Sometimes, good things are in short supply. And sometimes, that’s ok. Asparagus season in Sweden is shorter than a Munchkin’s trouser leg, but boy is it good. For a scant three to four weeks every May, the little green spears are in abundance; and a thousand times more tasty than the flaccid, bland, Peruvian offerings that fill the shelves for the remaining 48 weeks of the year. Read more » >>
Björn, a colleague of mine brought in a homemade chocolate roulade with coffee cream on Friday. Bringing cakes to work is sort of a rite of passage in Sweden. It means you belong. And everyone has to eat a piece; otherwise it means you wish a plague on their children and their children’s children. Something like that Read more » >>
The time had come to stop talking. At least, that’s what the dissenters in my family told me. When it comes to talking versus doing, I think doing is overrated. You can’t put your back out by talking. Read more » >>
I’m feeling optimistic; just so you know. A lot has happened this past weekend. For all the false starts, it feels that spring (bordering on early summer) has finally, definitively arrived. The root of my optimism lies in something that appeals to my inner peasant: potatoes, herring and planting stuff; I know, doesn’t sound too glamorous, but stick with me. Read more » >>
For those of you who follow major world events, you will know that this past Monday was my stepson William’s 12th birthday. It was also the Swedish King’s birthday and (here in Sweden) Walpurgis Night, a traditional celebration day loosely connected with the beginning of spring (A.K.A. the emergency services’ favourite day of the year) where much of Sweden spends the afternoon and early evening drinking copious amounts of alcohol before attempting to light enormous bonfires after dark (and you thought Swedes were a cautious bunch). Read more » >>
…is a British writer and editor who moved to Sweden in 2001. A former chef turned food and travel writer, he loves everything about food, but particularly the raw ingredients themselves. When not cooking, eating or thinking about food, he can often be found hanging around in butchers shops, fishmongers and grocery stores; a hobby he can pursue for hours on end. He hopes that writing this blog will take up so much time that it halves his food shopping bills.