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Welcome to our daily thoughts. Here you'll find everything from recipes to amusing bits and everything inbetween.
Try our favourite Scandi ice creams at the cafe this summer
Educate yourself on the oh-so-delicious Swedish princess cake.
Scandinavians make great hotdogs – this week, 2-for-1
Want to find out what Midsummer is like? Read extract from Nørth here.
A few facts to get you started on midsummer like a Nordic person.
Oh yes – Eurovision bingo is back – make sure to get yours.
Add some colour to your vocabulary with these Scandi insults
Yep, it’s Eurovision season again – time to refresh some facts!
In need of different ways to really annoy a Scandi? Here you go.
Curious about salty liquorice but not sure where to start? Here you go.
Join us for aquavit tasting with Jon Anders on the 12th April.
It’s snowing in London. Need some handy ways to deal with it?
Ever wondered how to spot a Scandinavian in the wild?
All your semla hybrid dreams in one place. Oh yes. You dreamt it, we did it.
All your important semlor facts in one place – cream buns: how to eat them, when to eat them and also, be careful not to get caught making them out of season.
Ryttarkaka – Sticky Chocolate & Coconut Cake A classic mixture of two much loved cakes: The sticky chocolate cake and the topping that goes on the Dream cake – […]
Every year, we encourage you to join our fu competition! Win a great big hamper full of Scandinavian treats – deadline 18th December 2017. UK entries only.
Are you wearing clean underpants? Read on, even if you did put clean undies on this morning: This is important. Every year, for a few weeks, we collect money at […]
How to Autumn like a Scandi Or what we think about when it is biting cold, rainy and dark. It is the little things. From the smell of your coffee […]
Ever wondered how to queue in Scandinavia? This is your answer. Yes, it’s a thing.
Yes, it’s a formula. How to make your apartment look like it’s in Denmark, just follow these ten easy steps. Extract from Nørth by Bronte Aurell.
Cinnamon Bun Day Use #ShowUsYourBuns on social media so we can find you. The countdown is on to Sweden’s most favourite day of the year. No, not Kalles Kaviar-day. No, […]
Our Favourite Cinnamon Bun Recipes There are as many cinnamon bun recipes as there are parents and grandparents – each claiming theirs to be the ultimate one, producing the softest, […]
10 Culinary Delights From Our Scandi Childhoods Sometimes, when we were little, this is all we wanted to eat. (Still is, sometimes). Recognise any of these, for yourself or your […]
A great collection of untranslatable Scandinavian words – words from Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish. We suggest you start using these words today in English.
You know you’re Scandi when.. You wouldn’t DREAM of drinking the water from the tap without letting it run for at least 5 seconds. Otherwise you end up with the [...]
Want to be one of the first people to get your hands on Nørth, our new book on Scandi living? Enter competition here.
7 Random Facts About Surströmming Surströmming is made by preserving the raw herring with just enough salt to prevent it from rotting, then left to ferment for at least 6 months. [...]
11 Facts About Beer in Scandiland In Sweden and Norway, you have to go to specialist shops to buy anything stronger than 4% (in Sweden, that’s 3.5%). In Norway, only […]
Learn what foods the Danes really miss from home (it’s not all remoulade).
Want to celebrate Midsummer like a Scandi? You need some songs….
FREE cinnamon bun week Hej Next week is FREE bun week – this means if you pop by between 8-11 am Mon-Fri and show the nice person behind the […]
Seven silly ways to be a bit more Danish for Danish National Day on 5th June
WIN! Finnish Treats & DVD Bundle No weekend without Fredagsmys – settling down after a long week with something yummy to nibble on and mildly to highly entertaining on the […]
7 Random Facts About 17th May – Norway Day Norway day – the 17th of May – is celebrated as it was the day Norway got its constitution, back in […]
Print your ScandiKitchen Eurovision 2017 bingo card – or pick a copy up in store.
7 things you didn’t know were invented by the Nordics…. You can thank the Swedes that we don’t always have to have elasticated waistbands in our trousers, because the Swedes […]
7 Scandi sayings for when things are not going well. If a Dane has his ass in the surface of the water (Røven i vandskorpen), it means things are not going […]
Very useful, highly impressive and absolutely random facts about ABBA. Before ABBA was known as ABBA they were known as ‘Festfolk’ – the Party People. In 1974, when ABBA won […]
A few bits of knowledge to entertain you whilst you procrastinate from whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing.
Everything you need to know about Scandinavian hotdogs. Because we know.
The Essential Guide to Scandi Cheese – Part 1 We first posted this no less than four years ago, and considering how much we love cheese it is due a […]
WIN a Mega Scandi Easter Egg As we find ourselves in the deepest, lagom-est lent – we dream about all the sweets we’ll be eating once Easter is here (by Easter, […]
Come Bake With Us – Win £20 Online Voucher Hej! Here at ScandiKitchen we’re huge fans of baking, and now we want You to get baking with us! Every few […]
Scandinavian Baking Welcome to our baking shop. Here you’ll find all our baking ingredients gathered – from wheat flour for the perfect buns to proper rye, crushed rye flour and [...]
Finnish Food Hej and welcome ScandiKitchen's Finnish Food Shop Online We stock a huge range of foods from Finland. From Finnish rye bread to salmiakki, Fazer chocolates and much more. You [...]
Danish Food Hej and welcome ScandiKitchen's Danish Food Shop Online We stock a huge range of foods from Denmark. From remoulade, pate, ryebread, liquorice and much more. The UK's biggest selection [...]
Swedish Food Hej and welcome ScandiKitchen's Swedish Food Shop Online We stock a huge range of foods from Sweden. From Kalles to filmjolk, sausages meatballs, Marabou and much more. The UK's [...]
Norwegian Food Hej and welcome ScandiKitchen's Norwegian Food Shop Online We stock a huge range of foods from Norway. From Brunost to waffle mixes, Freia and much more. The UK's biggest [...]
Crispbread Pizza – White Winter Pizza A super easy, quick and tasty take on pizza. By using a round of Leksands as your base you can have pizza in 12 […]
Those little things that make you appear just as Scandi as the rest of us. Welcome: You’re one of us, now.
Brown Cheese – Everyday Hero #4 This is the fourth of six posts – each presenting one of our favourite everyday products. The things we eat again and again and that […]
How to say some of the less bad swear words in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Because you asked us.
Stabburet Makrell i Tomat – Everyday Hero #3 This is the third of six posts – each presenting one of our favourite everyday products. The things we eat again and again […]
Rårörda Lingon – Everyday Hero #2 This is the second of six posts – each presenting one of our favourite everyday products. The things we eat again and again […]
Kalles Kaviar – Everyday Hero #1 This is the first of six posts – each presenting one of our favourite everyday products. The things we eat again and again and […]
Scandinavians have little weird food habits… Here are some of our favourites.
We say a lot of strange stuff. Here are some of the things we think are perfectly normal that may puzzle you slightly!
Nordic Film Festival 2016 WIN tickets to see IN THE BLOOD at Regent’s Cinema on 6th December 2016. This year, the Nordic Film Festival in London returns wit a great […]
Want to understand a little bit about our way of celebrating Christmas? Then read this handy guide on how to do Christmas the Scandinavian ways.
Pimp My Gingerbread House 2016 It’s beginning to smell like Gingerbread.. That’s right, it’s that time of year again – it’s time for our annual Pimp My gingerbread House competition! Every […]
We are collecting underpants for homeless this winter. Because new, clean underpants is a really really nice feeling.
Matpakke – An Intro To a Norwegian Packed Lunch Ask any Norwegian what they had for lunch in school and the answer will be ‘matpakke’ (or nistepakke) – packed lunch. […]
Norsk Matpakke – Our top facts, tips and insights about Matpakke If you’re very lucky, your mum or dad makes it for you. They’re usually busy busy in the morning – […]
15 Things You Need to know about Cinnamon Buns This year, as every year, we are celebrating the official Cinnamon Bun day. A national holiday in Sweden (not really, but […]
Breakfast, Frokost, Morgenmad, Frukost. As the saying goes (well, in Scandinavia at least), dear child bears many names. We love breakfast. It is often the main reason we go to […]
Magic Breakfast Charity – Start your day doing something good Don’t go to school on an empty stomach. With school having started again, it is time for a re-run of a […]
Our New Book – A Look Inside Yes, we talk a lot about Fika & Hygge – especially now with our new book officially out. It is a baking book, with […]
Join Our Family – We Are Currently Recruiting We at ScandiKitchen have a passion for our smorgasbord, great coffee, crispbread and all things Scandinavian. Singing Eurovision songs and brewing coffee […]
Swedish Crayfish Party – How I Celebrate Swedes all over Love their crayfish party and there are many ways to host this type of party, and this week, our People’s Hero […]
WIN a pair of tickets to see THE COMMUNE The very talented BAFTAnominated Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s that previously had us following Helge’s 60th birthday party in the movie ‘Festen’ […]
It Is Time For Summer Fika Scandinavian people love their coffee. Norwegians are in the top of coffee consumption but Sweden and Finland consume the most cups of coffee per […]
WIN a huge box of our favourite HYGGE tea – choose from 16 great blends.
Want to know how to hygge from the natives? Read this handy guide.
It Is Waffle Weekend – Scandinavian Waffles (again) We love waffles, we love to talk about them a lot – and we are going to talk about them some more. […]
Midsummer in Norway – Celebrating St. Hans (St. John’s) Midsummer is usually not called midsummer in Norway, but St. Hans after the evangelist John (called Johannes in Norwegian; Hans is […]
Swedish Midsummer – How I Celebrate Swedes all over Love midsummer (you might have seen Alicia Vikander on Jimmy Fallon..? If not, we’ve included the clip for you below). There […]
Let’s Have a Barbecue – Scandi Style! Warmer weather and glimpses of sun can only mean one thing – barbecue season is here. Here’s what you need for a […]
How to 17.Mai like a Norwegian 17th of May what? 17th of May is the National Day of Norway and celebrates the day Norway got its own constitution, in 1814. […]
WIN a box of goodies to enjoy while you watch Eurovision. Or pretend you are not watching it. Or whatever.
The bingo card for this year’s Eurovision is here – play along with us on the night.
8 Scandinavian Facts – The Fact or Fiction List 1. All Scandinavians are tall, blonde and beautiful. There may be a slightly larger proportion fitting this description in Scandinavia than […]
Norwegian Words to Describe Weather Værfast; literally, weather stuck. If one finds oneself stuck in torrential rain, howling winds or wintry snow storms. Then you are weather stuck. For example, […]
We have written a little guide on how to be a bit more Swedish in your everyday life.
Waffle-Day & Useful Info About Scandinavian Waffles Waffles are a big thing in Scandinavia. Thin and heart-shaped they come with a boatload of strong opinions on how to eat them, […]
WIN a Big Scandi Easter Egg Easter is fast approaching (yes, already!) and if you’re yet to load up on sweeties and chocolate it is time to do so. We have […]
Fika – The Connoisseur’s Guide to Cake & Drink Pairings Aaaaah, Fika. That untranslatable, slightly odd-sounding Swedish word which encompasses so much loveliness. Fika may just be our favourite Swedish […]
Eurovision 2016 – It has finally begun! Every week we will have our Eurovision expert, Mr David Jørgensen, giving us news and comments on the wonderful world of Eurovision. Fancy […]
Fredagsmys like a pro Fredagsmys, or fredagskos, is a big deal in Scandinavia – especially in Norway and Sweden. The Danes have their Fredagshygge, but this is not quite as [...]
WIN a big box of Scandinavian salty liquorice – can you handle it?
Eurovision 2016 – It has finally begun! Every week we will have our Eurovision expert, Mr David Jørgensen, giving us news and comments on the wonderful world of Eurovision. Fancy […]
Watch Bronte Aurell demonstrate some of her favourite open sandwiches from the ScandiKitchen Cookbook – from smoked salmon to roast beef, egg and prawn, smoked mackarel and fennel and apple.
Winter in Scandinavia is serious stuff. It lasts a long time, and the weather is somewhere on a scale of bone chillingly cold (but snowy and bright) to regular freezing […]
Semlor are serious business in Sweden. Every year, usually starting as soon as Christmas is over and done with, semlor make their appearance in bakeries across Sweden. In Scandinavia we […]
There’s still time to enter our Pimp my Gingerbread House competition – lots of great prizes to be won!
We love this annual competition of pimped up gingerbread houses – join in the fun.
Pleased to meet you… Rebekka. We introduce you to our lovely team.
A lot of ways to say ‘crazy’ in Norwegian Hello. So, our Martina is from Norway and she was reading this article the other day (click here) about how the […]
We are collecting underpants for the homeless of London. Send us a few pairs of new pants, please. All through November at our cafe. Because everybody deserves clean underpants.
This week, most of all we loved the Norwegian body builders who went to Lilliput town to make themselves look bigger….
Really? You think we have polar bears roaming the streets?
win a box of Scandinavian goodies
Stuff Scandinavians do that baffles other nations – it’s all in the little things…
Stuff Scandinavians miss from home – a list compiled by us with help from all the Scandi ex pats. Yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek.
We asked our team to tell us some of the favourite secret places to visit in Scandinavia
Fancy a bit of a Scandi Midsummer this year? Here’s our guide on how to do it like a true Swede. See you at the park on the 20th!
Our friend Mr Jørgensen is one of the most knowledgeable people about all things Eurovision. This is his low-down on this year’s main songs. If the song is not mentioned […]
Play along on 23rd May 2015 when we play Eurovision Bingo – find us on Twitter (we’re @Scanditwitchen).
8 Reasons Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the Man – and why we love our Swede
A beautiful, haunting novel by Cecilia Ekback: Wolf Winter – win a singed copy
Next week, we’re doing Buns and coffee at the cafe. You’ll need one of these vouchers. Yes, you can use your smart phone.
Thinking about becoming a bit more Scandi in your everyday life? Feel like a Swede? Want to live like a Dane? Here are are few handy authentic things to incorporate into your everyday way of being.
Fancy wining one of our huge, filled Easter eggs? Then enter the competition here
Want to win Tommy on DVD? Answer this easy question to be in with a chance to win.
1 in 3 kids go to school hungry. Every time you get a bowl of porridge from us, we donate one breakfast for a UK School child. Support Magic Breakfast now.
Making Tracks – The Arctic Challenge: Support Tony and Paul on their epic 5000 mile journey from London to Nordkapp – and pop by and see them off on Sunday 1st March at our cafe (10 am)
We asked you to send us pictures of your home bakes – here are the best ones.
Watch the video. Think of them – and support the world food programme to stop hunger.
WIN a copy of the brilliant new book ‘The year of living Danishly’ by Helen Russell.
WIN a tray of our delicious Semlor buns for you and your colleagues and be Mr Popular
Want to get your hands on the super limited ScandiKitchen Christmas stocking, stuffed full of Scandinavian foodie goodies? Enter the competition here
How to host a really love Scandinavian mulled wine ‘glögg’-party
WIN tickets to see Tina Dickow in concert at Shepherd’s Bush on 29th November 2014
Pop by and get a taste for the Nordic aquavit drink – and learn all about the flavours and varieties (Sat 29th Nov 2014 at the cafe)
The brilliant annual gingerbread building competition from ScandiKitchen – great prizes to be won from Skandium and Isak design. Entries accepted using the basic model kit. Categories for both kids and grown ups.
WIN a pair of tickets for the opening night at the Nordic Film Festival in London 2014
This year’s 2014 Blossa Glögg mulled wine annual flavour is out and it is delicious. Pop by and stock up in store or online.
Celebrating Christmas with Nordic traditions is something quite special…
Enter now to be in with a chance to win a filled Scandinavian Christmas hamper.
The celebration of the release of the Danish traditional Christmas beer, Tuborg Julebryg. Want to join us on the 14th November at the cafe? Email us to get your name on the guest list (limited spots)
The annual appeal for new clean underpants and socks for the homeless men in London. Please help out by donating in the shop or send us some new underpants.
A list of 15 things that make you a real Swedish ex-pat
A little collection of easy ways to annoy a Scandinavian person, as collected from all of you lovely people. Feel free to add your own little ways in the comment section.
Thank you to all of you who sent in great photos for our bun week.
We’re so very impressed by the home baking skills of you guys.
Here’s a selection of the pictures we received.
Thank you to all those who shared their favourite idiom on Facebook the other day – we laughed so hard we cried at some of these.
We also realised we frequently use some of the expressions when we’re speaking English in the shop – and no wonder people look at us as if we’re a bit weird when we say things like ‘no cows on the ice’.
Enjoy the list.
Aside from running our lovely little café and shop in Central London, we have a rather fancy snazzy warehouse out in Park Royal (It’s called ‘StockHome’). From there, we operate the web-shop and also our Wholesale Department.
Click into this time lapse video. Then click full screen (and ideally high resolution). Sit back and enjoy Norway. By Morten Rustad of Rustad Media.
Time for Fika Every language contains a few untranslatable words. In Denmark and Norway, “hygge” is generally used as an example for a general state of lovely cosiness. In Sweden, […]
[button type=”default” size=”large” link=”../shop”]Shop around for more scandi food…[/button] Let’s face it: We have quite a few to choose from. Here’s our selection Harold Bluetooth Dear old Harold. Not only […]
[button type=”default” size=”large” link=”../shop”]Shop around for more scandi food…[/button] Scandi habits. Some of our quirky little ways… We asked around on Facebook and Twitter today for what little ‘ways’ we […]
I have family in the southern part of Jutland (the part of Denmark that’s connected to continental Europe), and one of the most vivid memories of my childhood is hearing of the elaborate gatherings known as ‘Sønderjysk Kaffebord’ – literally, a ‘Southern Jutland coffee table’.
Danes love meeting up for coffee and cake of course, but in the south of Jutland, they take it to the extreme. There, a normal coffee time features seven types of soft cake, and seven kinds of biscuits. Anything less just won’t do.
Let’s face it: While the majority of our foods makes you want to dance across a Swedish meadow, naked and with joy in your Viking heart, not all of our […]
1. The zip. Without the zip, your pants would be around your ankles or you’d be wearing braces. Thank the Swedes for this one. 2. The cheese slicer Seriously, can […]
It’s the competition of the year and it is open to our Newsletter readers. Fancy winning a walk-on part in the last ever Wallander, filming in Sweden? The British Wallander […]
How to host a crayfish party Want to host the most Scandi of Scandi parties? Try a traditional Crayfish party – or ‘Kräftskiva’ as they are also known in Sweden. [...]
Every week, we send out a newsletter. You can sign up on our homepage. Or just click here to access this week’s interesting bits and bobs from the land of […]
Nephew, the Danish band, is playing Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 17th August – and we’ve got a pair of tickets and a greatest hits CD to give away to a […]
Next week (21-27 July 2014) is bun week at the cafe. Here’s the voucher you need in order for you to get your mitts on a free cinnamon bun on […]
Oh, some of these made us snigger. A brand of crab sticks in Norway… The name of some biscuits in Sweden… Bread rolls from Finland… Snus tobacco in Sweden… […]
Danes celebrate Midsummer differently to the Swedes. So, if you fancy doing it a bit different this year, follow this mini-guide Pick the right date Midsummer in Denmark is mostly […]
How to create a midsummer picnic – the easy way Midsummer occurs at exactly the same time as the summer solstice. It’s a wonderful time of year where we have […]
Every year we play Eurovision Bingo. This year is no exception. Play live with us on our Twitter feed during all the shows – from the semi finals to the […]
This May, Eurovision comes to Copenhagen. We’ve been inundated with requests about how to best make a Danish-themed Eurovision party for the grand final on 10th May. Across Scandinavia, we […]
Click on the image for larger version. Oh yes, Eurovision fever has begun. Six days to go… Via i.imgur.com
Slut At the end of every fairy tale, they all lived happily ever after. Slut. You also slut when you finish a phone call. It means ‘end’. If you change […]
Our good friend Karen is really good at making Kransekake / kransekage. In fact, she’s been making them for years. We don’t make them but we’re very happy to recommend […]
Easy Easter Smorgasbord A traditional smörgåsbord doesn’t have to be complicated. It is, in essence, the Nordic version of a buffet, so as long as you follow a few traditional […]
Waffle Day (25th March) began in Sweden as Våffeldagen, allegedly due to confusion between the Swedish “vårfrudagen” meaning “Our Lady’s Day” which falls on the same date. The day historically […]
Sometimes, a book lands on our desk for a competition that we really don’t want to tell anyone about just so we can keep it to ourselves! This is one […]
We’re proud that our friend Sofie Hagen has been nominated for a Chortle Award 2014. It takes guts to stand up and be funny at the best of times – […]
Ahhhh…. Imagine if there was a way to make friends with Shirley from HR in one clean swoop? Or get Brian from accounts to notice you? Try giving them a […]
Creating beautiful reindeer swirls of herding. Shot by Jan Helmer Olsen in Norway.
UPDATE 4th March: THE WINNER OF THE BAKING COMPETITON IS GRETE MINUMETS – as chosen by our Shop Manager Rebekka. Congratulations – your buns were particularly lovely looking. Thanks to […]
It’s Fat Tuesday on Tuesday 4th March 2014 – also known as Fettisdagen, fastelavn, Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras. On this day across Scandinavia we celebrate the start of Lent. […]
Watch, book flight, enjoy. It’s a very lovely place.
Did you read the article that got everybody talking a few weeks back? (if not, read it HERE) Are we Nordics not all we’re cracked up to be? Who decided […]
It’s the most exciting exhibition for anyone interested in the history of the Vikings. Oh yes: This spring, we’re invading the British Museum in London (This time, we’re a bit […]
We’ve got a few empty walls where we like to ask artists and photographers to display their work. We usually change artworks every month or so. This is a last […]
We were in S-Magazine in The Sunday Express last Sunday. Starring roles to our open roast beef sandwich, Jansson’s Temptation, Vasterbotten Pie, Kladdkaka, Marte’s Kale & Grape salad and the […]
Ahhh, we knew it already, but now the cat is out of the bag: Lingonberries are the new super berry according to researchers at Lund University. Read the article here […]
Hallo. Just a little update. We’ve still got Julmust and loads of mulled wine from Blossa. We’ve also got a whole heap of Danish ‘pålæg’ in – from saltkød to […]
And so, for the winners of the annual ScandiKitchen ‘Pimp My Gingerbread House’ competition… We started with a basic kit and wanted to see what you could all do with […]
It’s been an AMAZING year for our Pimp My Gingerbread House – and here are all the wonderful entries to the competition… The challenge was: Take one Gingerbread House kits […]
WIN tickets to Nordicana Film We are so excited: Nordicana is BACK in London on 1st and 2nd February 2014. This year the event takes place at the Truman Brewery […]
The Nordic Film Festival opens in London on 25th Nov and is on until 4th December 2013. We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to the closing […]
‘Pimp my gingerbread House’ is an annual event at ScandiKitchen. Take one Anna’s Gingerbread House Kit, assemble it however you want – and pimp it up with all your artistic […]
Think we’re all about minimalist housing and flat pack book shelves? Think again. We can do more than that. How about this fantastic solar powered water purifier? Makes water safe […]
Lund, in Southern Sweden, is a big university town. At times, with a bit of a space issue for accommodation. The company AF Bostader are showing Sweden’s smallest student flat […]
There is a quaint little town in Denmark whose name always make the Swedes and the Norwegians snigger: Bøgballe. Why? Because if you translate it, it means Gay Balls. Ah, [...]
Look, you don’t need us to tell you that fad diets don’t work. It’s common sense, isn’t it? See what it has done to Norway: All those people suddenly deciding […]
According to a nice gentleman from Kansas who wrote to us this week, the people of Lindsborg in Kansas all have Dalarhorses outside their doors. They all eat cinnamon buns […]
After my success in hunting down Whigfield (we found her, she says hej), Bronte had another challenge for me. Apparently, someone wanted me to find the coolest Norse deity. “Sure,” […]
There are several Malmo’s in the world, only some of which are in Sweden. We found quite a few no-man places, a lot of barren landscapes randomly named after the […]
Located 32° 1′ 25″ North, 92° 2′ 20″ West, Copenhagen is in the parish of Caldwell, Louisiana. Not to be confused if you are trying to book a trip to […]
On Saturday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden said JA to Daniel, fitness trainer of Sweden. Now they are man and wife and the whole country celebrated with them until the […]
