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!

I’m so close to being ready, I can almost taste it!
I’ve done the bagging up of sweets today- quince conserves of different kinds, chocolate bark, and old school peppermint creams and coconut ice.

I haven’t made stollen or orange poppy seed cake. But tomorrow is a long day so that’s it for now. Maybe Sunday afternoon.

Any advice on topping a fruit cake? I think we talked about it already. I don’t want icing. I was wondering about doing a disk of marzipan, browning it under the grill, then popping it on the top. No idea of it would work… presumably better than putting the whole cake under the grill with the marzipan?

Ah, ok. I have blanched almonds, candied peel strips and walnut halves. Apparently I can stick them on with jam, then glaze them. That feels doable.

Ah congratulations to all those that have finisjed work. Ive two days next week left to do. Thankfully dry today as yesterday was terrible in the rain. Feeling full of cold but it’s our fake night out tonight and I’ve just checked myself into my treat to self premier inn for the night. NVN at all but more fool him because Lenny Henry is right about the comfy beds!
quick shower and out so a belated Happy Friday to all :)

We spent a month in a Premier Inn during Christmas 2017 after being flooded (and then a further six months in rented accommodation) I bought a Hypnos mattress on the back of staying there as it was so comfy. We also loved having a freshly cooked breakfast every day before heading off to school!

Made it to the NT property this afternoon. Didn't make it up the steps to the inside, so turned around and came home. I am absolutely broken, physically tonight.

The light was still beautiful though, and we took a photo of our long shadows.

Have a fab night @piscofrisco ! Sorry to read about the 1:1 being sent in unwell - I hear you there! The amount of children sent in unwell, for party day, the taken home & off the rest of this week is unreal. Boils my piss - my class teacher's pregnant, I have cancer. Any thought or common sense between them & the trust I work for? Nope 🙄🙄.

Just me up - dd2's sock on. I'll pop my head in on her & offer takeaway shortly since we've been paid early 🥳.

For now, it's me & the radio, with a glass of wine, when I have my pj's on. I am so looking forward to extended cuddles with boy cat in the morning 😊. He sits guard at my feet every night while I sleep 🐈‍⬛️

That sounds perfect. It's roughly what I was going to do but I've decided not to bother, and in fact cut into the cake today (feel I should confess to Nigel!). It's still quite squidgy, feels more like a cake-pudding hybrid, but considering 'free from' stuff can often be a bit dry, I'll take that.

I hope you have a lovely comfy night @piscofrisco - love a Premier Inn bed.

@lucysmam people are so inconsiderate with their germs - you'd have thought the pandemic years would have taught us all about people being vulnerable!

@RainbowZebraWarrior That looks like an amazing place! Where is it?

@piscofrisco if I had pulled my finger out I could have finished today but the planned 6 hours of work manifested as about 45 minutes, what with all the children being home and offering to take a friend to Costco (terrible, do not recommend) and just a load of pre-Christmas nonsense, so I guess that is either my weekend’s occupation or I’m also working Monday. You are not alone
I have a horrible cold and feeling rubbish. I am pretty confident it is just a cold not flu, but. Not helpful. I seem to get every cold that passes in my vicinity despite eating well and looking after myself. The rest of my family doesn’t get them, I don’t know why I have a crap immune system.

The premier inn was where we went when our house burned down @RainbowZebraWarrior-so with your flood and my fire I think we have the beginnings of another marketing campaign!
@CeliathebansheeI admire anyone who can wfh or be self employed immensely. I don trust myself to do either because my tendency to procrastinate would see me sacked or bankrupt within months!
A lovely night was had , though those farmers know how to drink-I will be feeling it today! My throat is very sore (unrelated I think-I fear it’s the germs catching up with me) so I will get up, pop to boots next door and replenish cold and flu supplies-at the point I dread to think how much we have spent on Lemsip etc cumulatively this year.
I’ve a full day of cleaning and party prep ready for the family coming tomorrow. And DH to calm down as his ex wife is being her usual self about Christmas dates and now saying she won’t let the DSS’s come as they have ‘made plans’-never mind that we set this date in September and there is a court order. Nigel doesn’t have these issues! But still at least a nights respite from children, house and Daschunds has been had which has been a treat.
And DD2 comes home from uni tomorrow and I can’t wait to see her which is another.

Woke up to find Adrian Mole on the radio 🙂

@Celiathebanshee I always get the worst share of a cold as well. I think it’s to do with having very narrow sinuses so for me a slight cold is a full on swollen head, totally congested affair. I also wonder whether getting loads of symptoms with a cold is actually having a good immune system, as it leaps into action to fight it off!

Whatever it is, it’s grim.

<Documentary voiceover> “Today in many areas it is Mother Collection Day. All around the country, people will be madly tidying around and cleaning the corners in readiness for the imperial visit of the Mother. Spare rooms will be dressed. Cars will be inspected in readiness for the long journey. In some homes, ear plugs will be issued.”

Seaton Delaval Hall. I have a real affinity with it as I used to live in a lovely village just across the field from it. Loved living there. I also used to drive home past it late at night when the actual owners lived there back in the early 90s and I'd see the lights on in the only tiny part that was habitable at the time. The family were real characters. The husband and wife both died in their 90s, about six months apart and the place stood empty for a few years. Eventually, it was taken over by the NT and restored. My Dad also kept some bees in their walled garden for a couple of years recently (we kept bees at Cragside, too) He also tells me about the crazy banquets they used to have there back in the 1970s.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/seaton-delaval-hall

Good morning folks. No chapter today. Do try and keep half an hour spare tomorrow if you can though as tomorrow's is a bumper entry!

Well this is the longest I've slept in ages. I can't actually believe I've got her and done what I've needed to do so far this December after literally falling at / on the 1st. It's amazing just lying here thinking 'I really don't need to get up?' (Save for feeding his lordship who has just noticed I'm awake),

Pleased you had a good night @piscofrisco but sorry to hear about DHs ex and her shenanigans. Nobody needs that aggro at Christmas time.

Off to catch up properly.

Oh God yeah - bounced out of bed this morning though because i didn't have to get up!

Regarding the first para: Yes, I think you are right about the immune system. Some years ago, my blood donations started to be marked specifically for Neonatal babies due to my 'high antibody profile' I asked my GP pal about this and he said I had high levels of antibodies to lots of colds and viruses, likely because of a very reactive immune system which meant I probably caught everything and anything, and likely got a good dose, therefore also a good dose of antibodies. So my blood was great for giving to Neonatal babies to give them some protection. I always find these things fascinating.

Regarding the second para, (which I did actually read in my head in a spoof 1960s style documentary voice) it has just occurred to me that I have never actually had anyone stay for Christmas, so the concept is totally alien to me, and thankfully my mother lives close enough for me to visit for an hour and leave. We did have an elderly aunt stay with us once when I was a child and she drank my mother's bottle of gin she'd bought her for Christmas and replaced it with water (which my mother noticed as she went to have a glass of said restorative gin upon the aunt leaving) We were just reminiscing about this yesterday. I'd have been 5 or 6. Perhaps thah was enough to put me off for life.

Anyway. Good luck and God speed!

Oh I shall have to catch up with this on BBC Sounds. I do miss Sue Townsend.

Jumping back in after a very long day yesterday and a very long day ahead of me today!
I miss Sue Townsend. I really do.

Today I'm taking the child, the dog, a suitcase full of presents and hopefully my sanity on two trains followed by a five hour drive to family; keep me in your thoughts!

Hope everyone has a beautiful Saturday!

Morning all, on holiday at last, feel very relieved as it was a struggle to get through the last few days with out totally crashing. I did have to resort to my heavier meds twice but that's what they're there for I suppose. We were hoping to receive my our new sofas for the staff room on Wednesday but they got held up due to the motorway blockages here at the moment. Still no sign of them when I left work at 5 last night so God knows what's going to happen as obviously school will be closed for the next 2 weeks. I'm heavily invested in all this as I've been asking for them for over 10 years (so much so it had becoming a running joke at school) and the lovely new head accepted straight away when I asked her in September. I then organised a vote to choose which ones we wanted and put in the order a fortnight ago. I WANT MY SOFAS 😂

In other news, I had the worst night sweats ice ever had last night, so that was fun, vive la perimenopause! Oh well, I suppose having nice clean sheets to start the holidays isn't so bad, they'll have to go in the dryer though as it's a grey and miserable forecast for the next few days at least.

I'm just pottering about the house tidying up a bit and making a note of all the little random jobs that need doing over the next few days (DD gets to pick which ones she wants to do fist then DH takes all the most physically challenging ones).

I have a few things that I want/need to do over the next few days and I can't quite decide in which order to do them. I want to go to the local Christmas Market to browse, plus they have a little pen with chickens and rabbits that you go and sit in and cuddle 😍 I'm usually the only adult that goes in and sits on the floor with the animals, but there aren't any signs saying it's just for children 😅. I also need to buy everyone's Christmas presents (the 2 things I could only get online have already been bought, but I will try and buy everything else as locally as possible). I need to work out a meal plan for next week, the rest of the year DH does all the cooking and meal planning but this is my time to faff! He's just waiting for my instructions 😅

I also want to make and decorate gingerbread biscuits with DD to give as presents. She miraculously has very little homework to do over the holidays so hopefully will be up for some nice activities with me.

For now I'm sitting enjoying yesterday's advent calendar tea, and peeling a smallish orange citrus fruit with relatively easy to remove peel , no pips, acceptable amount of pith and thickness of segment membrane 😂 I have no idea if it's a clementine, satsuma or mandarine 🤷🏼‍♀️

Christ on a bike that was a much longer post than intended, sorry for the rambling!

If the peel is loose, and only attached in two places it's a satsuma. The sofa is lovely-how many are you getting, and are they the same colour?

Good morning, Nigel fans. Today will be about finding all the gifts I've bought over the past weeks, making sure no DD is favoured over the other, wrapping, trying out the eggnog coffee at my local cafe and singing operatic choruses in a seafront pub with my sequin dress on. All topped off with the Strictly final. Suitably glittery, I think. Happy pre-Christmas Saturday to all.

Morning all. Gosh, some of you have had absolute house nightmares. Wishing the poorly people better health and those, like me, on cancer treatment some feisty immune cells to fight of the snotty idiots who cross our paths.

another insta suggestion from me, although many follow her: saraheyton , who is carer to her 102 y/o father, both artists.

still in bed here - it was a long week and I woke very achy. My main work is done although I have to polish my reaccreditation paperwork over the hol. I do this every three years and can’t work without it. It’s fine but I always stress about it.

today there will be soup making and tidying. Loving the mother collection post. I’ll be collecting mine but am unsure when, as we are still waiting on ds2’s shifts in his new hospitality job.

pic of some of my hens ten years ago when it was -10°.

I do that all the time to excellent effect.

Use apricot jam for glueing the decorations and then more on top to glaze. Put some jam in a pan to warm it up gently on the stove, then put it through a sieve to get rid of the big lumps. Ideally use the cheapest apricot jam you can find, you want the smooth jelly not the fruit bits. Use a pastry brush to apply it to the cake.

Glacé cherries are good decorations if you’ve got any left, they’re quite jolly too.

Gosh that is a long journey. Thinking of you and sending gentle hugs.

Tempted to say, give us 'two rings' so we know you got there OK 😁

🤣 makes me feel a bit better about some of my essays! No need to apologise though. Hope you manage to do what you need to do in whatever order and preferably enjoyable. Gah to the horrendous night sweats though.