Happy Midsummer!

The official celebrations here in London won’t happen until tomorrow, of course. They have no sense of paganism here to speak of, but hopefully the weather will be better!

Next year I’ll have grown suitable wreath flowers like these.

We’ll be dressing our may pole later today and tomorrow head to the Southwark celebrations by the Swedish Seaman’s Church to join all the other white clad, flower-wreathed folks dancing to the accordion and stuffing their faces with strawberry cakes.

I really wish I was in Sweden.

 

Urban Country Fair

A unique and global  – and free! – “Country Fayre” is open this weekend in Marylebone. It’s the media company Monocle who is hosting, together with among others The Swedish Embassy and a plethora of prominent Marylebone business. It’s going to be a fun event with lots of activities for children and adults alike, as well as foods and goods from around the world! They are also promising live music by Swedish Cecilia Stalin (Sunday at 2pm) and Trio Manouche (Saturday at noon).

Sweden will have Midsummer themed stand, with birches and buns, flags and saft for adults and children. Also a few select things to get your Midsummer party mojo going. And of course these gorgeously huge lollies, a national treasure of a candy cane with long running traditions, the Polkagris!

Come and enjoy this fun event with us. The fair is open Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm at the Midori House, 1 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London W1U 4EG.

As I mentioned entrance is free, but donations to The Committee to Protect Journalists is encouraged.

 

Annorlunda marknad

Har ni hört talas om Monocle.com? Inte jag heller, men nu har vi chansen då de på lördag och söndag mellan 11.00 och 17.00 Håller marknad i samarbete med bland annat Sveriges Ambassad på Monocles gård (!) på Midori House, 1 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London W1U 4EG

Sveriges stånd kommer såklart ha ett midsommar tema och dela ut midsommarkransar till barnen, samt bjuda på kanelbullar, kakor och saft. Du kommer också att hitta några av TotallySwedishs bästsäljare, till exempel de här ljuvliga polkagrisarna från Gränna, fint sommarlinne från Nyblom & Kollen, dalahästar och kokböcker. Allt för att visa upp vad Sverige har att erbjuda, och prata om svenska midsommartraditioner.

Det kommer också finnas lotterier, ansiktsmålning och andra kul lekar för barn och säkert en hel del rolig mat och design från andra länder att upptäcka.

Eventet är gratis, men vi uppmunrtrar donationer till The Committee to Protect Journalists.

Välkomna!

Monocle är inte bara en tidskrift utan också en radiostation. Om du vill veta mer, kan du klicka här.
 

 

Cakes for Life, Race for Life

As Swedes, we are ever practical and if there are good things that can be combined into Extra Practical, we are all over it. That is why we are pleased to tell you about or May events:

On May 22 – Tuesday, for those who need to know the week day in order to plan – the little Princess Estelle is christened in Stockholm and we will be selling the most delectable princess cakes in her honour, made by Daniel of Bageriet. As we also want to give the princess a gift on her big day, but are short on magic like the fairy Godmothers, we will instead donate all proceeds from the cake sale to Race for Life – Cancer Research so the more you eat, the more good you’ll do! You can pre-order in the shop when you happen to stop by, or via email: info@totallyswedish.com

Now, to the Really Extra Practical bit: On May 27 – Sunday – we who work at TotallySwedish will be joining the actual Race for Life together with Scandinavian Fitness in Hyde Park at 11 am and you can sponsor us and help raise even more money to beat that ugly C-disease! The URN is 3629583 and the Group ID is LH13594 and I hope I’ll be able to post a direct link to the donations page in a few days.

And maybe, just maybe you’ll want to start running  and get fit too, after all those yummy cakes and next year you’ll be racing for life… Now, isn’t that ever so practical, it’s self explanatory?

 

Fish and slippers: Sale on now!

If your children, or you,  suffer from cold feet , regardless of whose feet are cold, or if you like me just can’t stand people walking around in just their socks, you can get some very nice moccasins from Mockis at 10% off over the next 2 weeks. It’s supposed to be summer you know *insert hysterical laughter*, so you won’t be needing them for long.

A pile of Mockis. Funnily enough, they’re all the wrong size!

Really.

And if you actually don’t, they will be awesome come autumn *shudder*.

If you are rather more hungry than cold, the sill and herring is down by a whopping 30-50%! Seeing that they are pickled, you really don’t have to worry about any short sell-by date and now that the new potatoes are available, it’s the greatest and most healthy lunch you can have! Add a little chives and crispbread and Bob’s your uncle!

 

Who you gonna call? iPhonreparation.se!

If you should happen to be visiting Stockholm, having been so inspired by years of shopping at TotallySwedish.com that you just had to go to Sweden, and you then stumble on some pesky manhole cover so your iPad or iPhone flies out out of your hands…

…and the screen shatters, it’s actually not the end of the world. It’ll cost you, but still less than buying a new Brain and in less than half a day (should you happen to be in Stockholm or Gothenburg and can visit the shop in person) you have it back.

I will also recommend not reading very interesting and engrossing New Yorker articles on your device while walking in an area with road works, wearing unsuitable shoes. Just sayin’

 

Yes, we have no bananas…

These are _good_!

Actually, yes, we will have bananas today, as Daniel Karlsson of @Bageriet.com is bringing some fresh mallow bananas to the TotallySwedish Craford Street store tomorrow, Thursday the 29th. And unless you lot buy them all, there might be some left for the Easter shoppers. These babies are completely natural – just banana purée and lemonjuice – not a iota of chemicals!  and a smidgen of chocolate. What an excellent excuse to completely pig out! And they are yellow, which is just the right colour for Easter.

Welcome!

 

Tuesday dinner

When I was little and you went to farmor for Sunday dinner – ie my paternal grandmother – she often served this dish. I thought it was terribly elegant! As an adult, I know that Sunday dinners need to be really easy to make, as there are a lot of things you’d rather do on a Sunday, than cooking. Therefore, this works really well. Works well on a Tuesday too, which is when I usually go and stock up at TotallySwedish. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you a sort of Hiram’s Drömskinka. The recipe is vague, as you can make it for 2-25 people without even batting an eye. Enjoy!

Sorry, terrible photo,but everybody was really hungry...

2-5 slices of kasseler (smoked and cured, boneless gammon) per person (my kids eat 3, at least)

A splash of wine of any description. Sherry, port, red, white…

Enough passata

some ketchup

Cream

Curry powder

Black pepper

 

Arrange the slices in an ovenproof dish, in sort of an overlapping pattern.

Moisten the meat with the wine, not too liberally. This you can do hours in advance. Or just before you do the rest.

Pour over enough passata to cover the slices properly, add some ketchup. Not too much, a couple of tablespoons is enough.

Pour over the cream. A little more liberally. You still want to see the kasseler but more as shallow reef than an archipelago.

Sprinkle over the curry powder and some freshly ground black pepper.

Bake at 225°C, middle oven, about 35 mins. Serve with rice or even better; Bulgur! Just a green sallad with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes is nice with it.

 

Cheezedoodles

Never mid Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day – Cheezedoodle Day is upon us. These babies are hugely popular in Sweden. So ppopular, actually, that a bag is sold every three seconds every day, year round!

That’s some serious munching.

OLW. My choice for ostbågar/cheesedoodles.

 

Tuesday in Barnes…

Elegant

….Thursday on Crawford Street. This is what you can expect if you come to TotallySwedish tomorrow, Thursday. And meet their maker.

Welcome! We open at 10.