The Year Round Nigel Slater discussion thread part 6

[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 on Mumsnet 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

N.B. The Christmas Chronicles thread proper will start in late October, ready for the book beginning on 1st November (seems a long way off, but will be here before we know it!)

Oh, lovely. A Farmer Islands boat trip is in my plans for next year.

I went out for a meal with DH last night too celebrate his birthday, and the food was so good, with amazing seasonal pickled things. DH had lamb with pickled blackberries, and my pork belly came with pickled apples which were so much more delicious than they sound, and a crispy miso and sesame cracking. I already inspired to try a simpler version for home cooking.

I went to the Farne Islands in June (I think) seems ages ago now. Puffins agogo. Did you see lots of Jelly fish? I was amazed at the colour of them but I wonder if it’s too late in the season for them now?

love a pickled accompaniment to a meat like that. I am going to make a concerted effort to pickle more things in the coming weeks. I did none last year as we had just moved house and I didn’t have the headspace.

I’ve got a Bakewell Tart candle on the go, purchased at the weekend when I took my Mother there for a cup of tea and a bun. It’s the strongest candle I’ve ever encountered-DH says it makes him sneeze but I love it.

Drizzly and Autumnal out there this morning. Still 20 degrees later so a conundrum on what to wear to work-and the answer will be probably various combinations of everything throughout the day. I’ve got my most favourite and very active co farmer so there will be lots of running. Then i have three hours to kill
after work before meeting ‘home’ friends for dinner. I intend a long browse around big M and S and an even longer browse around Homesense.

Have a lovely Thursday all

@UnimaginableWindBird I think the Farne islands have more to see during the spring as there were comparatively hardly any seabirds yesterday compared to a couple of years ago when we went in very early July and saw cliffs full of puffins and a huge range of seabirds. No jellyfish yesterday, nor dolphins which we saw on our last trip.

I do like the current fashion for pickling things. I think it gives a lovely depth to food.

@piscofriscoI am fascinated by your job. Who are all your co farmers? You seem to have a lot!

I think we are off to Lindisfarne today. Our DS cycled over the causeway at the start of the week before he went back home - bit of a bucket list thing for him.

Hello all, been an odd week here, nothing terrible but just one of those where everything is a bit off. Loving the sound of all the autumnal food with pickles (I love a pickle). Mainly been making 'wintery' salads here. And eating lots of cheese and crackers.

Bakewell Tart candle sounds excellent @piscofrisco - is that the Yorkshire Candle Company or a different one?

Been a real mixture of weather but have had some nice walks in the park, picked up a few conkers, enjoyed watching the squirrels rushing about hiding things.

Last day of the working week for me - I've got a massage booked tomorrow, also hoping to pop to new local cafe that opened last week, and maybe the bookshop which is having a birthday celebration this week. I also have my eye on going to visit the big sculpture from the Chelsea Flower Show that now lives here, weather and energy allowing.

We have 45 adults with LD/MH issues that come across the week, (not all the same day-usually we have 15 a day or so), and I also do a day or two a week with the kids that’s can’t be in full time school (from pupil referral units or in SEND provision) @petitpasta.Some can work in small groups with a member of staff, whilst others are 1-1 or 2-1 (staff to co farmer) depending on their needs/risk. So I get a varied bunch over the week with some regulars that I have a specific therapeutic relationship with. It keeps things interesting anyway! We had some piglets born this morning and they are adorable. There is a very tiny one that might end up coming home with me to be bottle fed. Here is a muddy one already trying to follow Mum around and getting stuck in the puddle.

I will check where the candle is from @martha79when I’m home. Sorry you are having an off sort of week-the change of seasons perhaps? I still feel knackered, and the sore throat persists-I think into week 3 now. It’s very tedious!

PIGLETS!! 😍

I think it is partly the change of seasons, and just a few things going on - nothing terrible personally but things I'm on the periphery of with friends/ family/ colleagues that have got me feeling a bit unsettled.

Oh that tiny piglet!!!!!!

That sounds like such an interesting and worthwhile job. Several friends have children with SEND who just about managed school, albeit with periods of non-attendance, who are now much happier and more settled doing various plant and animal courses at agricultural college. I really hope that they managed to find suitable work once they finish.

It's chaos in our house today as DD is packing for her move to university, and the sitting room floor is strewn with piles of IKEA bags. We are a non-driving household and were originally planning on moving her in by train but FiL has offered to drive her, so everything is now laid out ready to go in his car. FiL. Will be arriving this evening and will be setting off tomorrow morning and what has now become a significant risk trip. She's studying a textiles-baased degree, so has to bring a sewing machine and all sorts of art and sewing supplies in addition to the usual student gear. At least she doesn't need a tailor's dummy for her first term.

Oh @piscofrisco what an amazing job! And piglets too!!!

Piglet!!

I am knackered. It's been a very full on couple of weeks and just been too much for me. Looking forward to a restful weekend. Also sick to death of the wind already. There is no point buying any more nice pots. I am too exposed here, and the wind is pretty much constant from Sept to April.

Hope you enjoyed our Holy Island @petitpasta and that you've been staying somewhere nice. I have to admit that whilst some of the local fishing villages are quite lovely (Craster and Bamburgh for example) I find the Berwick area rather odd for various reasons. I guess it may partially depend if you have spent a weekend on Lindisfarne with a lot of very drunk fishermen stranded by a winter tide.

Oystercatchers are the soundtrack to my mornings, though. Love them!

Sending hugs to all

Ohhh piglets are the absolute best, love them.

Love to all the Freshers and their nervous parents. Dd was very wobbly for much of her first term and spent Christmas planning to try and reapply elsewhere - but that second term was the charm and she grabbed uni life by the horns for the rest of her time there.

Just back from the licensing service for our new vicar (licensed to preach, not kill!) and I had to do the intercessions. Very nerve racking with all the local bigwigs in front of me, but I did it and now it's done. Phew.

My DD was much the same @leporello-best of luck to your DD @UnimaginableWindBird and to you too-I hope you don’t find it too tough.

sorry to hear you are a bit at the end of the tether @RainbowZebraWarriorand wishing you the restful weekend you need.

The Piglets are a big hit! Tomorrow I will try and take a Picture of the new calf-we are baby animals galore at the minute! I adore my job. But not the very long commute to get there. I wish I could pick it up and move it.

I got an excellent candle hall in TK Maxx whilst I was waiting to meet my friends for dinner-they seem to have had a st Eval drop and I got two Garden Greens which is one of my favourite of theirs (even though I don’t think they are quite what they used to be) and a couple of Autumnal Sand and Fog ones.

@RainbowZebraWarrior Holy Island was beautiful. We've been staying in Beadnell right opposite the beach which has been lovely for us landlocked midlanders. We head home on Saturday- to a broken front door lock! DS is home but he had to get a ladder out of the garage at 3am when he got home from a ball to vault the locked back gate to let himself in via the utility room - in full dinner jacket! We will have to get someone out to sort it next week when we're back.

DS is exercising his perks as a music student tonight - a £70 ticket to hear the CBSO play Mahler is his for the princely sum of a fiver! Very jealous!

Despite being away I have booked my Christmas meat hamper as my butcher opened his delivery slots this week and you have to grab them fast. I guess the supermarkets will be opening up their slots soon. It's 100 days to Christmas after all!

Morning all and happy friday.

I feel like I am wading through treacle. Haven't felt this bad on the energy front in a long time. I guess you never really get on top of chronic illness and fatigue. Just have good spells and not so good spells.

Shouting out to all and sending love, as I have tried to read back, but my brain refuses to retain the information required to remember individual things to say.

Thinking about Christmas meat etc - thanks for the timely reminder@petitpasta I need to get on this. My Mum mentioned something yeaterday so I think we might put an order in with one of the Scotch butchers for us to share. I must remember that it is not worth me buying a turkey for me alone. DD does not eat Christmas dinner in any form now. She will likely have pasta, so I need to avoid waste and go halfers with some meat & a couple of sides with the folks.

Note to self: Don't order from M&S again. There's nowt you really like, and again, it ain't worth it for one person.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Oh. Candles..

Pleased to hear you hit lucky @piscofrisco I have now come to the conclusion that I am nose blind to certain fragrances, but I am finding St Eval's Sea Salt candle an absolute belter. I have it on my bedside table.

If anyone feels tempted by the half price Boots White Company dupes, I'd say dont do it. Absolutely no throw. Very very cheap obviously at half price but just a total waste of money. I put a reed diffuser in the conservatory earlier this week and Nada. Quite the feat for a reed diffuser.

Also you probably already know this, but one of the beautiful Black Horse ads was filmed on Beadnell beach a few years ago @petitpasta

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ruomedlgXk4

I didn't know that's where the ad was filmed @RainbowZebraWarrior! Thanks for that! And hope your energy levels pick up. It's so frustrating when the mind is eager but the body isn't so keen.

Agree on M&S. Some things are lovely (wholemeal and brown soda bread, coffee, some of their biscuits and cakes) but other things are a bit meh for the price.

Our local butcher is fab and very good value. For £105 I've got

2.5kg boneless rolled turkey breast covered with bacon
1.5kg ham joint
1.5kg beef joint
1.5kg pork joint
12 sausages
12 rasher of bacon
Tray of pigs in blankets
Tray of stuffing
1kg pork pie

It sounds a lot but I think it's good value. And he delivers which is better than queuing in M&S!

We just need DD to decide if she is with us or with her partner's family. They're moving in together next month and I assumed they would do their own first Christmas but neither of them fancy cooking Christmas dinner.

I am spending the day quietly back at the house while the others go to Berwick. I want to do some planning and thinking and can think of nowhere better to do it than a balcony overlooking the sea. When we go home I won't see the sea for at least 7 weeks (we have a fancy lodge in Norfolk booked for DH's 60th birthday in November) so I need to drink it all in while I can...then go home to earn the money which we hope will help us downsize and move nearer the coast in about 4-5 years.

Oh that was one of the ones I looked at in the gift shop. I might need to go back for it!

I spied a St E seasalt one in Homesense but decided I couldn’t justify a 5th candle so put it back and now regretting it .

Rest up RZW and please try not to rush around too much.

we are going away for Christmas this year as Boxing Day is also 21st and 50th birthday day in our house this year. So I will have to think about how to order meat for our Christmas Day in an Alpine Chalet. All those hours learning French on my way back from work in the car will finally pay off- Un kilo de Jambon sil vous plait indeed. (Which is all I could remember from GCSE French and at last I will be able to legitimately use it).

I love that your DS had to break into his own house whilst casually on the way back from a ball on a Thursday night @petitpasta-thats approaching peak Nigel!

A sunny morning and I’m in work early preparing for tomorrows Apple Day when we do a sort of harvest walk around the farm with all the friends and family of the co farmers (and they themselves) culminating in the Orchard where we let them have at it and pick all the remaining Apples.

Have a lovely Friday all

I still have my seasalt tea light from last year's St Eval advent calendar, so I will light that during my big clean-up this afternoon. I'm feeling a bit drained this morning after a probably-gallstones attack last night (I'm waiting for a scan and diagnosis). I was sort of expecting it as we went out for dinner on Wednesday and I cooked a big meal for for family last night, and stress seems to be a trigger and I'm not only dealing with DD leaving for university but also a rather nasty work situation.

Whereabouts are you going for your Alpine Christmas, @piscofrisco? My mum is from the French Alps, and I spent some pretty idyllic Christmases there with my family when I was a child.

Do any of you that burn lovely candles have dogs? I'd love to get some candles, but a lot of essential oils aren't safe for animals to inhale.

I have three. They don’t seem overly bothered tbh, but maybe they just have cast iron institutions :)

Somewhere near Thon @UnimaginableWindBird-we happened upon. It on our honeymoon in Lake Annecy and Dh liked it so much that he decided that’s where he wanted to be as he turned 50 so that’s what we’re doing :)

That sounds like incredible value. We have a v poncey butchers here in Whitley Bay (Nicholson's) which is stupidly expensive. I did buy my pigs in blankets from them one year and they were eye wateringly expensive. Strangely, their 1kg pork pies are very reasonable, but I haven't used them for Christmas since 2017 when it cost me £40 for a fairly standard Capon. Might have a look online and tot up a pacckage.

Oh an Alpine Christmas. How marvellous! ❤️

I have just snaffled a few bargains from our local charity shop. The Le Creuset storage jar happens to match my equally bargainous utensil holder I found last year. I just need to shuffle stuff around. I also got the tome that is Heston's Fat Duck cook book for £3

Spectacular bargains!

Thones is where we are going, not Thon. Which I think is French for tuna? :)