The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2025 - Part 3

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 3. 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)

For anyone new, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up the book as 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!

Ive had a look at the Stellar sets and I think I'll give them a go @Seasidebubbles
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

Love that oak leaf patterned wrapping paper @RainbowZebraWarrior

And the wassail sounds great @piscofrisco

Morning all. No entry again today. I've been awake since 4am and on snow watch. DD said before bed that she wants to go back to big sainsburys. Might have to wake her at 6 because heavy snow is expected from 7.

I can also confirm that Stellar pans are brilliant. I have a whole set in my cupboard from when I was married in 1998. The massive one is used regularly for making chilli jam. The smaller ones are now used for candle making. They are all still immaculate.

@piscofrisco I am absolutely loving your creativity with the orchard activities. You are so definitely in the right job and I can totally imagine you running your own care farm ❤️

@frozendaisy your pizzas sound amazing. I need to have a tidy and rearrange outside on a dry day as I want to get back to using the outdoor pizza oven again. I have a massive catering stainless steel table that it sits on which atm is a mess of plants, terracotta saucers and other bits and bobs. I had a little chuckle to myself about your teen and the Huge Greek Wrap. I half envisaged him enveloped in a large blue and white woolen shawl, rather than, perhaps, more accurately, munching on a Chicken Gyros 😁

Thank you my lovely ❤️

I too imagined a large Greek poncho type item to stay warm on the rides!

My stollen muffins were disappointing. I’m wondering if my scales malfunctioned because I ended up with double the quantity I was expecting. They are edible though and will be joined by lots of other treats. It’s an early epiphany party. Then the decoration can come down. I’d have been very disappointed- indeed quite cross- about that @piscofrisco . But I have a DH who functions on his own logic and timetable so it would not be an unfamiliar situation . I’ve been disappointed and quite cross quite a lot 😬.

Today it’s lemon posset, Gallette de Rois, Roscon and pastry squares topped with quince and apple. I bought the dill for the soup yesterday so that may be our dinner!

Where I live, one half of the city is experiencing some transport delays due to snow, while the other half is untouched. No snow here.

I did some v successful mothering yesterday. DS rang complaining about a couple of issues in his new flat. The oven would not work and the radiators were only luke warm. I was able to solve both for him, so felt like I earned a gold star!

@RainbowZebraWarrior the teen who eats huge Greek wraps and pizza for dinner eats and eats and eats and doesn’t get fat! He does 13 hours of intense exercise most weeks though, he’s 15 and solid - we honestly don’t know where he puts it all!

It’s an exciting (hopefully) darts final here, we have additional teenagers round, the tree is still very pretty it’s staying until tomorrow

I am making filo/spinach/feta/onion big pie thing to slice, pasta with fresh pesto, chicken thighs, meatballs, tomato salad with a custard heavy trifle and have agreed they can have a cider or two during the final - the house will be full of noise but that’s ok - friend group are dealing with some family bereavements this festive season - I don’t mind the sounds of life filling the house (we are the unlucky ones we had already lost most of our nearest elders)

I can’t find my 2026 calendar which means everything that needs remembering is currently in my mind (which never ends well) I am spending far too long scrolling through messages and end to work out who is doing what, when and with whom on a daily basis at the moment - I thought January is supposed to be quiet!

Have a good first weekend all I need coffee and to start cooking (kitchen now under control) bins are waiting to be collected, only paper bin full which is good for them being the Christmas bins I think and need to get the kebab eating nipper to his morning social engagement. I want to lie on the sofa. Perhaps I can do that tomorrow- need to check WhatsApp first!

(we never begin the year organised)

Yours sounds very much like mine @PrizedPickledPopcornits…exasperating at times….
Maybe I need a Greek wrap to keep me warm at work. I’m picturing a dry robe but with a sort of blue and white thick canvas woven over layer. I may approach them with the idea!
Following the pizza parties at work pre Christmas I had said I didn’t want to see our pizza oven for another year or so, but now I quite fancy one so I’m thinking of getting it out again for dinner tomorrow.Does anyone have a good dough recipe-mine always comes out too sticky and then I add more flour but it inevitably becomes too dry. That said it’s due to be minus all day tomorrow and Im not sure I feel like standing out in it for any length of time.
Still no snow for us. But we are going to Derbyshire for the day to see my Mum
and my parents in law where I will surely be obliged with some?! Suppose I had better get up and mobilise DD2 who would sleep til 3pm if she could. Lord knows how she manages at uni-I suspect she misses more lectures than she goes to and just catches up online tbh but I don’t want to examine it too closely or I would start to ponder whether it’s the best use of thousands of pounds worth of tuition fees.
A lovely Saturday to all! Keep warm!

I don’t know how you’ve managed that with the bins @frozendaisyDH is losing his mind at the state of ours. (It’s his particular obsession). I’m praying that it’s recycling bin day on Monday or we will be sunk.

Ohhhhhhhh. I also visualised some sort of massive scarf/duvet thing and wondered what was special about a Greek one 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Morning all! We are completely snowed in. Very pretty but very inconvenient!

Also thought the Greek wrap was a big cosy shawl 🤣

There seems to be snow to the north, south and east of me. I'm happy with another bright frosty day.

I'm trying to find a 2026 calendar I like - to be honest I don't usually write on it and use Google for everything, but I wonder whether returning to writing things down might help me not fill it up so much.

I've taken the Christmas cards down as the cats kept kicking them off the mantelpiece. The tree will happen when I get a burst of energy.

Got a friend visiting this afternoon for a cuppa, otherwise the usual taking it easy. I've still got over a week before I'm due back at work but starting to wonder/ worry if I'll need more time off.

What a beautiful and seasonally appropriate picture to share @LillianGish - I'm sorry you lost your neighbour, he sounds fascinating.

No snow here (as per) but a stunning clear and sunny day - a coastal walk is in prospect for the afternoon followed by a Mexican-style tortilla soup.

PrizedPickledPopcorn; I finally got round to making Galette de Rois this year, after meaning to for ages. However, as there's only me and my SIL, I made individual ones and froze them raw. Must cook one or two.

Same here. Grim but beautiful ❄️

LHe was 89 @Bimblesalong and a true gentleman. He and his wife own several apartments in our building, one of which was his studio. Eagey anticipating some snow photos - we had the lightest sprinkling last night which has frozen on the rooftops.

@noodlezoodle This place is not far from us. I've never been in, but driven past, when I see the prices I know why! :D

www.indigo-uk.com/collections/japanese-tansu

Forgot to post my photo!

Thanked the poor binmen!

Lovely sky there in Paris ❤️ I actually bought little favours (feves?) for an Epiphany cake but have never gotten around to baking one!

This is so pretty! Really interesting to read about your neighbour - what an amazing lifetime of work.

I'm moving down to that area very soon, what a fascinating place. Another place to explore…

We've had about 4 inches of snow here this morning. Got to Sainsbury's and back early ish and was well worth it. All the Christmas cheese is now 1p. Even the TTD packs including quince paste and honey crackers. Large truckles etc. Even better, some plants in gorgeous ceramic pots and containers down from £12/£13 were also 1p. All this cost just 20p! Still loads left at my store. It wasn't marked down so folk were just passing it by, but we know what usually gets reduced so go round with a self scanner. Also got a cute squishmallow for 90p

Ah yes you remind me that ‘tansu ’ is a cabinet. So mine is a stepped Tansu 🤦‍♀️ sorry, it is over 20 years since we lived there!

The snow is getting so heavy on the branches now that I keep hearing 'thwump' every so often as it gets dumped on the ground. I am So Glad I had the conservatory roof replaced last month and it is now a usable and warm room with a proper pitched roof!

Front garden, back garden, and just about to enjoy home made soup in the 'room that used to be useless'.

It makes the garden look so pretty @RainbowZebraWarrior . I fed the birds this morning but had to put on wellies to get to the feeder

Incredible bargains there @RainbowZebraWarrior and lovely snow pictures. I'm very glad your conservatory is now sorted!