I do love the dark evenings, fairy lights and winter cooking. So much to plan and do in the next month, before my family and I head off to the snowy Nordic lands for a well earned Christmas break. So between now and then I intend to make sure I make and eat all of the following;

Glogg - this is classic Scandinavian mulled wine but to make one with a bit of an edge, use good quality apple juice, slices of fresh ginger, finely ground cardamom, sugar and a drop of vodka! Heat gently and make lot's as it will disappear fast.

Gingerbread - loads of them and a gingerbread house too. Nothing will fill your house with the smell of Christmas like these do! You can buy cute cutters in Ikea for elks, hedgehogs, foxes etc

Potted Stiltons - not Scandinavian at all but too delicious not to mention here. I had one made by Emily from Rosehip Vintage and it was gorgeous. A glass of red wine or mulled wine with this and a few oatcakes - yes please. 

Apple and Cardamon compote - I intend to make jars and jars of it to give to friends for Christmas. We made this for the Pickling class in September and I remembered how much I love it. Sour yet sweet, perfect to top porridge or yogurt in the mornings or on ice cream for a quick dessert. 

Saffron and Almond Biscotti - made and given to me by my Swedish friend Anki, I loved these small crunchy nibbles so much I think we'll be making them in the December classes too.. 

Traditional Finnish Christmas Bread called Joululimppu; sweet, sticky and so aromatic. 

Hope we get some snow soon and I hope you enjoy all the festive preparations! Maybe I'll see you in one of the December classes, if not - join me for some Nordic Tapas, Family Feasts or Cheese Making in the new year!!!

The best month of the year is here! I love the start of autumn for many reasons. It's my birthday, wild mushrooms can be found in forests and shops, plums are at their best. To me September feels like the start of a new year, that must be inprinted from school days still. So to embrace the cold and rainy evenings, light some candles, get your slippers out or throw a party - most importantly,
cook some warming and delicious food! Below I have shared three recipes, perfect for this time of year. The first for a cosy night in, the second perfect for a party and the third to end a civilised dinner party :)

Finish with a glug of double cream, more pepper and a quick splash of soya sauce (this adds seasoning but also gives a lovely colour). Spread your mushrooms on the bread slices, top with grated cheese of any kind and bake for 10 min until golden and bubbling!

2) Apple And Cinnamon Doughnuts
Nordic Kitchen held a Cinnamon & Spice baking class last week at the Lewes Community Kitchen. We had a full class of wonderful participants and we baked some classic cardamom and cinnamon buns, some miniature cakes flavoured in different ways and some cinnamon doughnuts filled with apple jam. They were really delicious. I've only started making doughnuts recently as always
assumed them to be very fiddly but it turns out that they are rather quick to turn out when the dough has risen. So imagine yourself frying fresh doughnuts at a party, rolling them in cinnamon & sugar before quickly filling them with apple jam and handing them out warm to a seriously impressed group of friends. Yes. But if you do, don't drink too much before working with hot oil..

For a cheats doughnut dough simply mix: 240 g flour, 50 g sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. cardamom with 200 ml milk and 1 egg. No proving. But for fluffier doughnuts mix: 250 ml lukewarm milk, 8 g quick dried yeast, 1 egg, 110 g sugar, 1 tbsp. ground cardamom, half a tsp. salt and 300g white bread flour. When mixed into a dough, squelch in 100 g soft butter and allow to prove until doubled in size (approx. 1 hour). Both recipes will make about 12.

 Turn the heat slightly down and fry a few doughnuts at a time until golden brown (if they cook too quickly, they may be raw in the middle so test your first one and adjust heat accordingly). Drain on kitchen towel and roll in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. When cool enough to handle, use a small syringe (mine came from a pharmacy) and fill the doughnuts with some jam. Served fresh, these can't be beaten!

3) Cinnamon Plums
And lastly, these very sofisticated and dead easy cinnamon plums. If you have been to dinner at my house in the past 5 years you are likely to have had these :)

We usually keep the rest very simple. Toast is served with butter and fresh dill - that's it. Peel some tails and lay them on fresh buttered toast, then top with dill and tuck in! Paper bibs are a bit of a must and many insist you must have special crayfish knives but I see no reason why all can't be done by hand. You can order all the gear & party decorations from www.scandikitchen.co.uk

Traditionally shots of Akvavit and other Schnaps are served with plenty of singing.. but the end result is often outrageous and we all have young children so we mostly stick to beers and wine.. Booo I hear some of you say! But if you too have no choice but to get up at 6 am you will understand..

So thank you to our lovely friends Nina & Nicke who hosted in their family's cottage in the western Finnish archipelago.. the food was excellent. And I swear to host a crayfish party every year from now on. I can't think of a better reason to get together and celebrate than the crayfish!

Hello! This is indeed the very first blog from Nordic Kitchen ever and that's quite exciting! I am hoping to share lot's of Nordic inspiration and maybe to entice some of you to come along to a cookery class, currently held at the lovely Lewes Community Kitchen - thanks to Robin.

For all you bakers out there - the bread to try out this weekend is definitely Archipelago Bread. It's delicious and well worth the time it takes. Serve with salted butter and cheese for breakfast or smoked fish and salad for lunch.

Oh and for the quickest of quick tips, when you next make some potato salad for the next barbeque or picnic, add dill instead of the usual chives and chop in some apple and gherkin for a tasty Nordic summer staple!