My cousin Sue sent me this book as a belated Christmas present in January of 2025. As the tree was still up and Candlemas was still a week away, I started reading it, then got too busy to finish it. The following March, I brought the book with me on what was supposed to be a springtime trip to Maine. It turned out to be so snowy the whole time we were there. As the snow fell, I sat in the rocking chair by the wood stove and read The Christmas Chronicles to the very end. I couldn't have chosen a better book for my stay in Maine.

This is my favorite kind of book: a cookbook that is chock full of stories. There are short chapters, each one based on a day of the winter season, from the First of November and winter's first stirrings to Candlemas on the Second of February. The main focus is on Advent, on preparations for Christmas (like Stir-Up Sunday) and then big day itself and the Twelve Days of Christmas that follow Christmas Day. The writing is sublime, there are recipes throughout (lots of roasts and puddings –– a very wintry and British cookbook), and the photographs are just beautiful.

If you love Christmas and if you love food and tradition, you will love this book of notes, stories, and 100 essential recipes for winter from the best-selling author of The Kitchen Diaries and Toast. This could be your best winter season companion.

Hardcover with ribbon bookmark, 456 pages. 2017.