Ah, Summertime!

When the living is incredibly… Stressful, as it’s halfterm and finally, finally a little warm and sunny. A perfect time to concentrate on the important things in life: Food, Friends and Family. For a Swede, June is The Ultimate Food Month and we are glad that there are no less than 4 major reasons for a good party this month.

We start of on Sunday the 6th, with Swedish National Day/Swedish Flag Day. Since 1916 Sweden has been celebrating Swedish Flag Day, and in 1983 it also became Sweden National Day, both in commemoration of King Gustaf Vasa, who was crowned on that day in 1523. In 2005 Whitsun Monday lost it’s Bank Holiday status and June 6th took it’s place as a national holiday. And what better way of celebrating it, than with us and all the other London Swedes at the Swedish School in Barnes.
Between 2pm and 4 pm all are welcome to eat, drink and be merry. Sing along with the Swedish Church choir, enjoy the entertainemnt by the Swedish pupils from the school. Listen to the new Ambassador Nicola Case’s speech and the telegram from His Majesty the King, buy lots of tombola tickets and win glorious goodies from Totally Swedish, Ordning & Reda and several other, prominent Swedish companies. Oh, and eat. Did I mention food? We look forward to seeing you. If you need directions to the school, click here

(Free parking at the school. Nearest tube is Hammersmith. Take bus 33, 72, 209 or 419 and get off right after Hammersmith Bridge. Go down Lonsdale Rd, about 800 meters to the school)

Next on the agenda is the Swedish Royal Wedding. Yes, the heir to the throne, her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria is to be wed to her Man of the People, Mr Daniel Westling. In Sweden, it’s been all about who will give the girl away, which is not traditional in Sweden, by the way, and there are more Facebook groups on the subject than you could shake a stick at. We see it as an excellent opportunity to eat Swedish delicacies, such as gravlax, västrbotten cheese pie, little vol-au-vents with caviar and sour crème and of course some Princess Cake. Home made or frozen – we can supply the goods! The wedding starts at 2.30pm , so have keep your glasses charged with the bubbly of your choice, be it Pommac, Elderflower cordial with a dash of something or Champage.

The next Party Date is already on the 20th, with Father’s Day. Not in Sweden though. Here in the UK. We have nice cards, gruesome thrillers and manly Swedish Whiskey to enjoy separately or together – in moderation of course! – in the hammock. Or maybe he would be more happy about a new cook book? Our selection is getting pretty extensive, both online and in the shop. Come take a look!

Speaking of delicious Swedish things, Swedish food is really getting a lot of attention lately. One of the most interesting events is Swedish Embassy of Food, a private initiative by kerstin and Christian Sandefeldt in line with the project “Sweden – The New, European Food Nation”. One Sunday a month, at the Embassy Terrace, you have a golden opportunity to sample the best Swedish dishes, prepared by expert chefs with all the best Swedish delicacies. Look at the menu here and book a table for a serious feast!

Let us also take this opportunity to bid farewell to Rebecka who is moving on and welcome Hanna and Martin to the gang at Crawford Street.

The fourth celebration of the month is of course Midsummer, but that is so important that we’ll come back to that next time, in a couple of weeks. Until then, we leave you with a reminder of Emy Little’s collection of national garb inspired baby clothes – perfect for new little people to look extra sweet on Flag Day, the wedding party and Midsummer. Makes me hope my little one will show up in time to wear some cosy traditional clothes!
We will also be adding a lot of yummy Swedish recipes to the website over the next couple of weeks, to help you make Midsummer 2010 truly amazing!

Until next time – have a lovely time and have lots of picnics!