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!

I have another public service announcement: there are satsumas in Waitrose!

Dammit! I put ny order in last night and its coming later today, so too late to change. Will add for next week, though. Thank you. Sterling Satsuma Recon!

I've just got back from the beach and my fence is all done 😊 and it's a beautiful day 🌞 I feel sorry for the poor sod who fancied a nice sunny day at the coast, though. Can't see your hand in front of your face for sea fret. There's families with toddlers sitting on towels with puffa jackets on!

N.B Golden Delicious apple tree on the left, Conference pear on the right. I never did stake it when I planted it 15 years ago, hence it leans heavily. I wonder if I could prune and train it somehow for next year. It looks so sad (yet bears 10 x tbe amount of fruit as the bigger one in the middle of the lawn).

You can train it at 45 degrees @RainbowZebraWarrior - it's a thing, you can google it. I have a row of 11 apple trees along my back fence, planted much closer than they would have had to be if they were going to be real upright trees. They were beautifully angled for the first few years, then we went abroad for 5 years a bit unexpectedly and our tenants of course were not into training trees - I didn't expect them to! I just didn't really think about it. The trees tried to revert to normal vertical trunks. So now I am trying to persuade them to go back and they are too untidy for me to share (but I'll go out later and take a pic of the blossom which is beautiful just now) ... which is all a long-winded way of saying you can grow fruit trees at 45 degrees against a fence and they will be perfectly happy and very fruitful

Apple blossom and a bonus tulip

Lovely and sunny here and it's definitely warmed up. I've cleaned out my food cupboards and found something VVVVNN - I might even put the sensitive photo warning on! I can only say I bought it a few years ago when I was unemployed for a few months and it was reduced to some ridiculously cheap price. There were three lots and I did eat one, which was pretty horrible. It's nearly three years past its best before date now.

I've got steak, mushrooms and asparagus for tea though, to redeem myself slightly!

The fence is a thing of beauty.
satsumas you say?! I’m about to walk past a Waitrose on my way to the pub. I will report back.
Absolutely roasting on the farm today after a foggy start. I spent the day trying to pump disgusting stagnant water out of a duck pond using a pump that was possibly alive during world war 2. Limited success.
Only two Ewes left to lamb, one being our favourite, Clover. We have night her up to nearer the farm buildings so we can look after her as it would be awful if something happened to our queen.
DH and I are off out for a rose by the river and I hope a big plate of pasta at the new Italian place in town. Then an early night as DD1 is having an operation tomorrow on her ear, and has to be there at the ungodly hour of 07.15.
haply Friday nighting to all

Haha. Love it! My money was on a Fray Bentos pie. I bought a few of those during the Pandemic, and couldn't even get into the blighters!

Thank you so much for this. That's really interesting and helpful. I suppose a lot of folk espallier train their fruit trees, and step over apples are a thing, so I think I might just leave my wonky, happy pear tree to continue to do it's thing 😊

Good luck to DD1 for her operation, and good luck to Clover, too. Also, enjoy your rosé and plate of pasta. We go to our fail safe Italian bistro every time for our faves. DD has Penne Napoli and I have Penne Arrabiata. It's always absolutely spot on. DD always jokes that it's not the same unless you burn your mouth on the hot pasta as we shovel it in

We also had a very misty start. We left the house at 7.45am and the closer we got to the river and coastline, the foggier it got. Folk round here absolutely clamour to live on the beachfront, but I can see the mist clinging to the coastline from my village and know it's not a bad thing (and much cheaper!) to live a mile inland.

Lovely new fence @RainbowZebraWarrior
@martha79trying to figure out why your tin of Minion baked beans is a sensitive image according to mumsnet

New candle this evening … dark orchid & patchouli from next

Popping my head round the door - it’s busy at the moment and I’m here there and everywhere! Hello to new Nigels.

much admiring of the lovely photos.

grrr at Rainbow’s dad’s wait for treatment.

good luck for dd tomorrow @piscofrisco

@piscofriscogood luck for your DD today, I hope all goes well

@Celiathebansheebeautiful flowers!

I’m up enjoying a cup of tea on the patio. DP has his car in for MOT and service this morning, can’t wait for see that bill….

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, DP cut the lawn but only managed half before our ancient mower gave up…so another thing to buy 😂

Fingers crossed for the MOT and service not being too eye wateringly expensive.

Once again, I question why the hell I live on the NE coast. It's freezing cold and misty and I just cannot get warm. I have lit the stove and am warming some milk for hot chocolate. It is almost May for goodness sake!!! Yesterday was sunny, but I still had to wear thermals.

I am also already totally knackered after lighting the fire, feeding the cat and putting on the dishwasher and washer. I am supposed to be out of the house in an hour but I need to rest. I am being strict with myself today in not doing anything that isn't totally necessary. (Necessary being taking DD to the market, natch)

TLDR: whinge whinge, pain and fatigue / cold / responsibilities / guilt / single parent blah blah.

@RainbowZebraWarriorfingers crossed 🤞🏻

I hope you get to have a restful day, that log burner looks fantastic!

Thanks Mrs L!

Ive come back to bed for 10 minutes with my starry night hot chocolate, then I will take my pain meds and go out with DD for an hour or so (she is also under the weather herself)

I'm just doing my waitrose order for next week and fancy something new. So far, I have a fancy for kiwi fruit and have added a Davistow cornish cheddar with chilli. I've also added the satsumas 😊 Does anyone have any recommendations? I eat most things.

@CrushingOnRubies that candle sounds gorgeous. I bought this one from Aldi the other day and have just popped it on my bedside cabinet to remind me to light it tonight as I forgot last night.

@RainbowZebraWarrior the candle does smell lovely. And it’s in a nice jar too. I love Davidstow cheeses.

I would stay in bed a bit longer RZW. A duvet day hurts no one in opinion. I’m in DD’s hospital room waiting for her to come back from her surgery. It’s a private hospital (she is luckily still on her Dads health insurance) and it’s nicer than some hotels! I’ve got my feet up in the profiling bed. So comfy!
I hope she won’t be too much longer as it’s so sunny and warm here and I’m dying to get outside in it. The dogs were giving me evils when I left at 6.45 this morning.
Thankyou for all the good wishes. If it works she will be able to breathe through her nose properly for the first time in her life, which will make a huge difference for her.
Have a lovely Saturday all

Hope it's all gone smoothly @piscofrisco and she's soon home.

@CrushingOnRubies I hid the picture in shame at that level of non-Nigelness 🤣

Hope you can take it easy @RainbowZebraWarrior - you can't pour from an empty cup and all that. One of my absolute favourite things from Waitrose is the Ossau Iraty cheese (made with sheeps milk) - a friend who came for lunch recently declared it the best cheese she's ever had!

I was up at 7, watered some plants as it's meant to get up to 21C later, had breakfast and then headed out to the nearest charity shop as I'm lacking in clothes for this warmer weather that fit me. No luck with the clothes, which is a shame as they sell everything for £2 each. They also had some huge containers with a kilo of clothes for £5 but I didn't feel up to rummaging. Felt a bit weird in the shop, and then like my legs didn't want to work on the way home (it's all uphill) so I'm back in bed for a while.

Had a lovely afternoon down at a local food festival. Brought lots of goodies and it was just a nice day. And… the first time this year I didn’t wear a jumper or coat all day just a Tshirt. I call that progress

@piscofriscohope your dd’s operation went well

@piscofrisco I hope all has gone well. I’ve just seen my next door neighbour pal at mum’s, who has just had her first chemo. How time passes.

Mums alarm went off in the small hours and as she’s deaf, she didn’t hear it. Yawn! Quite how she uses it to get up I don’t know! I went and picked up my friend from Spain who is at his dad’s, and we’ve had a good day out catching up. I finished by popping to the hotel where ds 2 works after I’d dropped my friend off and sat by the river with a cold drink.

nature is insane out in the countryside around us - gambolling lambs, bluebell woods and rolling fields. A good day.

DPs car went through all well, annoyingly they missed out the service despite him booking both MOT and service….we did use the time to go for a nice breakfast this morning, and after we had collected the car we popped into my nans - which was lovely.

It’s been a lovely day here again, we purchased a new lawnmower - our first ever petrol. So we’ve spent the past couple of hours taming our jungle of a garden. Are any of you ladies green fingered? I have been given so many plant pots that I don’t know what to do with them, my gardening experience is zilch!

@CrushingOnRubiesI love a good food festival, what goodies did you get?

Just running a bubble bath as I am filthy, a vest top and denim skirt was not a good combo for mowing the lawn….

Good morning all.
The operation went well but she didn’t recover well from the anaesthetic-couldn’t stop throwing up-so we were there til half past eight last night before we could come home. She is a bit battered and bruised and not impressed with her surgical stockings!
Up and out early for Pilates for me this morning-my back needs a stretch after sitting down in a hospital chair yesterday, then I plan a dog walk, and the usual meal prep. I’m hoping DD’s Dad will come and see her for a bit as I don’t want to leave her too long on her own when she is feeling rubbish and she hasn’t seen him for a bit.
Have a lovely Sunday all

Checking in after a few days. I am finding this whole redundancy thing very hard. DH keeps reminding me that the worst that can happen is that I get paid until November and then we have savings. I think I have been a bit spooked by three job rejections on the trot. I have always had a good success rate - 80% getting interviews usually. I think the market has changed a lot and I am obviously older now and I think that's becoming an issue.

I have an interview for the nearest equivalent to my current job on Friday and another job want me to meet the full board at the end of the month so I am not without options.

The sunshine is lovely though. And much needed.

Well done on tackling the lawn@MrsJLevinson. Lots of gardeners here - I know more about growing edible things than flowery things, personally!

Hope DD feels a bit better today @piscofrisco

Hang on in there @petitpasta. The job market is indeed tough these days but it's a good sign you're getting interviews and things like being invited to meet the board.

I don't know what I'm doing today. Much colder and greyer than I was expecting it to be.