Year Round Nigel Slater discussion thread - Part 4

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all and welcome to this lovely space for our continued chats.

A bit of background for anyone not familiar with this topic:

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong usually takes place here between November and February each year - the Christmas Chronicles being a book written by Nigel Slater full of winter recipes and anecdotes - It has been running for a few years, and the contributors collectively decided it would be nice to have it running all year round.

So here it is. It is a place to appreciate all things Nigel-esque. Think seasonal food and recipes, enjoyment of nature, gardening, appreciation of the weather, and sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a chair, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

Oh that is so sweet (and not creepy at all, haha!) Thank you so much, pet x

Ah, thank you x I think the great thing about not having time to prepare for something is that you end up speaking totally from the heart.

Anyway, enough about me. How's everyone else this evening?

Thank you. It will be interesting to see if Nigel gets to hear about it, although I feel he is probably more of a Radio 4 listener.

Also, for what it's worth; I get it wrong most days, but hit lucky today which is why they rang me straight away as nobody else got 3 seconds to name right! 😊

Haha. And the 'Nigel Groupie Group' 😆

That was brilliant @RainbowZebraWarrior and thankyou @LillianGish for giving the time stamp. Our happy band of Nigelistas!

hello to the lurkers. I hope you are managing some Nigelness from your lurking positions.

Good morning all.
still basking in the reflected glory of @rzw’sradio appearance! :)
today would have been my lovely dads 96th birthday. I’ve woken up missing him very much and will have a Bacardi and Diet Coke (his favourite tipple and the Diet Coke his only concession to diabetes) later for him.
quite grey and murky this morning and I’ve a co farmer that is hard work and not my most favourite, as a hitter. Still we shall endure-I’ve planned lots of things which will hopefully distract her from trying to punch me in the face :)
Hopefully I will find clover has lambed when I get to work as we are all getting worried about her now.
have a lovely day all

Oh wow, I can't believe I missed all the excitement of the radio shout out, how brilliant! Trevor Nelson is one of the best radio 2 djs too so I will be running to bbc sounds when I get a moment. I bet people have alerted our glorious overlord Nigel too - he could be reading this thread right now 😎. More amazing work by @RainbowZebraWarrior.

Thanks so much for all for all the advice and commiserations on dd's tech woes - she has been emailing herself every half hour 😀. I had to tell her the true story of the time I left a completed (handwritten) essay in a phone box. Luckily some kind angel like @thebabessavedmehanded it in to the uni. But it was my first year and not a dissertation so obviously lower stakes. Deadline day today 🫣, and apparently she and all the final year students in the cast were writing their bibliographies between scenes at their rehearsal last night...

Morning all

You were great @RainbowZebraWarrior - you should definitely do your own podcast!

Bacardi and coke cheers to you @piscofrisco and sending lambing thoughts to Clover.

I don't have much to report except that I made an excellent chilli con carne last night and I have lots of leftovers.

I’m just marveling at your bare trees @RainbowZebraWarrior - everything here is very much in full bloom and people are complaining of allergies and high pollen count. I can’t decide if these are the same people who complain when the temperature plummets or if they are all secret Nigels who prefer the winter months (I suspect the former!) I love all the seasons - I can never decide which one I like best.

Sorry - for some reason my photos of trees in leaf (and a rather magnificent azalea in the park round the corner) did not attach.

Morning all and thanks again ❤️

@martha79 I have this very morming signed up for a "get into podcasting" seminar!

@LillianGish Wow those photos are amazing! This is my current view and it is utterly brassic. I have fortified myself with a bacon butty and a latte already but cant see me lasting too long on the beach today

Magnificent photo of Nigel’s garden on Insta. Not a leaf out of place!

Yes I've just been looking at that. It's getting a lot of love, and rightly so. As you say, not a leaf out of place.

What's that saying I shared a couple of years ago? You should spend 20 minutes a day in nature unless you are busy, and then you should spend an hour.

I rounded the headland this morning and the sun came out. Protected by the cliffs it was beautifully sheltered. The bank swallows are resting in the cliffs and it was just the gentle sound of the waves and their sweet chattering. I have a little 'seat' (Sssh, don't tell anyone as everyone will be after it) and they were swooping down right by my feet to get the sand flies to take back to their nests. Totally just me and them. It was like a proper David Attenborough moment. They are so flipping fast I wasn't able to get any great pictures, but hopefully you get the gist.

Anyway, a couple of hours later I finally tore myself away.

Truly no place I'd rather be.

My little secret spot 😉

That sounds magical @RainbowZebraWarrior - and what a contrast to the earlier, bleak conditions you posted. Just shows how the weather can sweep
in and out on the coast.

I've been fishing on the clifftops on a beautiful summers day and 5 minutes later enveloped in freezing cold thick swirling fog. We watched it coming towards us so fast we absolutely legged it before we couldn't see which way was which!

I am interested in @martha79 chilli con carne. I used to put sun dried tomatoes in mine when I sold it in my café and it was delicious and rich. I have to say that mine of late have been really lacking. Do you have any good tips or a secret ingredient?

Same question to everyone else as well if anyone would like to answer.

(That's just reminded me of Blind Date; same question to contestant Number 3)

@RainbowZebraWarrior my digestion isn't great with onion or garlic at the moment, so neither of those. Used smoked paprika, a bit of mild chilli powder, a pinch of mixed herbs and a teaspoon of marmite. Good quality chopped tinned tomatoes, which I've decided are worth paying a bit more for. Kidney beans of course. And was 15% fat mince which probably helps!

Funny you should mention marmite as DD is having that in her pasta sauce tonight. She swears it makes all the difference. We also use mutti chopped tomatoes as they are definitely superior to the other brands. Must remember to put the marmite in my chilli next time I make it.

Spectacular photos, @LillianGish and @RainbowZebraWarrior

@RainbowZebraWarrior I add all sorts of things to my sauces. Often, some miso and a splash of soy sauce (VN), as well as popping in some herbs from the garden to simmer with it. Maybe a dash of wine if the bottle is open. I'm currently really into a top dressing of a really good olive oil (I now have a subscription to an olive oil company that supports women farmers!).

You definitely win the prize for the most Nigel post of the day @Bimblesalong with your miso addition and olive oil subscription - too Nigel for words (TNFW) - I love it!

Bit of dark chocolate in the chilli.

Your beach looks stunning @RZW.

No mini clovers yet :(

However my co farmer and I went on a safari around the village the farm sits in and spent some time in a lovely over grown church yard and then spent ages chatting to a man who is re thatching all the roofs on the cottages around the village green. It was so interesting. And lucrative as it turns out. He is booked up years in advance.
Here is one he has finished and the one opposite he just started. It if were me I would go for a fun animal on the top, a dragon or something. None of the households so far have requested any fancy toppers.

@bimblesalongDh and I discovered that we live near the only olive farmer the uk yesterday. We are going to take a look around it at the weekend. I shall report back. And also from the vineyard next door 😁

What's the olive oil company called? I could do with a regular supply of a decent one.

Very much enjoying TNFW there, @LillianGish

The company is called “citizens of soil” @martha79 I trialled a bottle from Waitrose and really enjoyed the flavour. I also like that it’s very high in poly phenols, which are anti-inflammatory, as well as being a tasty oil. I’ve been enjoying it in my morning overnight oats, as well as on icecream!

That sounds super interesting, @piscofrisco looking forward to hearing about it. I agree re animal toppers, a must!

Wow so much been going on here! My attempts at listing to RZW on radio 2 have failed, so am awaiting young(ish)sters return, assistance, and possible sarcasm, but well done @RainbowZebraWarrior it sounds like the podcast career awaits.

Re Chilli con carne, ours is Chilli sin carne with smoked aubergine (Ok charred really)

Ideally fresh chilli's (I'm not above chilli powder, but because we usually grow loads of chillis, it tends to be pretty fresh powder)
Less usual ingredients tblspn of smooth peanut butter, 1/2 tspn of cocoa powder, 2 5g dark chocolate, small cinnamon sticlk, 2 tblspns cider vinegar, or veggie Worcester sauce, soy sauce, and polenta.

If you use fresh chillis, hoik them out at the end, and chuck in the blender with a tiny bit of oil for a chilli paste to be added for those who want hotter or varied heat.

@Bimblesalong I find a dash of wine into anything (especially the cook) makes everything taste better. Lovely choice of olive oil supplies. @LillianGish love TNFW!
@Snooks1971 Thank you. Like RZW, my immediate response is to want to play with your materials! Hopefully Malvern went well.
@RipplePlease Go for it. We like a NS level Christmas but rather stretched finances... the trick is a lot of methods of building up stores and supplies over the year and putting some aside for Christmas and preferably an excess to swap with others until we can all dine as kings.
@Midlifeshenanigans As always, it's lovely to hear from you. Very much hope things improve for you.
@CrushingOnRubies If it's not too late; Large sheet of cellophane. Place pot dead in center, draw up the four corners and hold (with your dominant hand), draw up the four sides towards them, use your other hand to gather them in as a 'funnel' over the center of the pot. Your dominant hand's now free to chuck a piece of ribbon around the base of the cellophane 'funnel' and pull the four corners upwards and outwards . You can do this with brown paper or wrapping paper also, but it's easiest with cellophane until you get practiced at it.
@piscofrisco glad you've had a hopefully unbruised day, and a thatched dragon topper sounds brilliant.