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!

Jumping on the new thread to share my lettuce picture. Thank you to everyone for your encouragement. Look I have salad leaves!

Thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior placemarking whilst admiring the lettuce.

Oh well done @petitpastai hope you enjoy eating the fruits of your labour!
Thankyou for the new thread @RainbowZebraWarrior
A bright ish morning here and we are planning a long dog walk (hopefully with a bluebell wood involved-the blue bells are the best I’ve ever seen this year in our wood at work but DH hasn’t seen any so we want to find a wood near us with some), a watch of the golf and a roast dinner, plus all the usual food prep for the week.Im going to attempt a miso and gochuchang mushroom soup recipe I saw on tik tok for my lunches this week.

DD’s friends are here so I will get up in a minute and do them some breakfast bits. It turned out that one of them (a newer friend of hers that I haven’t met before) has just started out in an industry related to that which DH works in-and she was thrilled that he knows her big boss very well and that he is well known in her field. Dh said it was the closest he will ever come to being a celebrity! Lovely to see a young person so excited about her work.
A lovely Sunday to all :)

Checking in to the new thread. Still here, have been lurking but not posting, very much appreciate all the people who have posted, and special thanks to @RainbowZebraWarrior for keeping it going.

@piscofrisco please report back on the soup, that sounds right up my street

Checking in!

Lovely lettuce @petitpasta

Interested to hear about the soup too @piscofrisco

I have somehow ended up on this website this evening https://fishtins.co.uk/ which feels rather Nigel!

Hello you lovely lot, I’ve been MIA because I started a new job, but I’ve been reading along.

Absolutely tipping it down here this weekend, after lovely weather last week, with everything blooming. I’m worried that all the blossom might have been stripped from the trees.

I’ve got a new phone and now all my photos seem to be too big to post - anyone know how to fix this?

Summoned by cathedral bells to a spectacular sunrise this morning, followed by a long walk around the Cap Martin with views across the bay to Monaco. The route promises glimpses of the Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier villas, but these were sadly hidden by greenery - you can book to visit, but the website is down at the moment. I did however spot some goats which seem to be employed by one villa owner to keep the vegetation under control.

Happy ceramics nerd smile to ms seasonal nonsense!

@LillianGish truly lovely. That sunset is quite something.

Thanks for the new thread @RainbowZebraWarrior and sorry to hear about the loss of your former colleague. Sadly we lost a friend last week too, a bit of a shock although he had been ill for a long time.

Stunning photos @LillianGish

A lettuce photo from me too, haven't harvested any yet but nearly there.

Last week was busy, busy, busy. Hoping for a quieter one this week. I did do lots of fun stuff last week but need a bit of downtime now

@Celiathebansheeit turned out more like a broth in the end, but will be fine for lunches. I mixed 2 tbs of gochujang paste, 1 tbsp of white miso, garlic paste, a bit of siracha sauce and some ginger for the base, added a pint and a bit of vegetable stock, then just some chopped up pak Choi, carrots, a bit of leek, some spring onions, mushrooms and finally lobbed some prawns in at the end. Could add some rice noodles to bulk it out. It’s very salty and spicy but that’s how I like it-you could play about a bit with the base paste to taste.

Thanks @piscofrisco - just realised I’m on the wrong username for this thread. ‘Tis I, Scheherazade

Lovely lettuce @EasterlyDirection mine are now thriving in the cold frame.

I think the non name change must be influenced by the cold winds we’ve been having @Celiathebanshee Enjoy being unseasonal.

This is one of my little pebbles from Nice. Reminds me of the umbrellas with concentric circles seen all over the côte.

thank you for the new thread. Will post some
poctures of my trip at some point but the signal at the hotel isn’t great.

Thanks for new thread @RainbowZebraWarrior
Am just enjoying an empty house having just dropped DD to preschool after the Easter holidays. It's bliss! We've had a nice break and done lots of fun things but am loving the silence and solitude this morning. Making a big pan of lentil soup, drinking tea and tidying away all the Easter 'stuff' that we seem to have accumulated. Nice sunny morning here so washing on the line. Will try to fit in a walk as well this morning. Discovered a lovely walk with bluebells and lambs the other day.
Have a good Monday all x

Quiet here today too @Markknopflersheadband - DD1 went back to uni at the weekend, DD2 has headed off on her gap year travels, and DD3 has gone to school for a gcse revision session. One extreme to the other - it’s nice to have a quiet cup of coffee but we won’t see DD2 until August 😭. She landed in China at 8am so I have stopped worrying about planes and now worrying about everything else instead.
I might go and do some low-key pottering in the garden (but waiting for surgery in my shoulder and it is sore, so I won’t be doing much)

Ahhh. Just sitting down with my first cuppa of the day - my own fault; went whizzing down to the beach early doors as it was glorious sunshine then filled the car up with diesel before the prices go up again. Have made lemon muffins with DD and seen to Mum's needs so just having a catch up.

I got a £1 bundt tin from a charity shop at the wrekend, so poured some leftover muffins mix in. They have come out ok. Think I might fill them with creme fraiche and a Raspberry. Does anyone use that easy spray stuff when it comes to cooking in bundt tins? Or have any recommendations for stuff not sticking? I forgot to oil it...

I can't get my lettuce sown until some stuff moves outside. I badly need a cold frame or greenhouse. <adds to never ending list>

I need to check my bank account and then order the following:

Cordless lawnmower (badly need this)
more Pokemon binders
Ant powder 🙄
Coldframe (possibly)
Creme fraiche
Raspberries

Some beautiful glass found today as well as a few hag stones and some crystal studded limestones.

Will go and properly catch up with the thread now.

I usually try and crop my photo's until they are below 6mb, but you can get apps that will shrink the size of JPeg and similar images.

Hope the new job is going well

This all looks and sounds utterly divine!

Having a great time away! Catching up with lots of family.

went to see the Kelpies and the wheel in Falkirk. I love the Scottish mountainous scenery. Went to Lindisfarne for a mooch and lunch yesterday . Currently in Durham. Went to the cathedral this morning and climbed to the top of the tower. Currently waiting to do a tour of the castle.

Found you 😎😃. Back to work today but we have bright sunshine and I'm going to make a pie when I get home so no complaints here.

I would love to visit Lindisfarne, hope I make it there one day.

Pleased to hear you're having a lovely time. I love Durham cathederal and also Holy Island. We used to go on school trips there and also once went for my friends birthday. Unfortunately it was February and almost everything was shut. There was a storm so none of the fisherman were able to ho out. The hotel we were staying at (renowned for it's seafood) ended up serving us frozen scampi and chips for our evening meal!

Would also love to see the kelpies.

Gorgeous and sunny here, too 😎

My Dad has just come home from the allotment, proudly swinging this beautiful panettone tin. I asked if it was for me. He replied "Nooo. This is my new egg bucket!" He gets gifted allsorts from his allotment pals.

Oh, I so love the Kelpies

Good morning from an absolutely bitter cold and icy morming here in Whitley Bay. Still worth getting up at 5.30 for the sunrise even though I can now not feel my fingers