Boiling and peeling chestnuts - GIF

[imohtep56]

So much for the open fire story...

From the BBC Good Food site:

Oven-roasting chestnuts is the best way to bring out the fullest flavour (if you want to eat them straight away or chop them into your stuffing mix). Boiling them will give a smooth texture for cooking in soups or purées. To do this, prepare them in the same way as step 1, then boil for 30 minutes instead of roasting.