half. DD2 is home from uni and it’s so so lovely to see her. She requires stake and chicken nuggets for dinner last night and so that’s what we had. NVN but I think he’d let me off.
kids are nagging me to trim up now as usually it would be done by now I’ve no time this weekend and not the energy. Next week is ear marked for it.
Grey and rainy here but the lunch is in a nice genteel hotel in Derbyshire somewhere so going for a big log fire to hunker down next to!

These definitely seem like the answer to me, so thanks for sharing.

@piscofrisco hurrah for feeling less rubbish. Onwards and upwards and enjoy your day, my lovely.

We had a lovely Friday evening browsing at our local town's Christmas shopping evening with lights twinkling all around and the church all lit up. Spent lots of money in our lovely independent gift shops, then did a double take as we walked past the book shop. The window was like an advert for this thread. All the books that have ever been mentioned and more. Wintering, Advent, Skye McAlpine, etc. I got a signed copy of Rick Stein's new Christmas book (unfortunately missed the man himself!), and DD got a handful of books in her chosen genre.

A very festive evening, and we drove home with a lovely, warm glow. I also came away with a list of books I still want. I'm hoping to find some on Audible today as I have four credits awaiting use.

The lemon tree I dutifully brought in from the cold snap will not survive indoors I have been informed (by someone who knows all things all plants)

it has to go back out but wrapped up!

bubble wrap around the pot then a full top to bottom of pot fleece cover!

so that’s my Nigel job for the weekend - shame the blossom smells lovely but will admit having the space back until the Christmas tree is installed will be nice

What a glorious shop window that sounds @RainbowZebraWarrior I’ve a Vinted notification to say another Nigel book if ordered has arrived at our village shop 😀

Do take a look at Edmund DeWaal’s insta this morning. It’s a treat of a post. He makes some of Nigel’s pots and the two share an eclectic friendship.

I’m eating toasted home made bread - the new oven is a success. Off to a wreath making session today. I had to miss last year’s due to full-on chemo, so it’s good to be returning to an annual event I enjoy with friends.