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!

Someone posted a photo of a shooting fig earlier- I tried to find it to tag you with my answer, but failed! It reminded me of this, exuberant and determined leek base that I have had in water since Christmas. How admirable is that persistence?!
And to accompany it, some roses I received before Christmas. They are basically dried roses now, but I’ve tidied them and left them in the vase as they still look good.

My words for 2026 would be accomplishment and consistency. I am going to persist with those things I dabble in so that I am more consistent and accomplished with them. There’s an idea called a basic minimum yes- something small you can commit to, which builds into something worth doing. For example, parking further away from your office to increase your step count. Insignificant once. Meaningful if it’s a permanent change.

Loving all of this! It was @martha79 with the photos of the Fig and other shoots from her local park i think. I kept meaning to comment myself. There are shoots everywhere atm. Every time I walk down the driveway I notice something else. I'm desperate to take a stroll down my garden path and investigate things a bit more closely, but my hips are protesting after my jaunt to town so I'm having a lie down. Pray that this bright, dry weather stays with us for a while!

I'm not sure what my word for 2026 should be, but I was talking to DH about the concept of new year resolutions and how so often these are about stopping things (I won't eat so much, I'll spend less money, I'll drink less, spend less time on my phone etc). Much of this is admirable and probably beneficial but this year, I decided that any resolutions I make would be about continuation rather than cessation, and about recognising the things that bring me joy. So, I'd like to swim more; remember to take my camera out and about more; find time for writing.

I'm hoping that by focusing on making time for the happy things, the less healthy aspects of life will start to naturally diminish.

I’m hoping the cold continues long enough to prune the roses, as it’s best done in a cold spell. I often miss the chance…

Absolutely PricklyBob! I’m calling them intentions rather than resolutions. Polishing the good, and letting that outshine the dross.

@PricklyBob I really feel for you with the pressure to get back to work - we get so much praise for bouncing back and powering through, rather than for resting like we should.

Gosh, imagine if Nigel does read this thread, I wonder what he'd think about how he factors in us nurturing ourselves?

@piscofrisco I've got a few Yorkshire Candle Company candles that smell amazing and strongly - some of theirs that are named after places have great outdoorsy fresh smells. I've also been quite impressed with https://www.rowbert.com/

That is an impressive leek @PrizedPickledPopcorn. It was me with the fig. Can I also offer you my straggly rose bush, with flower and rosehip at the same time. I really need to prune it but it seems a shame when it's got a flower!

Photo attaching silliness again...

@PricklyBob your managers manager is a much better manager than she is. I'm actually pretty disgusted at "my boss is keen for me to do a full day tomorrow, with a view to returning to the office next week" I'm sorry but she sounds like an utter arse. In all my years as a manager for the Civil Service, I would never ever have said that to a member of staff, and certainly not after such a short length of time off. How are you feeling / how can I support you further / Do you need more time? should be how the conversation goes.

Hurrah for shoots and buds! I had a poke around in the front garden as i left for the school run. My lovely hellebores are in bud under the Christmas tree. Here they are, along with the ridiculously adorned giant tree itself.

Also, hurrah for Fenwick food hall's 70% off Christmas goodies. I've got two of these beauties put away for future years (best before 2028) I would never have paid £25 for them, but I do look at them every year, so thought for a fiver I'd finally indulge myself.

Btw, I'll be setting up Thread 4 tonight as we are running out of space, just in case anyone noticed.

New thread here for when we are all ready to move across. There's a few more posts left on this thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5475693-the-nigel-slater-christmas-chronicles-readalong-20256-part-4

lovley pics and puddings. Thankyou for the candle recommendations. I’ve chased up my toasted crumpet order and ordered something from the Yorkshire candle company. And then I found a lake district candle company advent calendar with tea lights that I forgot about so that will tide me over til it all comes.
a slow day of waiting for washing machine fixer (now done and back to washing a months worth of back lagged laundry) bar the bits I took to the laundrette. Made a triumph of a dinner-bang bang salmon it was called somewhat unedifying ly on Facebook but it was very delicious! Now back off out to take DSS1 to football training as DH’s train is stuck somewhere.

And the socks!

Brilliant socks @PrizedPickledPopcorn
and brilliant bargains @RainbowZebraWarrior - I remember buying very cheap Harrods Christmas puddings in the sale about 15 years ago, they were very good.

I've eaten rubbish this evening but had a VN hour with a book (Sandi Toksvig's 'Friends of Dorothy'), nice lighting and a big woolen blanket. Tonight's candle was a Yorkshire Candle Company thyme and cedar.

@martha79 you’re spot on with the nurtured and cared for aspect. It occurs to me how much work it takes to do that - I think this is partly why I’m so worn out this week. I was away at the weekend, have had clients Monday and Tues but also had my brother staying Monday. He and my dh came back from the filming they were doing and I had fire and candles going as well as a warming, nurturing meal laid out. I wanted to make them feel cared for - and by golly they needed it. It was also so nice to do that for my bro. It took a lot of spoons!

love that lick and a promise @PrizedPickledPopcorn I’ll have that! Giving you a big hurrah for the socks too

I sold quite a bit of stuff on Vinted and managed to save up for a bottle of Santa Maria novella incense perfume. Oh my what a smell. I am enveloped in nigelness.

I don’t know what my word for this year is yet. Last year’s was tenacity. I don’t do resolutions, just to be kind to myself and others and to do my best every day. I think this year I want to find a bit more balance as I’m still running like heck from whatever happened to me and mine and don’t have all the spoons to deal with it. But I’m getting there. Threads like this are incredibly nurturing.

15 January

Ribsticker bread pudding

For all the excitement of bringing home a freshly baked loaf, it's crust dark and crispy enough to shatter messily under the bread knife (a chewy piece of which is usually removed, buttered and devoured before I even have my coat off), there is inevitably some left after a day or two that is beyond toast.

Good Lord I love bread and butter pudding!
Lovely socks @PrizedPickledPopcornbeautiful colours. What was Dh and brother filming @Bimblesalong? Im intrigued.
Rain, rain and more rain today. Ugh. I made a vat of vegetable soup yesterday and that will be what keeps me afloat.

I disliked B&B pudding for years. Then I made it myself with something exotic- stale croissants? Brioche? And it was delicious.

Mum’s BBP was made with white sliced, dried fruit, little or no sugar and butter. It’s was undercooked, wet and white with sultanas and currants in. Bleurgh!

A good heavily seasoned one with a crunchy brown top… yum!

I’m off to the rural part of my job today. Driving through the lanes, past the old blacksmith towers of horseshoes. There’s a green where the local vicar is entitled to graze her cows, should she have any. It’s midsummer murder country, actually. Lovely people, lovely cake. It’s the kind of place I go on holiday- there’s a great garden centre I drive past, so I’ll stop and check out the bargains in the hope of emulating @RainbowZebraWarrior’s successes!
Sadly, I will be working when I get there, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles!

Sounds like a beautiful area @PrizedPickledPopcorn

I love bread and butter pudding of all sorts, even the white sliced although it really needs plenty of sugar in that case. I think I might have shared this before when we were talking about persimmons but this is pretty spectacular https://flamingoestate.com/blogs/recipes/persimmon-bread-pudding-with-rosemary-creme-anglaise - I've also had a version that involved amaretto and flaked almonds.

Final day at work this week for me - should be a quiet one, fingers crossed.

Love those socks!

I'm not a fan of b&b pudding. I thoroughly dislike custard and dried fruit so I don't think there's a variation out there for me.

These look amazing. Sadly dh is coeliac and my boys aren’t here for food often. We don’t often do pudding but this would be good - I made it out to our local WI hotpot supper last night and has two puddings ! The ladies there are elderly but incredibly interesting and feisty. It’s good to get to know them.

@piscofrisco my brother has a role on a national steering group that is often in the news (for good reasons). He has a diversity lead an the video is about that.

Nice recipe… I have happen to have everything in stock for that, bar the cream. I may make a small version of it.

Beautiful morning for beachcombing

Panettone also makes fantastic B&B pudding. Although the concept of leftover panettone is a purely theoretical one round here.

Morning! Been lurking and reading everyone's posts for a while.
I once made a very nice bread and butter pudding with leftover jam doughnuts.