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!

I was supposed to be going to an advent procession at the cathedral- VNI, atmospheric etc. Also generally very chilly so even more VNI!

However I’m staying home on my sofa in favour of a glass of wine and Strictly results. NVN at all, Sorry Nige!

Not that I'm posting almost the exact same photo as a few days ago but the light is even more beautiful this evening 🤩

ive got a trial run of mince pies in the oven. I always think it takes me a couple of batches to get in the swing of them, and I wanted to try Skye McAlpine’s pastry (I am usually loyal to Nigella) (sorry Nige. I presume he has one that I should try). It didn’t come together without liquid as she said it would so I added the juice of half a satsuma. I pushed it into the tins rather than rolling and cutting, as she suggests, and used mini muffin tins instead if the shallower fairy-cake tins I usually like. And it’s last year’s home made mincemeat. I feel like I’ve gone quite rogue but will report back

Rogue mince pies have gotta be good, @Celiathebanshee!

I have a very inexpensive, unbranded tea light advent calendar, and this lovely nativity dome. I’m rather pleased with it.

I have a Sunday roast appetiser G&T, an almost clear kitchen, wash up as you go along (no dishwasher)

beef out
rosemary roast potatoes in
parsnips - cauliflower cheese shortly to follow
steamed cabbage, tender stem broccoli
carrot swede mash
onion mustard horseradish gravy
home made yorkshires
mint sauce to taste

6music on

an hour of roasting veg (I find it almost therapeutic)

food and a game of zombie dice and ransom notes with our teens plus two additional

this is as Nigel as it’s going to get

(book to read in between whilst shuffling pans)

OMG this photo is stunning! 😍

@AlicePottery that is such a beautiful view.

@Celiathebanshee looking forward to hearing how the mince pies turn out!

@frozendaisy how's the book?

I'm about to order this having seen a great review of it earlier, seems like a good one for dark winter evenings https://booksfromscotland.com/book/hawthorn/

And have added to my list of things to do over the holidays with a booking to see A Christmas Carol at a nearby theatre - on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, which is usually mostly spent on my own, so will be good to do something different.

This afternoon's Christmas market would have met with Nigel's approval, I feel - held in a medieval tithe barn with Christmas folk songs in the background rather than the usual. Bags of hand-poured candles and hand-painted baubles but I fell for these two characters, made of wool felt.

I am cooking a delayed Thanksgiving style dinner. Yes I know it should have been Thursday but between work, friends cancelling, dance shows, family illness … that’s life. Still thankful - will be a killer Sunday dinner!

I’m not American but had loads of good mates who were and we got into it over many years. Think it’s fantastic to have a moment of thankfulness - plus a feast! Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash and sprouts, pigs in blankets, sage and onion stuffing then apple cake and vanilla syrup icecream tonight. Bit of a mix and match between different culinary traditions!

Just catching up after a long day. Lovely to read about mince pies, lovely dinners and seeing all the gorgeous photos. Also love the nativity tea light holder. I've flirted with buying one of those as they look so pretty.

It's amazing how your day can turn around sometimes. We went to market as usual this morning, and by time we were heading back to the car I was so cold and in so much pain, I got to the top of the hill at our priory and just clung to the railings and sobbed. The sun was out though, and started to warm my face, so after I'd had a breather and collected my thoughts, I took some photos and got back to the car with DD to warm up properly with the heaters on.

Nature, the sea, the sun and a blue sky can absolutely transform my mood.

On the way home, I decided I'd had enough of my abomination of a Christmas tree with its crazy rainbow decorations so I picked up a 5ft tree in a pot. Talk about going from one extreme to another. For the past 7 years I've had an artificial tree laden with over 500 rainbow coloured baubles. This evening, I have a real tree decorated with white lights and Ivy. I decided I wanted to use Ivy as a 'natural tinsel' so I took myself off to my parents at twilight so gather Ivy from the bottom of their garden. Their garden still has magical memories for me as it's where I spent most of my time as a child (I had a treehouse in a large oak tree) I was just gathering the last of the Ivy when I heard my mother's voice from the back door; "Rainbow! Are you OK love? It's getting dark" it reminded me of when she would make me come in for dinner when I just wanted to stay outside for as long as possible. I'll treasure this little memory from this evening as I know my parents aren't going to be around much longer (and I'm aware that a lot of you are missing recently departed family this Christmas, so I'm also mindful of that)

Here's the tree so far. I may add some small bells or some more natural foliage. I haven't decided yet.

Mince pies v g. Last year’s mincemeat still excellent if I do say so myself (and I refreshed it with a bit more amaretto and the rest of the satsuma juice!). Skye McAlpine’s pastry is almost more like shortbread but held together very well. I wasn’t quick enough getting them out of the tin - I always forget that - so a couple of them stuck, and I’m not sure the mini muffin tin is the ideal shape, but I can try again with the leftover pastry (I only made 8 today as a trial)

@RainbowZebraWarrior how about some home made snowball Pom poms?

@martha79
it’s a selection of short stories from the past 150 years

it’s easy, slow paced, the language and social attitudes can be a little (actually a lot sometimes) backwards (but it’s a reminder how things have changed)

the stories are all murder mystery puzzles - which I tend to only read during December - something about dark nights, seasonal food and trees indoors

@frozendaisy yum! We have a large veggie casserole with gf cheese dumplings, baked mac cheese and an open fire. I’ve made some gf oat cookies and they’ll keep us going with our afternoon cuppas this week.

@AlicePottery that is a stunning picture - awesome cattage in your other photo.

The neighbours have put soft white fairy lights across the front of our two houses today, which is VN. It also stops dh from putting his multicoloured lights up! We are training our rambling rose to extend across the front of both the houses, so it’s a nice bit of sharing.

I also refreshed my mincemeat with amaretto and a bit of clementine juice. IME I leave them to almost fully cool in the baking tin before removing as the sticky mincemeat juices will not allow whilst still hot / warm.

That is an excellent idea and may go very well with my current idea of (white ish) limed fir cones.

@AlicePottery your cat reminds me of our Mr Darcy.

On our weekly visit to the market today, we happened upon a lovely new seller who makes Pottery. She had a 'rejects' box and I bought this weighty candle holder for only £1. I also bought a lovely pinch bowl.

I'm aware I haven't commented on today's CC post. All I will say is that today's cake appeals to me so much more than yesterday's offering. I like plain things and shy away from too much cream. When I was a young AO working for the government, any time anyone had a birthday, folk would produce those enormous Sara Lee(?) Gateaux cakes and I've never been able to look a gateaux or elaborate cake in the face since. Love a plain madeira / lemon cake or plain cheesecake with no toppings.

I get them out while really hot (usually) because otherwise the mincemeat juice sets firm and welds them in place

Sorry you ended up in tears this morning @RainbowZebraWarrior , I know the feeling, it's so frustrating too as you don't want to put nice things on hold in order to be able to function enough to do necessary things. The golden light this evening had a similar lifting effect on my mood as I was doing lesson prep, so much so that I've decided to join the strike on Tuesday 😂

The pegging out half way through feeling is horrible. I haven’t done it often, but can remember being unsure whether I’d manage to get home a time or too, and also the fury with my body when after a nice outing I get back to the car and struggle to get my second leg in. It just sits there uselessly, stiff and cold, refusing to be moved. It’s my winge about a blue badge. I can’t get one, but there are moments it would make all the difference.

Anyway, enough. I’m feeling proud. I have gradually remembered knitting and got my tension under control. Well, almost. And this amazing wool self patterns. It’s awesome. I’m really looking forward to have socks. Though there’s a long way to go.

Homemade socks is VNI, surely?!

And I can’t wait until tomorrow, when the advent candle starts!

I just caught up on Nigel's chapters while waiting for my ham to roast. Or gammon. I always thought they were different cuts but the Waitrose website tells me that ham is merely cooked gammon. Who knew?

I'm another stollen lover. I popped into Sainsbury's this afternoon and found some rather nice sounding cherry and kirsch stollen bites which I will try later in the week.

I had another crafty day today and made this lovely felt and fabric tree complete with teeny tiny lights. Rather pleased with it!

Lovely! @PrizedPickledPopcorn Homemade socks are the best! I’m nearly there on mum’s Christmas crochet scarf. I reckon perhaps a week more will do it.

Beautiful Bimbles and Petit! Crafting is very grounding, I find. It also kept my hands too occupied to stuff food in my mouth. Bonus! I’m hoping to finish the socks in time for Christmas. Then I’m doing various other ‘use up the wool stash’ projects, then having another go at socks, once I know what I’m doing! I’m treating this as a practice pair, to work out what matters and where I need to upskill before trying again,

1 December

Mistletoe, malt loaf and a salad of cobnuts

I need to track down a supply of mistletoe. Along with bunches of Holly and ivy, it's soft green stems have long decorated this house at this time of year. Mistletoe is heavy with folklore. Viscum albums, the variety of the genus that produces the white, translucent berries is the one I need to deck our halls at Christmas.

Good Morning and Happy Advent, all.

It's so dark this morming. I guess this is where the dark days of December begin.