It’s official – Spring has sprung!

The Met Office has – for what it’s worth – said that the risk of frost and further snowfall is close to nil and that it is officially spring. Just in time for the Spring Equinox, after which the days will be longer than the nights. Surely this is something to be celebrated! Now, bring on the Magnolias!

There are plenty of holidays and celebrations at this time of year. The first one is just after Spring Equinox, on March 25th, when it’s Lady Day, the traditional name of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was with child, meaning of course the mother of Jesus. Our Lady in Swedish is “Vår Fru”, which turned into “Våffel”, i.e. waffles... so Swedes now eat Waffles on this day. An excellent way of celebrating such news! There are a lot of recipes for waffle batter online and on the TotallySwedish website, where of course you can also find the classic Ekströms Waffle Mix, as well as a waffle iron and the proper “Queens Jam” – the other name for Blueberry & Raspberry jam.

On Friday the 21st there is also a Annunciation Service at the Ulrika Eleonora Church on Harcourt Street, at 11 o’clock as usual.

It’s also time for Passover, which this year falls on the March 30-April 6, so just before the Easter Week starts with Palm Sunday on March 28th and in the Swedish calendar ends with Easter Monday, April 5th. You can find out more about these two High Holidays at our website under “Calendar”. You will also find all you could possibly need for your Easter Buffet: The ever-present herrings, gravlax and a new line of gourmet crisp breads from Vilma, in seven, mouth watering flavours: Sesame, Rosemary, Black and White, Chilli and sesame, Seven grain and Rye Sourdough. They look great too! We also have marzipan chickens for decorating your chocolate cake, feathers for your birch twig bouquet and some beautiful table linens from Nyblom & Kollén in inspired pastels.

Eco Tip of the Month
As Swedes, we are very proud of our dedication to nature and all things eco friendly, so we will from now on include Eco Tip of the Month in the Newsletter. If you have any ideas to make our everyday lives a little greener – let us know! Use Grumme Tvättsåpa to clean your oven. Apply a thin film of pine oil soap to the inside of the oven and turn the oven on to 100°C/200°F/Gasmark 3. When it’s reached the desired temperature, turn it off and let cool down (if you’re proving bread – put the dough near the warm oven to increase the ecological thinking!) and then wipe off with a damp cloth. Much better than using harsh chemicals!

Time to rethink your garden or window boxes?
Now that it’s finally spring, it’s time to update your outdoor space, even if it only is a windowsill! Swedish garden designer and –architect Maria Örnberg of Greenlines Home & Garden Ltd offers our faithful customers, i.e. you! – 10% off all window boxes and garden work. Maria got her education at The English Gardening School and established her company and proceeded to win a bronze medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2001! For more information and to book a free consultation, visit http://www.greenlinesdesign.co.uk/index.html. You will find the link on our website too.

Books for all occasions
We continue to expand our book section and we have new and exciting books for cooking, baking, children and thriller fans. You cannot have missed the tremendous success of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, the latest being the film release of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the books are all on the top ten list all over the world. The view of the Swedish Girl has certainly been altered, though strong women have always been our forte! We will soon also have that film and other, popular Swedish titles on DVD. Are there titles you have missed – let us know!

We have new exciting cookbooks from the north of Sweden – unfortunately only in Swedish, but they make a great gift! – written by a passionate Northener by the name of Susanne Jonsson, a celebrated TV- and radio chef from Sweden. We will have several of her exciting game recipes on our website. Here is a taster of what is yet to come.

Game on the menu
We have expanded our meat section with exciting Swedish delicacies from the forests: Elk mince, elk roast and loin or Brisket, as well as steak, sirloin and shavings of Wild Boar. Here is great recipe for Elkburger with Mature Swedish Cheese.
Enjoy!

Västerbotten Cheese Moose Burger
600g Elk Mince
1 large onion, grated
1 egg
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp Sambal Oelek
½ tsp Dijon mustard
4 thick slices of Västerbotten Cheese
8 slices of toasted bread
4 thin slices of smoked bacon, crispy
2 brined/pickled cucumbers
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced.

Mix mince, egg, onion and spices and form 4 burgers and grill them. Put a slice of the cheese on each burger and serve with the bacon, pickle, tomatoes and red onion. Perfect served with roast potatoes and coleslaw!

Happy Easter from all of us at TotallySwedish