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!

Oh this sounds lovely! ❤️ I love sequins and glitter!

My experience with using a 50 year old sewing machine a LOT is that it’s always the bobbin when it goes really wrong. Needs to be exactly the correct bobbin type, wound the right way (clockwise on mine), cotton coming out the right direction. Also a little bit of sewing machine oil in the right spots can do wonders. Good luck @PrizedPickledPopcorn

Great sofas @AlicePottery - I hope they arrive safely. Sympathies on the night sweats, that seems to have been the one immediate effect of coming off my HRT. Urgh.

Sparkly opera sounds fabulous @leporello

Good luck with the journey @DarkEyedSailor

Today I'm mostly lying down listening to this https://bemorewithless.com/books/gentle/ as well as some more of the Christmas specials on Radio 4 Extra, then have a friend coming for a catch-up/ present exchange early evening.

@sueelleker even with your explanation I still can't identify my small orange citrus fruits 😂

We've gone for 2 identical sofas as they're going to be in the same space and just the thought of two different sofas makes me twitch. Most of the walls are white, but one is almost the exact shade of the sofas (luckily the sofas will both be againt white walls though) so I'm quite pleased about the whole affair. I'm tempted to embroider a cushion with my name on it just to remind everyone which is my spot 😅

@leporello that sounds marvellous! I have our 9 lessons and carols service to sing in tomorrow. I will be managing a lot candle, music, a super-long choir robe and walking whilst singing (also involving steps). What could possibly go wrong …!

@AlicePottery definitely a good idea to stitch that cushion. I’ll be looking for a new sofa after Christmas. Mine is a sofa workshop one and the seats have sagged so badly I can hardly get up from it at times.

@martha79 that is an interesting book - enjoy your relaxing read.

@Bimblesalong, snap, I am also doing 9 lessons and carols tomorrow, mercifully no candle holding required for me though. At least those super long robes are usually non-fire hazardous fabric 😁.

Really loving this thread and all the NVN and VN stuff. Currently watching and enjoying BBC1s repeat of Nigella's Christmas Table.

And I have to say (sorry, not sorry, rofl), that Nigella kicks Nigel's butt! 😁

Currently speeding back to the UK on the Eurostar - I have Nigel on my Kindle for a catch-up and I’m trying to get up to date on the thread, but MN seems to have instituted a new and very annoying feature where you have to keep uploading newer posts then the page crashes and you end up back at the beginning. Very user unfriendly - I’m hoping by posting I may not have to keep going back to the start. Bracing myself for the onslaught when I arrive at my mum’s - tree to source (whatever is left, the spindliest runt as Nigel might put it), turkey and ham to source - not to mention the rest of the Christmas food shop. Cake to ice (I am carrying the one I baked in Paris) - and then lots of managing of expectations between kids, DH and my mum, who will be 89 tomorrow. NVN in the sense that he only ever seems to have to suit himself - much easier to be utterly zen with an expensive candle in those circumstances!

Love the sound of 9 lessons and carols. I used to love the Crib service at our lovely local church on Christmas eve, but DD can't cope with it any more. We do have a carols by Candlelight service tomorrow night, which I may go to myself now that DD is fairly comfortable to be left alone for an hour or so. Good luck to you both tomorrow @Bimblesalong and @leporello with the long robes. Also hope the achy-ness hasn't turned into anything nasty, Bimbles.

Hope all gets sorted for you @LillianGish I'm having terrible trouble with MN atm, but thankfully still able to post. I had remembered about your Mum's birthday as I have notes and check back at last year's thread daily, so hoping she has a nice day.

We've had a day of tidying and then an afternoon having a turn around our lovely seaside town (Whitley Bay) buying some last minute gifts from some delightful independent shops, and a good old mooch around the plentiful charity shops. Got this VN Almanac style book from our local bookshop and also a sweet little cat book for 50p in a charity shop.

The Ivy I trimmed the tree with a couple of weeks ago has totally shrivelled, so I've stripped it from the tree and am going to use it as 'firelighters' for the stove a little later. Went out to snip some fresh eucalyptus jusy before dark, which I'll put on the tree instead.

That little book looks interesting @RainbowZebraWarrior , you'll have to let us know what it's like please!

I've just had an enforced sit down break from everything with girl cat. She only sits with me, and only when the house is quiet - I've been none stop so it was quite welcome sitting with my candle, and cat 😊.

Looking forward to catching up the thread later on, after tea and a shower.

I've been away from the thread for a day or two, it's been so nice to sit down and catch up whilst sipping on a G&T! I've had the "day off" because my usual Saturday commitment was not running and I feel very productive! Made a beef goulash that was simmering in the slow cooker for a good 6 hours (just demolished it with some excellent roast potatoes made by husband!), wrapped most of the Christmas presents and had a quick walk in the sunshine. Also made some NVN mince pies - pre-made pastry and mincemeat courtesy of M&S 😁 but I put the two together so I am classing them as home-made!

I think Nigel would be very impressed @WhoAteMyBiscuit. They are indeed homemade and look delicious.

I cleaned the oven and hob today so feeling virtuous. It's a new enough oven but it's now ready for Christmas cooking.

We picked up some cheeses for the Christmas dinner and I've wrapped all but one present. I've decided the windows need cleaning but I'll do that tomorrow. Heading out for a toddle around the neighborhood.

I have started the Christmas cheese and the matchmakers have disappeared this week - the festive season is well underway here!

A delightful couple of hours spent this afternoon watching Sense and Sensibility - ah, Alan Rickman. Sigh. I’m getting on well with the crochet project that was stacked and circling whilst I made mum’s scarf. It’s good to take a moment now and again.

Ring ring! just got to our destination. Quite civilised journey all things considered.

Mmm Goulash. I used to have a couple of chaps from Hungary who came into my café and gave me their Mum's recipe. No idea where it has gone! Must try and find it. Also, love your nails @WhoAteMyBiscuit

I've had chicken and roast potatoes tonight with lashings of gravy. Absolutely stuffed. Finished off with sime sort of hazelnut praline Greggs dougnut. Not even sorry.

Regarding cheeses, we've had a cheese advent calendar that had a Red Leicester cheese in it with garlic and black pepper which DD fell in love with. Couldn't find it anywhere. Ordered a Red Leicester with black pepper from Waitrose last night though and DD massively approves. It's on offer at the minute, too.

Ah, I love that version of Sense and Sensibility @Bimblesalong I would watch it every day I'd I could (along with Pride and Prejudice and Emma)

Ah, thanks for the 'two rings' my lovely! 😁 Pleased you got there safely. I shall sleep well tonight now. Hope you can relax a bit petal.

My dishwasher has broken 😭😭😱😱 how do appliances always know when it is nearly Christmas?

It’s my favourite film of all time. Colonel Brandon is perfection.

ill see your dishwasher and raise you a washing machine. And no repair man available til the 29th. Which means we will be spending alot of time in the laundrette 🫣

We will also be in the market for a new sofa after Christmas. I can no longer endure the travesty of a sofa we have currently which is from Loaf and which I loathe. The cushions have to be pummelled once an hour for it to be in any way comfortable or look half way decent and they are heavy and ungainly (whilst still failing to retain any shape). I fell for the squishy marketing. Never again!

Spindly runt purchased and duly decorated and aa ever I am marveling at how even the smallest, sparsest specimen can look the part once strung with lights and trimmed up with much-loved baubles; cake iced - a basic job and lacking a proper cake frill, but executed at top speed in the time it took to drink a cup of tea before dashing out to source the turkey and ham. I nearly fell over when I saw some of the Nigelesque prices Waitrose were charging for their turkeys - £135, I mean people obviously pay that, but come on - the Cire Trudon of turkeys! Thought I might get a crown, but they were upwards of £90, in the end I found a basic turkey (in another fridge) for £30 which I’m sure will be more than adequate - to be honest it’s more about the stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and other trimmings in our house. Anyway, feeling much happier now I have the essentials under my belt and will be able to enjoy mum’s birthday lunch knowing I’ve broken the back of the arrangements - not a very Nigel approach I know. I’m very touched that you remembered my mum’s birthday @RainbowZebraWarrior. This thread is such a lovely whether at home or away. Thank you to all who are one here.

@Bimblesalong amd @leporello i ‘three’ am doing 9 lessons and carols tomorrow! I’m not singing though, just reading. We have a guest choir for this one.

We have a lovely crib service, @RainbowZebraWarrior , I’m sorry your DD no longer manages it. We try and keep ours fairly calm- aim for atmospheric rather than celebratory. Candles and darkness, music, poetry, pictures… and carols. But it’s still quite a full service, so undoubtedly too much for many.

Our Rev is a character and plays his guitar, singing loudly whilst striding up and down between the pews pulling out random kids to go and get each nativity piece. It's properly full on. I rather love it. She can't do noise or kids or Reverend Tim any more bless her.

21 December

A wreath for the front door

The wreath is a symbol of welcome. America and Scandanavia have a long tradition of tying a ring of evergreen leaves to the door, but the habit has only recently become popular here. Indeed, I walk down the streets of London where barely a door is unadorned. Wreaths of Holly and red ribbon, wreaths of Mistletoe, wreaths of Douglas fir and rosemary. Some are clearly the handiwork of professionals, others rely on the charm of amateurish. I spot one finished with beech leaves and copper and green pheasant feathers in a way that let's everyone know the owners have a second home.

Happy winter Solstice all! Who was it who has a winter Solstice meal again?

I am also with knackered dishwasher. I meant to order one from JL a few weeks ago, but, stuff.. I've now decided to leave it till the new year. Easy enough for me as no guests and just DD and I, so I've been managing OK. I will however, resort to using up some old paper plates for our Christmas and New Years Eve buffets to cut down on washing up. TV also kaput six weeks ago and I still haven't gotten round to ordering a new one. Might do that today.