The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2025/6 Part 4

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 4. We Continue our CC journey. We are almost at the end, as there are only four chapters of the book left, but there will be a year round thread for those who wish to continue.

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, (and it's never too late to join in) 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!

"Hoping I've just been unlucky, but general view is I may need to start looking at living within my limitations more, which I'm not at all good at or really ready for."

@EphemeraleEudemonia this is the hardest thing in the world to do. It's hard to accept and it's hard to implement. Folk just flippantly say "oh you need to look after yourself. Don't worry if the housework doesn't get done, or the tree isn't taken down on time" but it's upsetting and frustrating. Never mind the very basic elements of self care that you have to accept are no longer possible. And someone else isn't always there to magically step in to look after everything (or you for that matter) You've really been through the mill. I hope there's light at the end of the tunnel for you and that you can find a way to navigate everything going forward as best you can. Something always has to give, I guess, and 'choosing' what else to sacrifice in life is painful. I know you know this.

I had a number of assessments in 2021 and 2022 and it was excruciating having folk see me at my worst. It was noted that I was living in a state of self neglect (the old chestnut of looking after others but not myself) It was also recommended that I have a carer. I didn't want one, so I just had to brutally change my life. I can't work and certainly not also look after myself and my DD, so I gave up work and now I sort of manage (admittedly in a very different way to anyone else I know)

What I'm trying to say is that when you hit rock bottom health wise, you're forced to totally re assess as you know in your heart of hearts that you can't keep ploughing on. You couldn't even if you wanted to. I think it often comes down to this last point. I appreciate that you've already had to adjust so much already in life.

There is still so much joy to be found in the littlest things in a very pared back life, but I'll freely admit that I'm often jealous as to what other folk are able to do that is now utterly beyond me (even just having a bath!)

Sorry. I feel that all sounds so naff reading it back. I was aiming for honesty and solidarity in similar (but not the same) situations, so I hope that comes across.

Sliggtky brighter post before I shuffle off to go do something constructive. This has just arrived. Signed copy. 85p!

That programme looks great @HannahDefoesSpringFling - saved that to watch one evening.

Sending you lots of supportive thoughts @EphemeraleEudemonia

@RainbowZebraWarrior I too think Richard Coles and Richard Cant being together is a wonderful thing, they both seem like lovely people.

I have pottered to the charity shop - no Nigel books but I did pick up this wooden cutlery set (I really like eating with chopsticks!). Then decided to look on Vinted and found a couple of bundles of books, so I have Toast (which I have read before but got lost or left somewhere), Eating for England, Appetite and the first Kitchen Diaries on the way - came to just over a tenner including postage for the lot.

I too love wooden cutlery (although not the chip fork 'spelky' stuff) I have some bits I acquired in Bali and Singapore. Some like the wood in your picture and some made of coconut wood. The rice spoons are particularly pleasing to use. They are dotted all over the place; one in the salt pig, one in a big jar of Panch poron, etc. Very Pleasing Indeed.

Thank you for the new thread @RainbowZebraWarrior and I am transfixed by your seaglass pictures. I have a real urge to go beachcombing now.

I'm feeling a lot better, so planning to get outside as much as possible tomorrow - nothing too strenuous but satisfying my need for fresh air and scenery - be it woodland or coastal.

@martha79 that cutlery set is gorgeous. I am finding that the cockery/bric-a-brac sections of charity shops are holding much more appeal for me than ever before. I often think I could start building a collection of vintage china but our house is so small, I don't know what I would do with it. I did pick up a lovely jug from a charity shop in November though, which I thought would be perfect for daffodils - I'm looking forward to that usage soon.

Last year I bought myself a Hiighland Gorse candle from the Isle of Skye Candle Co. I've loved other candles from that company and I adore the smell of gorse so thought I was onto a winner. I wasn't too taken with the scent when I gave it a sniff in the shop but told myself that it would be different when burning... Obviously it wasn't and I remain disappointed. It's overly sweet and cloying. Just before christmas, however, I came across St Eval's Wild Gorse candle and thought it was heavenly and exactly what I was looking for. For some reason I didn't but it at the time but am planning to treat myself this weekend as a "feeling better" gift to myself.

I would also love to visit Shetland. I have, however, been lucky enough to visit the Hebrides (Lewis and Harris) which are absolutely beautiful. As an aside though, when I was young, I didn't think the Hebrides were real. I thought that people said The Outer Hebrides to mean somewhere really far away - a fictional place which suggested near-impossible travel. Working in a shop age 16, I remember serving a customer who was disappointed that the item she wanted was out of stock. She couldn't come back after our next stock delivery later in the week because the lived in The Outer Hebrides and she knew there was no point ordering because the delivery service didn't go to The Outer Hebrides, I just kept laughing along because I thought se was making a joke, until she asked me what was so funny. That was how I learned.

So pleased to hear you're feeling a bit better @PricklyBob Isle of Skye candles i used ro love (and there are still two scents I really like) but their sale prices used to be 50% off with free delivery on no minimum spend, to now only 25% off and a delivery charge on too which actually makes them more than twice the price in the end.

I've always wanted to go to the Hebrides ever since I watched the programme about Taransay (what was it called again?) around 2000. The one with Ben Fogle. Anyway, never gor there (yet) but I have visited Arran on multiple occasions as a child and it was absolute paradise for a child like me who lived life like I thought I was a member of the Famous Five!

Going back to candles, I've done another experiment (similar to the inspitirus burning one) and I've left a different candle by my bed each night. I wake up and if I can instantly smell it (this is unlit I might add) then it goes on my repurchase list. If not, it's not being bought again. There's a very clear winner and I'm going to try making a dupe.

Giggling at the idea of the Outer Hebrides being imaginary, the woman must have been so confused 🤣 I have only been to the Inner Hebrides (which I can highly recommend, especially Islay). One branch of my family came from Orkney and it'd be nice to visit there one day.

Castaway was the TV show - there was a great radio programme a couple of years ago where they revisited the people who'd been in it.

Great cutlery and pot @RainbowZebraWarrior - I popped mine into a pottery vase made by a friend of mine. You may be able to spot some of the other things I like to pick up in charity shops!

@EphemeraleEudemonia so sorry to hear how hard things are healthwise. As RBZ says, it’s hard to accept but you are forced to reassess. There are a few of us on this thread who’ve had some major health challenges and that’s one of the beauties of the Nigel-engendered companionship.

smiling at @PricklyBob love that. I really hope to visit the wilds of Scotland one day although awful seasickness has prevented trips so far.

inspired by pots and hyacinth talk, please see the amazingly aromatic white hyacinths I’ve placed in a pot I made some years ago. They really do give me so much pleasure.

A little good news to share - I’ve passed my 3-yearly professional renewal. I never take it for granted as it’s a tough set of criteria, so it’s great to be cleared for another three years - who knows what will happen in that timescale?!

I have a big house, but it lacks places to put things. No window ledge in the kitchen, no mantlepiece etc. So I acquire very little ‘stuff’ for display as I’ve nowhere to put it. I also reduced away a couple of pieces of furniture recently so storage is also reduced. I look enviously at the sea glass, pots, cutlery and other objects trouvé and sit on my hands. I’m a reducer rather than an acquirer these days. DH is an absolute hoarder so there’s no real room for negotiation.

I have been to the Shetlands on a cruise. It’s a good way to go, though you don’t get long there. They tend to work well for people with limited mobility, and I find them a very low effort holiday. It’s worth a look at least. They do trips round the British Isles, Norway or Iceland. Often very good value.

That’s amazing @petitpasta! Thankyou for the new thread @RainbowZebraWarrior

I’ve always wanted to go to the Hebrides. Hopefully this is the year.
I also have not kitchen window cill or mantelpiece to put things on @PrizedPickledPopcorn it’s most annoying. I like a kitchen window with herbs growing on it in nice pots. No chance here.
After the extreme cold and wet of the last few weeks it was warm and sunny on the farm today and spring was vaguely in the air. We did all our jobs early and spent the last session going for a long walk to try and find the deepest puddle on the farm. They all loved it, and walked 3 miles, even the ones who don’t usually like to go far. A nice end to the week.

It felt like spring in the Palais Royale today - blue sky, 10 degrees and budding magnolias. Almost unseasonably warm in fact - though it feels a bit churlish to complain! @petitpasta I am in awe of your achievement in the face of the temptations on here - it must be quite a dangerous place to hang out! @Bimblesalong your latest photo feels like the very essence of what this thread represents (and I also loved your earlier Parisian firemen reminiscences - there is no finer sight than seeing our local station out for a training run!)

Fairly decent chances of Aurora tonight if you have clear skies and live in more Northerly parts of the UK. This is the current view from the Shetland Burrafirth cam

3 miles is great!

Good Friday evening all
It’s a time of the week to look after yourself and feed the body well to give immune systems and hormones a chance to reset and repair.

I can finally breathe in and out
Defiant teenager towards the end of this week but think we have turned a corner but oh lord battle stations

Friday power pizza is cooking, radio 4 news quiz is on, it’s very good this week. So laughter whilst clearing kitchen on a colder dark evening, garlic filling the kitchen, teens chilling, H still working but it’s a WFH day, no one has anywhere to be today, well there are worse places to be.

I prefer less clutter in the household so don’t really collect much, I have decluttered my studio this week and am working on some misty landscapes and done a small amount of old, never to be needed again school books. This will take a while as they are all on a shelf in a wardrobe we need to get rid of in our room, better to take your time than rush and do it wrong.

Garluc is sprouting so that needs planting I am going to slowly make the garden an oasis for nature and food this year. Again you can’t rush nature but you can help it along, I am on the hunt for a couple of hazel and walnut trees.

Have a calm one all.

I'm sorry you're going through the mill @EphemeraleEudemonia . I don't really remember the shops opposite the British Museum although I have a very hazy recollection of one that sold maps and travel books I think. My Grandma worked at Mary Sumner House which was the HQ of the Mothers Union. They had a book shop on the ground floor and I loved going there to help in the shop!

Congratulations @Bimblesalong on passing your professional renewal!

The Outer Hebrides are wonderful and definitely worth a visit. I have also visited Orkney and loved that too.

17 January

Toasting the trees, roast pork and apple cake

Those sad souls who fail to appreciate the cold months might feel better when they remember that the winter solstice was once the time of much making merry. The festivities lasted from harvest until Candlemass. Drunkenness, debauchery and feasting were the rules of the day. A far better idea than sitting around moaning about the cold and rain.

Making merry until Candlemas sounds excellent! I suppose that there would have been a limit on what could be done in the farming/food production world. Short days, poor weather. Spinning/weaving and medicine making could continue, assuming the raw material was available for either. Animals still needed care, if they were indoors/confined. Perhaps it’s a season of counting and measuring and planning.

I’m on a sewing course today. I’m also partway through finishing a confetti collage piece that I should manage to complete this week, all being well. I will be pleased to finish something. Too many incomplete projects. The stash must be used up, the half done makes must be tidied away by finishing.

Hope you enjoy the course @PrizedPickledPopcorn

You've just reminded me of another of my favourite month-by-month books - Brave Old World by Tom Hodginkson. He lists all the traditional festivals and feast days, and what people would have done each month (which was indeed mostly staying in at this time of year).

I'm mostly staying in today - it's looking very grey and damp out, which helps!

Good Morning Nigelistas. Hope everyone with health worries has an easier day of it today. I'm back to work today and feel a bit meh about it, It's a football day so will be very busy, mostly with men that have escaped the family and all that that entails, I got very irritated in the run up to Christmas over the amount of men who were filling the pub every afternoon, very few women, it really is still a mans world when it comes down to it. (sorry for rant, just a bit peed off)

Our New Regime is going well, DH enjoying his new job so far which I'm thankful for, its a huge transition for him after years of being his own boss.

Loving all the photos, a little peak into other peoples real lives, lovely x

Just to say that, I now have a new oven… it stopped working after a professional cleaning, so I became the queen of the slow cooker and air fryer over Christmas! I decided to double the size of my Advent cowl and am whipping through that. I also spotted some badly made churn dash quilt blocks on eBay, which I am taking apart and resquaring, I suspect the original maker was not told about how important this and ironing was.

I got purple sprouts in my odd box, so will be doing Nigel’s sprout, new potato and salmon salad for supper.

I might regale you with how my knickers almost fell down in Blackheath Village last weekend in my next post!

Oh that book looks great @martha79, I’m going to order it as I’m trying introduce lots of the lost rituals and festivals at work. Lots of the older customs chime so well with working on the land and with the animals.
enjoy your course @PrizedPickledPopcorn
Dh and I inadvertently did a lot of ‘toasting the trees’ last night as we have no children with us this weekend. We went to take the dogs for a walk, popped into the pub for ‘one drink’ and ended up getting back at 11 and having a lovely kitchen disco until 1.30. So not feeling great today at all! Nothing much was on the cards anyway so having a nice lie in, and will probably go for a walk later if we can bothered.
Happy Saturday to all

Good morning 🙂

I'm just placemarking for now really - need to move and take dd2 shopping, in the rain, for dd1's birthday next weekend.

I'll be back later on to catch up with you all.

@LatteLady 😂please tell!

I hope your shift passes Swiftly @thebabessavedme.
congratulations on your new oven @leporello. Our washing machine was fixed after a month on Wednesday and if I never go into a laundrette again I won’t be sorry!