Scandinavian Kitchen

Here's a mix tape I made just for you...

Back in the days of double cassette players, most of us (or at least the ones of us who were born then) made mix-tapes.  Some for our own pleasure and some for the people we fancied.  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and what a shame we don't do that anymore.

Well, sort of.  Henrik and Jonas are making mix tapes at the moment.  Well, mix CDs, really.  They compiling a list of our best Scandinavian classics and they need your help.  Did you put ABBA's "The Winner Takes it All" on your mix tape to Freddie from Farnborough when he dumped you for Suzie with the big boobies?  Or did you listen to Whigfield and dance your little bottom off on holidays in Spain?  We want to know about it.

Okay, share and share alike, here are some of ours:

Bronte was into a band called Dodo and The Dodos and played their songs endlessly during one particularly heartbreaking summer (1988).  She is not sure she ever made a mix tape for the boy in question, though.

Henrik made mix tapes for a girl called Carolin and Jonas for all the girls in his class that were called Maria (most of them).  Both included the song by Europe called "Carrie".

Over to you - we want to know your fave cheesy Scandi tunes and ideally, why.  It's for our own special mix tape.

Thanks - and here's Dodo and the Dodos.  Powerful stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VkQTvbMvOc

Go hide in Scandinavia

Fancy getting away from it all:  Try these little hiding places in Scandinavia.

Our Louise loves the idea fo this hotel near Stockholm - it is in the middle of a lake and you  have to sail to get there.  It's called Utter Inn.

Jonas likes the idea of getting away from it all in this beautiful Lighthouse hotel in Norway - and Henrik would love to stay in theis fancy pancy igloo in Finland.

Denmark didn't have any unusual hotels, so Bronte got in a bit of a huff, but she did say that if you ever get stuck about 7 KM south-west outside Slagelse on Zealand in Denmark, you can waste the time waiting for the next bus by visiting Trelleborg, the site of an old Viking fortress.  There's not much there now, except some sheep and a few huts (not the real ones, dummy).    Potential hotel?

Happy Birthday, Sebastian

We love Sebastian, that is no secret.  Ever since he walked into our lives over two years ago, he's been part of the family.  Lately, his hair has grown quite a bit, so for his birthday today we bought him an assortment of pretty hair clips.  We also gave him a voucher for a haircut.

Should Sebastian cut his hair?  Or keep it long and put it in a pony tail a la bon jovi?  Get a perm? Are you popping by to wish him Happy Birthday and give him a hug?  So many questions, so little time.  But feel free to send your greetings to him via the blog.  He'll love it.

 

with hair and with not much hair

Planning a trip to Stockholm in Aug or Sep?

Our friends at SAS are giving away those fancy 5 day island hopper cards with tickets sold to Stockholm for August and September this summer - more details http://www.flysas.com/en/uk/Promotions-and-prices/Island-Hopper-Card/?WT.ac=here

Little shops we like # 9 - mind your chops, the knife's sharp...

We sometimes get accused of featuring little businesses that are all about clothes and fancy stuff.  Well, not today:  our friend Chris and his Swedish wife Rebecca run a little business taking care of people's knives.  Yes, really - companies like these do exist and this one in particular is a really wonderful and friendly service.

We've been using them at SK for years now - but a while ago they launched their domestic service too - and can pick up from any London address and return to you in a few days.  

So, if you need your Globals sharpened before you carve that Gravad lax, try them out - they are worth it (although, mind your fingers afterwards, Chirs and Rebecca do a terribly good job).

http://knifesharpeningcompany.com

And what a lovely afternoon it was...

We had fun in Hyde Park on Saturday for the Swedish/Finnish Midsummer celebrations - and judging by the turn out, about 992 of you guys seemed to as well - wowsa, there was a lot of people.

One thing, though - the pole was a bit small this year, let's all remember next year that we need to bring a bigger pole along.

 all photos taken by our Sara

Last minute Midsommar FAQ's

Morning.  Ready to go to the park and to dance around the pole?  We are.

We're getting a lot of calls this mornign already about what we have in stock, so here's the low down in case you are planning to come into town to pick up stuff for the Midsummer party:

• Meatballs.  Yes, we have lots left.  We sell them frozen (they are SCANS meatballs).  If you're on your way to the park we can also do portions of cooked, warm meatballs for you to take with you.
• Mustard herring.  We still have mustard herring in stock, yes - it is lovely and home made.  We also have plenty, plenty of other kinds of herring (ABBAS and other brands).  And yes, lots of Matjes herring also.  Last year we saw two grown men fighting over a jar of herring, so we ordered lots extra this year to avoid a herring fight.

• Dill and chives - yes, we sell both.

• New Swedish potatoes - we have a few bags left (8:30 am) but don't wait if you want potatoes, they will go quickly.

  Jordgubbstarta - we will serve this in the shop today, yes, but limited availability

• Skagenrora - we will be serving it on open sandwiches today AND we will be selling it to take away in pots too

• Beetroot salad - yeps, pop by, we have stock. We also sell home made potato salad for your picnic.

• Gravad lax - yes, we still have

• Dill chips ostbagar and dipmix - yes and yes and yes

• COLD aquavit - we chilled a whole bunch of bottles so if you ask nicely, we can give you one of those if you're on the move to the park already.  Very limited availability, though.

We open at 10 and close at 18. 

Happy Midsummer

The Kitchen People

x

A nice photo

We found a nice review of us today on a blog - and a lovely photo from outside the cafe.  Thanks for letting us post it here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellaphon/tags/scandinaviankitchen/

CORRECTION - Earl of Camden MIDSOMMAR party

Hi all

Correction - the Earl fo Camden pub Midsummer party is on FRIDAY (i.e. toorrow) and NOT Saturday. 

Love

The Kitchen People

Ms. Ramsay and her boys

Ms Ramsay pops in to see us most mornings for her strong filter coffee to keep her going. When she's not busy being here, she's busy being with her horses - and today her horse Valentino Rossi is running at Ascot.  Here is the lady herself in all her Ascot glory waiting to go to the races - and posing with her favoured Scandi boys (although we think Sebastian may be her favourite).

Here are the odds for today http://horses.sportinglife.com/Racecards/0,12495,314633,00.html

We do not encourage betting and we do think that if you do choose to bet your pocket money, you should do so carefully and responsibly, like with only 25 pence stakes at the time and only ever bet on Norway to win Eurovision.  However, if you do choose to bet on Ms Ramsay's horse it is your own choice and has nothing to do with us.  Good luck ayway, to both you, Ms Ramsay and Valentino.

London Midsummer Parties 2009

Midsommar i London.  Ahhhh...  So nice, let's hope for sun and shiny happy people.

Here's the list of where to go and when:

• The Danish KFUK is having St Hans (Danish Midsummer) celebrations www.kfuk.co.uk

• Earl of Camden (55 Parkway, NW1) is having a massive Swedish Midsummer party on Saturday – Swedish food and music and more.  Free entry.  Get there early, this one is good.

  The Finns are having a Midsummer picnic on Saturday in Hyde Park also – 12:00-19:00 – bring Finnish flags! (200 metres from Speaker’s Corner) B.Y.O

The SSC is organising the big Hyde Park Midsummer picnic from 12:00-16:00 B.Y.O http://www.scc.org.uk/index.php?page=eventsSCC&event=130

www.Scandinavianparty.com is hosting their evening event at the Zoo bar

I'm a Barbie girl...

Oh yes.  Seb is so happy:  Aqua has reformed.  Whether it was the bank balances that started to dwindle or it was the music that pulled them back together, we don't care.  With lyrics such as these, how could you not want them back together to terrorise us for another while?

"When Eminem was just a snack
And Michael Jackson's skin was black
Back when the coolest thing in store, oo-oh-oh
Was a Commodore 64"

More here:

http://politiken.tv/nyheder/kultur/article732766.ece

National Hot Dog Day - 15th June (Denmark)

We were ve to have missed an opportunity to attend the Danish National Hotdog Day of the year yesterday, but have aleady mentally started preparing ourselves for next year, where we hope to include ourselves in one way or another.

Alternatively, apparently the American Hot Dog day is on 23rd July so there's still hope for Seb who suggested we only serve hot dogs all day long.  Yum.

Here are some pics from the event in Denmark yesterday - yes, we're also wondering what on earth those green hotdogs are.  We'll try to find out for you - or, if you happen to know, do help us clarify.

http://politiken.dk/fotografier/soundslides/article732615.ece

we don't know why, but we want one of these...

Looking for Joey...

Back in the Eighties, Jonas went to his first ever concert.  It was Europe and the song of the moment was The Final Countdown.  He had curly hair and so did Joey Temptest, the lead singer.  Peas, pods and all that.

We've just heard heard that the guys are touring again - more details on their website here about their gig in Derby on 16th August http://www.europetheband.com/fyrabugg.html

The guys at Scandi Kitchen are excited, of course.  Will it be the same as back then?  Will Joey Tempest still have big curly hair?  Will they wear tight trousers?  Will they do The Final Countdown on their new tour?

Do you have any cringy EUROPE stories?  We'd love to hear them and may even rewards you in nice coffees if we see fit.

A bit of trivia:  Did you know that Joey Tempest's real name is Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson?  Talk about killing the magic.  Sorry.

  

Jonas Aurell     /   Joey Tempest

Who's who?

Bergman season at the Barbican

Who doesn't love Ingmar Bergman?  We certainly do - and can't wait for the Ingmar Bergman season at the Barbican cinema to start.  Here's a link for more details http://www.barbican.org.uk/film/series.asp?id=731

To celebrate, the Barbican has set up a special promo code if you want to buy tickets - if you fancy going, you get discounted tickets at just £6 each when you book using the code "Scandinavian Kitchen" when booking by phone 0845 120 7527 and use code 56892 when booking via www.barbican.org.uk/film 

The nice people at the Barbican are also hosting a special event on 2nd July to celebrate the start of the Swedish presidency of the EU.  This event is closed and is strictly invite only (lots of Swedish/Scandi people in the know attending - we can't tell you more than that) - but we've been given a pair of tickets to give away.   To be in with a chance to win, just answer the following question:

Ingmar Bergman made a film about chess.  What was the English title?

a)  The Seventh Seal

b)  Playing chess with Bjorn Borg

c)   Checkmate, Herr Nilsson

Send your answer by e-mail to iloveherring@scandikitchen.co.uk by Sunday 14th June latest.  The winner will be notified by e-mail.  All rights and responsibility of this competition lies with the Barbican Cinema and we'll put you in touch with them to sort out the details.  There's not cash alternative and no, ABBA will not be making a surprise appearance at the event, so stop dreaming.   Only one pair of tickets, meaning only one winner - so if you do not win, better luck next time.  This competition is not open to employees of Scandinavian Kitchen, although if you win and you have nobody to bring along, Sebastian might be free (ask nicely).

 

Fancy a nice job at Scandi Kitchen?

Kitchen Angel / Barista (Full Time from August 09)

We’ve got a great job here at Scandi Kitchen for someone who is looking to get a good year’s all round experience at being an integral part of running a growing cafe/deli business.

Responsibilities include:

Kitchen area

·          Preparation of open sandwiches and salads in time for lunch rush

·          Keeping the kitchen exceptionally clean and to high hygienic standard

·          Help with ordering and daily prep

·          Help with catering when needed

Front of House

·          Serving our wonderful customers

·          Consistently making excellent coffee

·          Cash management

·          General store maintenance and stock control

·          Make sure the shop is always clean, presentable and organised at all times during shift

What we’re looking for:

·          Some experience in both areas of work – training will be given, but we need you to know a bit about both working front of house and in a kitchen.  This is essential.

·          Buckets of initiative and lots of common sense

·          Can-do positive attitude and ability to keep a clear head under pressure

·          Presentable with excellent interpersonal skills

·          Ability to speak/read one Scandinavian language fluently as well as fluent written/spoken English

·          Know all the lyrics to “The Final Countdown”.  Backwards.

This job is a one year contract, starting August 2009.  We are unable to accept shorter placements as this is also a maternity cover – so please do be realistic about your timings when you apply.  Please note we are not able to offer this job as two part-time jobs as hours vary from week to week in the different areas (some weeks may be mainly kitchen cover, some weeks mainly front of house).  Note there will definitely be weekend work involved.

To apply, send your CV and a cover note to bronte@scandikitchen.co.uk before 21^st June 2009.  We’ll then invite selected people in for a chit-chat and a cup of coffee.  If you have not heard back from us within a week of the closing date, we’re really sorry, but this means your skills and experience were not quite the right fit this time around. 

New Danish Potatoes from a little farm...

Bronte's Dad has been out helping the neighbour dig up potatoes this summer and they will be here on Tuesday 9th June (the potatoes, not Bronte's dad, that is...).  Here's a picture where the potatoes come from.  It's about 200 metres from the beach in a rural area of West Zealand, Denmark.  Well, tracing the origin of your veg does not get much more personal than that, does it? 

Pop by and get your Danihs potatoes - we only have one lot coming in, so when they are gone, they are gone.

We're not quite sure why, but there they are...

Meet Dave and Bertie.  They run a company around the corner from Scandi Kitchen called  Watermill.  Bascially, they think up great ideas and they are very good at it, actually. 

Here's footage of Dave and Bertie growing 20-second beards.   We feature in one of these videos, thank you very much.  Proud.

Last time Denmark met Sweden, it was a dark day for football

A silly Dane decided to have a go at the ref, using his fist.  Not clever. Denmark got disqualified, Sweden went through.  Now, on 6th June, it's time for a new match and the two sides will be ready to play fair (except if they decided to arrange the result amongst themselves, a bit like Eurovision most years... )

Watch the game at Harcourt Arms, Sports Cafe and Zoo Bar in Leicester Square.  See you there!

Birds and the bees - Norwegian ad

Golden Oldie

We know this is old but we still love it - the banned IKEA commercial made by the German arm of IKEA, hated by the Swedish...

Midsummer in London

Midsummer in Scandinavia is a huge event.  From the people of Sweden jumping around a big maypole pretending to be little frogs, to the Danes burning pretend witches on huge bonfires... Everyone has their own way of celebrating.

Here in London, several events will be taking place and we'll add to this list as we hear of new ones - so keep checking back. 

Danish Midsummer Party and bonfire: At the Danish YMCA in Hampstead.  23rd June from 19:00 - click here for detials www.kfuk.co.uk

Swedish Midsummer Party by JCC (SWedish Chamber of Commerce) - on 20th June in Hyde Park (12-4).  Bring your own picnic and stuff, free event.  There'll be a pole there for your to dance around once the aquvit kicks in.

Scandinavian Midsummer Party - by www.Scandinavianparty.com - tickets need to be bought in advance.  20th June 2009 at the Zoo Bar.