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!

/ 3 MONTHS, not weeks

good luck for the gallbladder I think that’s actually @leporello @piscofrisco - and I join with you n wishing good luck. and to @Celiathebanshee for the shoulder.

@piscofrisco DD2 just had a week in Taiwan and really enjoyed it although she's not the most communicative of my children and I couldn't tell you what she did there. I know she enjoyed the food!
20 grand and getting all that commuting time back is not to be sniffed at. Did I read that right are you travelling for 3 hours a DAY? Every day? You could do a lot with that.

Yep.1 hour 45 each way. 4 days a week. New job is full time but lots of it would be at home.
I know what the logical thing to do would be :( but it feels desperately sad to have to give up a job I love so dearly. (It wasn’t that long a commute before we moved to be near DSS’s, after their mum did a flit with them to live with a man she met online who lived all that way away-in fact it was 13 mins door to door but I was then doing the long school run for them there and back 2 or 3 times a week 🫣).

Oh that's a tough one @piscofrisco. Would you possibly still be able to do some volunteering at the farm?

Am quite headachy after my early waking and a morning on Zoom, but just been out admiring the garden which is quite wild but lovely after some rain. I like this random collection of roses and poppies.

@EasterlyDirection
A friend and her DH went interrailing first class. Not entirely sure what they got for that. Think they stayed at some lovely hotels so a very different experience to the one I had!
I can remember arriving in places like Prague and Budapest and people approaching us with offers of accommodation. All fine and good value.
DD and her friends are staying at an Airbnb in Rome which looks beautiful.

Gosh @piscofrisco - that sounds like a no-brainer really. An extra 20 grand, an extra 3 hours a day and a car. And you can work from home and therefore fit in any silly little jobs like hanging out laundry during your breaks, not to mention walking your dogs, thus saving yourself even more time. We will all miss the farm, but you can always pop back on days off. The farm made sense when it was round the corner, less so with a three-hour round trip.

@piscofrisco hard decision but it does sound like a fantastic opportunity, there must be ways you can stay in touch with the farm, maybe go back on a voluntary basis in future etc. I totally get the pangs though.

@LillianGish loved that post, you do have a way with words and have distilled the essence of nigelness. I hope your dh is soon well packed and off to the loud and bright fun (not my thing at all!). Yours too, @Celiathebanshee

@EasterlyDirection thanks for the nudge. I’ve found a couple of showings of The Christophers locally and shall whisk myself away for an afternoon showing!

@leporello I can understand wanting to get an operation over with. Good luck with the naughty gallbladder! Take earplugs and an eye mask if they’re likely to keep you in.

@piscofrisco what a nightmare decision but some good advice here.

some of my roses - the smell is incredible … also, a little of my veggie garden.

Trying to catch up after an exhausting day. Another day of hours at hospital. Getting there, though.

Beautiful roses and other flowers @Bimblesalong and @martha79

Not sure what to say @piscofrisco
I guess you'd have to go with your heart unless the household monetary difference was literally life changing. Sounds like the time difference could be at least. I always make a For and Against List. Good luck!

3 months of being forgotten about is gutting @Celiathebanshee I've been there, and it just feels so despairing. Sending hugs

Muggy weather is playing havoc with my pain after a busy day. I forgot to turn the TV on, so have missed most of Springwatch tonight and didn't see any of it last night. Will catch up at some point...

For the past couple of days, I have found some lovely sea glass 'hearts' on the beach. It's been very comforting. Which reminds me, @LillianGish your post about ATF and associated moments of joy was, well, joyful.

I have a similar rose to yours@MrsJLevinson as I thought when you first mentioned your Dad getting it for you. It's now in full flower.

Oh My Goodness. When you need a treat, and you just say 'Sod It' and cut into the Christmas cake you made last September. Ahhh. 9 months matured. Who says Christmas cake isn't to be enjoyed in early June?

An excellent choice of treat @RainbowZebraWarrior. Love the seaglass heart too.

My gardener has been today and cut the waist-height grass and done lots of other trimming, the garden feels quite a lot more spacious.

I somehow missed Nigel talking about tracksuits (possibly dozed off to the audiobook). I wonder what make he favours?

Currently watching sunset over the newly tidy garden from my kitchen window, having a little kitchen disco at the same time (no tracksuit but I do still have my baseball cap on from going out for a walk beforehand) ☺️

I've gotten a bit lost off with tracksuits, but I did find this instagram link about Nigel's style which I've not read before. Some interesting pics (especially the one with 90's Nigel alongside 'current' Nigel)

Nowt nicer than a freshly cut back garden @martha79 Both my front and back gardens are rapidly closing in on me. It happens so fast at this time of year. I have a - so far - hospital free day today so I have to try and tackle it in some small way. Assuming the weather is going to be kind.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1j7lQSNb9u/?img_index=1

I’ll read that later when I’m on my phone @RainbowZebraWarrior I don’t have insta on the ipad. I tend to think of Nigel as being dressed like Monty Don but with cream/brown shirts rather than blue.

Wanted to post a photo of my rose Tequila Sunrise which is similar to one above. The first one has come out in the last couple of days. My roses are in semi shade and tend to flower later than those I see in full sun in other people’s gardens. A rambling one has self seeded into my garden, miraculously into a good spot but it is VERY vigorous and doesn’t seem to have many flowers compared to the one next door which I assumed it had come from, last year it only flowered for a week and I think I need to make a decision on whether to keep it before it gets too established and hard to dig out.

I think Nigel would approve of my morning coffee in a Denby mug today as well as my early morning potter round the garden taking photos. Possibly not so much of the enormous heap of washing up on the counter behind me, DS tends to cook after us in the evenings and once the DW is already full and on so it all piles up.

Morning all. Lovely rose @EasterlyDirection. I have a new little bright pink one which was a gift from friends last week - was on the kitchen windowsill but one of the cats decided to eat half the leaves so I've put it outside for now and need to find somewhere to plant it.

This morning's garden wander - the hydrangea is so close to flowering...

Nice mug, @EasterlyDirection, did I read somewhere that Denby pottery is under threat? I hope not, I got a lot of denby table and cookware as wedding presents and I'm always meaning to get the chipped ones replaced (none of it is broken 25 years on).

Rainy here this morning. Dd2 went to a fancy dress ball last night dressed as a lobster so I suppose it would be nice weather for her 🦞.

@RainbowZebraWarrior
Wow! How did the Christmas cake taste? 9 months? That’s quite the long gestation period.
I’m looking forward to making mine in November.
DH would say that’s a very strange thing to say in June but I think I’m in the right company here.

@leporello
We also have Denby tableware from our wedding, 21 years ago.
It’s called White Trace and I’m pretty sure they discontinued it. We’re one bowl down and a couple of chips. Well done for keeping yours intact.
I love your Denby mug. It’s gorgeous and very Nigel indeed.

Yes, Denby have gone into administration, sadly. We also had it as our wedding china and although our range is discontinued there is another that works with it colour-wise so I went to the nearest outlet shop a few weeks ago to buy a few replacement cereal bowls and came away with two of these coffee cups as well. I use a stovetop moka pot to make an expresso (VN) and a velvetiser for frothy milk (NVN) and these cups hold just the right volume, normal mugs are too big.

Think Denby has been struggling for a while unfortunately. My parent’s main crockery is from there and it’s been harder to get replacement bits like side plates recently. It’s a common pattern and used to available all over the place. Shame really as their crockery lasted so well and was hard wearing.

They are still trading, with big discounts on a lot of their ranges so worth a look if you do need replacements, but obviously not if the range was discontinued. Unfortunately the fact that it is so hard-wearing has worked against it as it rarely needs replacing, together with the fact you can get cheap crockery in any supermarket, Ikea or wherever.

I could go for a bit of Christmas cake right about now @RZW.The weather is wet and chilly and a nice slab of fruit cake would go down a treat. Glad you have more restful day hopefully today and thinking of you and your dad .

what a lovely feeling to have a Gardener tended garden to look out on @martha79enjoy enjoy

I’ve inherited my Mums two Denby sets -a 70’s green one and ( I think maybe even 60’s? )brown one. She was going to charity shop them! I love them, though they are pretty ugly by modern standards. They are stored neatly in her attics until I’ve got room for them.

Lovely flowers everywhere. My attempt to cheer up our horrible patch of back yard with pots has largely failed but the bedding plants are doing well in their tubs. This one is my favourite of the ten.

I know I should take the job. On paper it is as you say a no brainer. But I will miss the ruddy farm every single day :( and it just feels very counter intuitive to give up the thing that brings me so much joy. And also like something else I will have surrendered to,ultimately the choices and actions of DH’s ex wife, which have already taken so much from us. That said the extra money will be handy of course especially if dD1 goes to uni as planned in September. So I guess that’s decision made.

been to vets with Dogleg for his check he is doing well. Quick swipe around Morrisons -Mexican feast for dinner-and going to go and meet a friend for a wet walk and a coffee later.

wishing you all a lovely Wednesday afternoon

We have a factory clearance place right in ny village that sells a lot of Denby seconds. I'm always picking stuff up for just a couple of quid.

I am also to inherit my mother's collection. She has the whole Denby Daybreak set, including vase and table lamp. I have always admired it and actually think it's still beautiful. My house is quite cottagey anyway so it will fit in just fine.

I couldn't manage the slab of cake I cut last night, so I have just nibbled at it a bit more with a cup of tea. As you say, @piscofrisco its cold and rainy, so needs must! I get what you mean about the ex wife winning / calling the shots btw.

This is the second year I have used Felicity Cloake's Christmas cake recipe and I will never go back to anything else. It is soooo moist I often make a few and let them mature for a year, or even two @RipplePlease Oh and you sure are in the right company here.

Which reminds me, Christmas cake is my Dad's favourite thing in the world so I have just cut a couple of thick slices for him and take round before the school run. He will thoroughly enjoy now that he is finally able to eat again. I have also cut it properly this time rather than hacking at it like I did last night. You can see the texture better, now. The larger, proper (round) cake is still waiting in the wings, too!

I managed 40 mins down the beach this morning after school run and8 before a hair appointment and then picked up my Dads scripts before the rain came. I am now going to lie on my bed and catch up with springwatch whilst a chicken cooks in the air fryer for tonight. Going to a pals Pokemon shop straight after school with DD. She apparently has an idea for her own stall at a festival we are doing at the end of the month. The shop is in the city centre, so I pray for no meltdowns!

Here's today's beach pic, too!

My dad loves my ( or rather Nigel's) Christmas Cake too, you might remember I make small ones in baked bean tins and freeze some of them, I get them out and take them up to him in the care home every now and then, the only problem with the shape is that they crumble a lot when you cut them up, so I am planning to make one in a loaf tin sometime soon and freeze it in slices / squares.

@RainbowZebraWarrior
I’ve not heard of Felicity Cloake, will have a google.
I use Delia’s Christmas cake recipe and steep my dried fruit in Amaretto.