The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, stories & 100 essential recipes for midwinter

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I've begun a re-reading of this splendid book which is an ode to winter. I had promised myself I would begin reading on November 1st, where Nigel begins, but I'm a few days late. Winter, however, has begun early around here, with snow on Halloween and an Arctic blast that began on November 11th and is just beginning to loosen its icy grip after three days. Perhaps Nigel can help me to appreciate winter just a little bit more, as I hunker down with an afghan and a mug of hot cider and read about his love affair with winter.** Put the prunes and sultanas into a sterilised jar, then pour over the muscat. Seal tightly and leave for a month before drinking. Nigel Slater is a true food writer, as he prefers to be called, rather than chef or TV personality. I haven't seen his show or eaten his food, but I can attest to the food writer label. He writes about food and it's preparation sensuously and lovingly, in addition to traveling, gardening and decorating his home. In this one he also includes food facts and holiday myths and traditions. Not to mention the photographs! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this slowly and savoring his words, and would like to read the autobiography of his childhood, "Toast". In this series you’ll be joining Nigel Slater on a crisp walk through midwinter in all its cold, glistening splendour, all the way up to Christmas Day. Along the path there’ll be recipes for some of your festive favourites and some new ideas, too, to excite your palate in these cold months.

Nigel Slater: ‘I love the crackle of winter’ - The Guardian

Slater has two elder brothers, Adrian and John. John was the child of a neighbour, and was adopted by Slater's parents before the writer was born. N O T E S, S T O R I E S A N D R E C I P E S F O R M I D W I N T E R. I have always loved the winter months, with their crisp mornings, candlelight and promise of snow. The Christmas Chronicles is the story of my adoration of the cold months, my fondness forthe winterlandscape with itspale blue skies and bare trees; forautumn and winter baking and the season's rituals and feasting. At theheart of the book is Christmas, its fables, folklore and of course, its food. Bookaholic73 you're very welcome! I just post each chapter heading in bold on the relevant date, and then we all read/share/try the recipes/be a silent reader. Put the granulated sugar into a medium-sized stainless-steel saucepan and add the maple syrup, white wine and aniseed. Cut half the figs in two, then put them into the pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and let the figs simmer for 20 minutes until soft and plump, and bloated with wine.

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I bought this as my birthday present to myself! DP has it hidden until half term as I knew I would binge read! If you want a beautiful lead up to Christmas, during and after then you’ll love Nigel’s Christmas Chronicles. Using the base of the cake tin as a template, cut a disc of baking parchment to fit neatly into the base. Now cut a long, wide strip that will fit not only around the inside of the tin, but a good 9cm above it. Place it around the inside of the tin. Last year, posters were also kind enough to share where they had found cut price copies of CC, so hopefully anyone late to the party still has time to find a copy before we start the first chapter.

The Christmas Chronicles By Nigel Slater | Used The Christmas Chronicles By Nigel Slater | Used

A straight trunk is essential. A wonky tree is the very devil to put up and its lop-sidedness will bug you all Christmas.” My husband has been eyeing up our leaning tree ever since we put it up on Sunday. The idea is to keep the cake moist and to help preserve it. I have a suspicion that the task isn’t really necessary, but the idea makes sense and I’m happy to go along with it. Thank you very much, I am very grateful for this read along thread. I have the [whispers] kindle version, free with my subscription.needle, into the centre. It should come out with just a few crumbs attached to it, no trace of raw cake mixture. Take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool before removing it from the tin.

Nigel Slater - The Christmas Chronicles

dried and vine fruits, the brandy and citrus zest and juice. Now mix the baking powder and flour together and fold them lightly into the mix. Bake the pears in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn them over. At this point they will look decidedly uninteresting, but carry on anyway. Let the pears bake for a further 20 minutes, then watch them carefully. The sauce will be bubbling now, the colour of amber and rising up the pears. Test them for tenderness – a small knife should slide through them effortlessly. They should be translucent and soft as butter. If they aren’t quite ready or if the sauce isn’t syrupy, give them a further 5 minutes.A dream of a book. Slater ... has produced such a hymn to winter that we'll all be able to cope with it this year' Diana Henry, Telegraph Nigel begins his Chronicles proper on 1st November, but there is a lovely, quite lengthy introduction we can dip into during the second half of October. A welcoming drink, may I suggest, is not just about other people. Something good in a glass can be a rather lovely way to welcome our own arrival home. Finding a rare moment of peace and quiet, there are surely few greater joys than pouring ourselves a drink as we curl up on the sofa with a book after a long, hard day. It might only be a stolen few minutes, but I regard this time as deeply grounding. Something that, just for once, is about no one but ourselves.

Nigel Slater: Christmas Cake Recipe - WHSmith Blog Nigel Slater: Christmas Cake Recipe - WHSmith Blog

As the vast, domed pudding is spooned into bowls and the brandy butter is passed around, the cry of ‘Oh, none for me, thank you’ must be one of the most depressing sounds of the season.” What is Christmas if not a time for indulgence?! You can most certainly drink the mahogany-coloured liquor here, but I really make these marinated fruits as a little extra, something to serve alongside chocolate mousse or milky panna cotta. But it's not all about food. There's descriptions of evergreen trees for instance; memories of Christmases past, and family traditions. It often reads like a memoir.In our first episode we’ll talk exclusively to my lifelong editor, Louise Haines, about my writing from the days we first started working together, to now. When offered a choice of anything in the bookshop last December, I chose this book. Nearly a year rolled around until I did more than skim it, but it has been a delicious guide to this year’s festive season. So far I’ve made nothing other than the Christmas cake, but that was a project for the month and really the perfect way to celebrate this stuffed compendium of winter’s rituals and culinary traditions. It’s a book that combines recipes with a calendar of Nigel Slater’s approach to Christmas, and it mixes childhood memories with historical tradition and even practical tips. The author’s voice is strong, sometimes even sharp, and highly opinionated. As always, his prose is highly readable and saturated with his own personality. You don’t have to cook from it, although no doubt that would be a bonus.