Fika Fun

Just when you thought we’d stop copying our Scandi pals, here comes another endorsement for their lovely cosy culture. A few years ago, we became obsessed with Hygge and these days you can’t move for saunas and cold plunge pools. I have now decided to take ‘Fika’ seriously, as a way to distract myself from important things and the concrete winter sky.

‘Fika’ is a Swedish concept that means taking a deliberate break to socialize with a hot drink, typically coffee, and a snack, like a pastry. I light the candles and invite friends and family to join me for a sticky cardamon bun. Part of the joy is making the warm soft dough and then stretching and twizzling it into shapes. The buns make the whole house smell delicious ; better than a host of expensive winter candles.

This is the recipe that I follow from BBC Food with a few tweaks. If you think the dough is too sticky (eg will stick to your kitchen work surface) add more flour. You could use cinnamon instead of cardamon or skip the spiced butter step entirely and spread Nutella between the layers of dough.

Tablecloth and napkins handmade from Rose Gingham Linen (in stock)

Ingredients

• Approx 28 cardamom pods

• 250ml full-fat milk

• 125g unsalted butter,

• 350g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

• 100g golden caster sugar

• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

• Pinch of salt

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 free-range egg, beaten with a fork

Method

1. Crack 10 cardamon pods open with a rolling pin or pestle and mortar.

2. Add the pods and seeds to the milk and heat in a saucepan or microwave until steaming but not boiling. Add 35g butter and swirl until melted. Set aside to cool until lukewarm.

3. Mix the flour, 50g of the sugar, the yeast and the salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl through a sieve to remove the cardamom pods.

4. Mix with a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment of a mixer to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes in the mixer or tip onto a lightly dusted work surface and knead for 10 minutes by hand until the dough is elastic and smooth.

5. Return the dough to the bowl then cover the bowl with oiled cling film or a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size. This should take 1–2 hours. Alternatively, you can leave it to prove in the fridge overnight.

6. Crack open the remaining cardamom pods and place all of the seeds in a pestle and mortar. Crush to a powder then mix with the remaining 100g/3½oz sugar. Set aside 1½ tablespoons of this cardamom sugar for the final step.

7. Use a fork to mash the remaining 90g butter and cinnamon into the rest of the cardamom sugar.

8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to a 35x30cm rectangle, with the shorter edge facing you. Spread the cardamom butter over the surface, right up to the edges.

9. Fold the top third down over the middle third. Then fold the bottom third up over the whole lot, so you have three layers of dough sandwiched together with the butter. Roll out the dough again lightly to stick the layers together and stretch the rectangle back to about 15x30cm

10. Cut the dough into 8 equal strips, about 15x3.5cm Cut each into three strips, leaving it attached a little bit at the top, and plait the three strands.

11. Roll up the plait, starting from the join at the top like rolling up a Swiss roll. Place the buns on lined baking trays.

12. Cover the trays with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise somewhere warm until doubled in size (about 30–50 minutes). Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.

13. Brush the risen buns with the egg, then sprinkle with the reserved cardamom sugar. Bake for 20–22 minutes, rotating the trays halfway if the buns aren’t browning evenly. Eat within 2 days (shouldn’t be hard)

There are lots of ways to twist your buns. This nice lady on YouTube has enviable technique. Don’t worry too much if they look like the ‘poo emoji’ as they will taste and smell divine.

Sophie x

A Few Days in Naples: Grit, Grandeur, and Great Pizza

Last month, we enjoyed a short trip to the vibrant city of Naples. From the moment we arrived, we were captivated by its unique charm — that rare blend of grit and faded grandeur. Naples isn’t your typical picture-postcard destination; it’s a city to be embraced, full of fascinating history, contradictions and indomitable spirit.

The Spirit of Naples

Nestled beneath the ever-watchful Mount Vesuvius, Naples has weathered centuries of challenges — famine, plagues, poverty, and the devastation of World War II. The city was bombed more than 200 times, yet during the Four Days of Naples, locals rose up together to drive out the Nazi occupation. That same resilience still pulses through the city today, perhaps most vividly felt during a football match!

A City for the Locals

Unlike many Italian cities I’ve visited, Naples feels deeply for the locals. Even as tourists pass through on their way down the coast, the city’s heart beats to its own rhythm. We wined and dined throughout the city and found everything both fairly priced and absolutely delicious. The famous Neapolitan pizza did not disappoint, alongside local specialty, Spaghetti alla Nerano (pasta with courgettes),

A Day by the Sea

We spent a “quieter day” at the beach club Bagno Sirena — easily reached by metro to Mergellina. The sea was still warm in late October, and we bobbed around in the water, looking at the volcano in the distance. Lunch brought another discovery: the Tartufo, my ice-cream cake of dreams.

Football and Fierce Devotion

In Naples, football is unavoidable. Every street is lined with Napoli flags and tributes to Diego Maradona, whose legend looms large across the city. His flaws seem to have been completely forgiven; here, he’s treated as a god. Watching a Napoli game in a local bar was wonderfully entertaining — no need to pay for stadium tickets when the streets themselves come alive with every goal.

Getting Around

Travelling around Naples is surprisingly easy and inexpensive. The Metro is cheap and efficient, but for a bit of fun, we hired a scooter for a day and whipped through cobbled streets strung with washing and blue-and-white flags. For something less hair-raising, you can also book a Vespa tour — a fantastic way to explore the main sights scattered across the sprawling city.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a central Airbnb with a beautiful courtyard, a calm refuge from the city’s lively chaos. After a day of wandering through bustling streets and dodging scooters it was the perfect place to unwind.

If you’re looking for a buzzy city break filled with history and high-quality carbs, Naples is a great destination.

You might just need a rest when you get home.

Late summer picnic

We’ve become very complacent about the weather. It’s been too good for too long and I have started to look at my coats with bewilderment ; Why would I ever need these in lovely balmy Cornwall? Never did I imagine that I would write this post with rain lashing at the window and all the lights on! Someone needs to tell the weather man that Autumn doesn’t begin until the start of the school term. Anyway, having grown up enjoying summer holidays in Wales, I am perfectly used to having picnics in the pouring rain that may or may not have included a packet of ready salted - what a treat.

These little balls of joy would make an excellent addition to any picnic whether in or outdoors. I think we’re all a bit tired of sandwiches by week 600 of the school holidays. So if you have time, give these arancini balls a whirl, they’re easier than you think.

Sophie’s Arancini Balls

Makes approximately x 12

For the rice

1 finely chopped onion

A couple of rashers of chopped bacon (optional)

I cup of Risotto Rice

4 cups of hot stock

Splash of wine or apple cider vinegar

Handful of finely chopped herbs.

Olive and Vegetable Oil

100g grated parmesan

Batter

x1 Egg lightly beaten

x4 Tablespoons Plain Flour

x4 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs

Fillings

Buffalo Mozzarella

Parma Ham.. whatever else you fancy

Method

1. Fry the onion in some oil and salt until very soft. Add the bacon (if using) and cook for a couple more minutes.

2. Add the rice and let it absorb the juices before adding the wine and then boiling stock, a cup at a time.

3. It is important that all the stock is absorbed before you add more.

4. When the rice is cooked through (approx 20 mins) add the cheese and herbs,

5. Spread the rice onto a tray and leave in the fridge to cool completely.

6. Put the beaten egg, flour and breadcrumbs in three separate small dishes.

7. Grab a small handful of the cold rice. and roll it in the palm of your hand, squishing a little of your chosen fillings into the middle. Then proceed to roll it in the egg, flour and breadcrumbs

8. When you have made all the balls leave in the fridge to cool.

9. Add 2 inches of oil to a frying pan ( I used a blend of olive and vegetable) and heat until really hot.

10. Drop each ball carefully into the oil and fry on each side for a couple of minutes.

11. Place each hot oily ball on a couple of layers of kitchen paper to cool.

12. Ta-dah your glorious little carby balls are ready to gobble!

Sending love to everyone, particularly those facing new challenges this week

Sophie x

Tablecloth in Marmalade Linen `(on sale)

Goodbye April, thanks for the sunshine

April has been a month of sunshine, millionaires in space, Trumpy tariffs, the death of one of my favourite pontifs (did JD finish him off?) and a regrettable amount of chocolate. We are deep in A Level revision land and I am on permanent snack/ cheer squad duty. When I haven’t been making protein smoothies and experiencing a suspicious fruity waft from the study room, these are some of the things that I have enjoyed.

Cinema - Mr Burton

This film was unexpectedly brilliant. I anticipated a typical British drama ; the chinking of tea cups and good natured characters pottering around a Welsh mining village. However we enjoyed stellar performances from Toby Jones and Harry Lawley and the wonderful transformation of Richard Burton from valley scally to formidable star of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I loved the seamless switching between Welsh and English and could fully appreciate the conflict between troubled Burton’s two very different worlds.

Eating - The Arnold Bennett Omlette

I declare The Arnold Bennett Omlette the breakfast of dreams. Famously created by The Savoy for author Arnold Bennett in 1921, the classic omlette is made with smoked haddock, lightly cooked eggs, and a bechamel flavoured with mustard and worcestershire. The silky smooth cheesy layers are heavenly and whist it is a fiddle to make you won’t regret all that whisking. Try this recipe for the promised land of breakfasts and serve with a crisp green salad.

Reading - ‘Dream Count’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I don’t feel qualified to summarize this astute and multi layered novel. ‘Dream Count’ is composed of the interlocking stories of four women, Chiamaka (“Chia”), Zikora, Omelogor and Kadiatou. All of these women are African immigrants living in the USA. Set against the backdrop of the Covid Pandemic, the book looks at their relationships and the conflict between cultural expectations vs dreams and living in the modern Western world,

Streaming - Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kid-fluencing - Netflix

I was disturbed but not surprised by Netflix’s new docu-series ‘Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing’ which takes a look at the murky story of child - influencer Piper Rockelle and her momager Tiffany Smith. Eight year old Piper experiences huge success creating content for You Tube and soon her Mother has enlisted several other fellow child influencers to collaborate on videos. Four years later, the kids sue Smith for $22 million, alleging they suffered “emotional, verbal, physical, and at times, sexual abuse”. It becomes clearly apparent that there is still no clear legislation that supports child content creators and the protection of these kids is entirely down to the integrity of the parent or guardian. More on my Substack here.

What are you looking forward to in May? Although June is my favourite month, I find May so invigorating : a month of bumble bees, sea swimming and sitting outside at last.

Please let me know your recommendations

Sophie xxx

Linen Tablecloth in Gelato

Hot Cross Bun French Toast

I am a hot cross bun snob : supermarket buns are too sweet for me and any sort of hybrid is a hard no! Fair play if creme egg or marmite varieties float your boat. This recipe from The Orange Bakery is pretty straight forward and produces gorgeous, zesty spiced buns but you will need to get organised and prove the dough overnight.

For less effort, why not try making some hot cross bun french toast. Slightly stale shop-bought hot cross buns are perfect and their sweetness is well balanced with the dark chocolate sauce. This recipe is so easy and produces gorgeous pillows of custardy buns, perfect for breakfast on Easter morning,.

Ingredients

x6 hot cross buns

2 medium eggs

50 ml whole milk or cream

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g dark chocolate

2 tbsp butter

Method

Whisk the eggs and spices together in a shallow dish.

Halve the hot cross buns and soak them in the eggy mixture.

Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of butter and oil, fry the buns on a medium heat until golden brown.

Set up a bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the chocolate.

Stir butter into the cooled melted chocolate.

Dip your french toast buns into the sauce and enjoy.

Happy Easter xxx

Linen Tablecloth in Wimbledon

First Bite of the Big Apple - Taking teenagers to NYC

City breaks seem to suit our family extremely well. The teenagers are quickly bored on the beach (spoilt) and the hustle and bustle of a foreign city is a great contrast to our sleepy Cornish home town. New York City is an ideal destination for teenagers for as well as feeling like a huge movie set, the jet lag created by travelling west means that they will actually get out of bed before lunch. Prior to leaving we all wrote down the things that we wanted to do resulting in a contented balance of modern art and fried chicken. Our boys (aged 15 and 17 years) are at an ideal stage to enjoy the city and could manage their subway passes, hecklers, late nights and improvising on the fly.

Brooklyn

Our days booking a hotel room with a fold out sofa bed are long gone. Hotel rooms in Manhatten for four people are prohibitively expensive and tiny. We opted for more space and booked a lovely Air B n B in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Our appartment was a brisk five minute walk to the Subway Station (Grand Street) and a 10 minute subway ride to Manhatten (Union Square). There were plenty of affordable food options and coffee shops on our doorstep including Three Legged Cat (best coffee in NYC) From Rome to Brooklyn (pizza) and the fabulous Kellogg’s Diner serving American and Mexican food in a tradional Happy Days- style setting. We attended the Sunday Service at Love, Fellowship Tabanacle (Brooklyn) where we were made to feel very welcome and enjoyed listening to their fabulous gospel choir.

Central Park brrrrrrr.

Activities

Our Go City Pass included access to five major attractions in New York City. One of the unexpected highlights was the American Museum of Natural History. Who knew that the teenage boys were still so enamoured by dinosaurs? We were all impressed by the Hayden Big Bang Theatre and the scale of the exhibits. I enjoyed the rather niche tour of Art Deco friezes at the Rockerfella Centre although I am not sure that my enthusiasm was shared. The story of immigration was well told at Ellis Island and a great insight into the melting pot of cultures within the city.

We snagged some last minute tickets to watch Moulin Rouge on Broadway (TodayTix) which was spectacular and more fabulous than the film with the addition of contemporary bangers that were familiar to the teens. We pre booked tickets to see the Knicks vs Bulls at Madison Square Gardens (Ticketmaster). I am not a sport enthusiast but thoroughly enjoyed the basketball (apart from the awful honking) it’s a much more wholesome family affair than watching the football. (less c bombs more giveaways). A visit to the National Stonewall Memorial Centre was eye opening and felt timely given the current US political climate.

Gay Liberation’ statue by George Segal (outside Stonwewall Inn)

Food

Food is a very high priority on our family holidays. As well as some rather grim fried chicken affairs (the kids loved Raising Canes and Chick-Fil-A) we were excited to find some great Jewish Delis. We enjoyed chicken soup and Reuben sandwiches at PJ Bernsteins on the Upper East Side (close to the Met and Guggenheim). The more famous Katz Deli was worth the queue but you’ll need sharp elbows to grab a table. We found the best bagels at Bagel Bobs in Grenwich Village : popular with the students at NYU, these bagels were loaded and very budget friendly. We ate gorgeous Italian food at Nizza and Bea in Hell’s Kitchen. These fun restaurants were bursting with atmosphere and their menus had all the regular crowd pleasers as well as more creative offerings.

My last visit to New York was in 1996 when I seemed to spend most of my time sunbathing and smoking on the steps of the Met (I did go in briefly). I had forgotten that the Subway was edgy and makes the London Underground look like the Orient Express. Our teenagers were definitely exposed to the more grubby side of the city, in fact they were absolutely thrilled to witness criminal activity (Tasor anyone?) All in all, New York City blew their minds and I don’t think they’ll ever forget their first bite of the Big Apple.

Delicious Reuben Sandwiches with no queue at PJ Bernstein.

Make Sandwiches Great Again

In difficult times it’s always helpful to focus on life’s minutiae, in this case sandwiches. I am a huge enthusiast of anything slapped between two pieces of good bread and my death row meal would definitely include an excellently constructed sandwich. School packed lunches and service stations have given this cullinary treat a bad reputation : flappy ham, soggy tomato and dry bread. A well- made sandwich can easily take centre stage at supper and need not only be reserved for lunches-on-the go. Is it time to rethink your sandwich game?

The sandwich is officially 263 years old. Although there are earlier accounts of meals served between two slices of bread, the sandwich is named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. As the story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. The rogue Earl asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands. At the time this was scandalous, as eating with your hands was not considered polite. Other people were probably eating this way, but they weren’t considered important enough to write about. The Earl was considered a ‘daring man’ and probably didn’t know that his snack requests would become a global convenience meal.

According to the British Sandwich Association, in the UK we spend over £8.2bn on sandwiches every year. Marks and Spencers first produced a wrapped sandwich in 1980 for 43p and the industry took off exponentially in spite of doubts that customers would want to buy something that could be easily whipped up at home from leftovers. The average packaged sandwich is consumed within 3.5 mins and people were up for instant gratification during the 80’s convenience foods boom. By the 1990’s, the sandwich industry had trebled in size and sandwich invention became competitive between major retailers.

Sandwich cutters at Katz’ Deli

Fancy sandwiches were championed by Pret-a-Manger in the 1990’s with more daring creations including roast leg of lamb, redcurrant jelly and aubergine. However, the immigrant cultures in New York bought varied deli sandwiches to the city from the 1880’s on wards. Personally, I don’t think that packaged versions can ever complete with freshly constructed elaborate or simple sandwiches. Deli’s such as Katz have up to 8 cutters working furiously to produce phenomenally well stacked sandwiches including aged pastrami, brisket, swiss cheese and pickles with Russian dressing. Here in the UK we are seeing the emergence of shops that are taking the skill and construction of sandwiches more seriously. Great British Chefs have compiled a list of the top 15 sandwich cafes in the UK that would be well worth a pilgrimage.

From Elvis’ fried banana and bacon offering to the Queen’s dainty finger sandwiches, good bread is the ultimate vehicle for your favourite snack. The question of what is more important the carrier or the filling is difficult to answer. Personally, I feel that processed bread is ruiness to a sandwich as is a slimy filling that has been sitting between the slices for too long. Life is too short to eat bad sandwiches, so do yourself a favour and make yourself an epic one this weekend. These are my top 5…

Top 5 sandwiches

1. The Reuben - pastrami, saurkraut, swiss cheese on Rye Bread with Russian Dressing.

2. Crab Sandwich - white crab meat, homemade mayonnaise with crispy iceberg lettuce on brown bread,

3. Smoked Salmon Pumpernikel bagel with cream cheese and capers.

4. Fish Finger Sandwich - goujons with tartare sauce on fresh white bread.

5. Cucumber Finger Sandwich - softened butter, thin slices of cumumber and salt and pepper on brown bread.

Salmon and Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel Bagel (Bagel Bobs, NYC)

Pudding for One

I find myself at home alone on Friday nights with increasing frequency. To be clear, I am absolutely fine with the situation as I am always knackered and don’t have the energy to create a meal , go out (what?????) or compromise on my Netflix choices. To optimize these quiet and wonderful evenings, I like to indulge in a personal pudding. There is no need to share and there is something a little rebellious about having ‘just a pudding’ for supper. If this is also your Friday night situation, I have put a couple of VERY simple recipes below to cover both chocolatey and carby cravings.

Chocolate Soufflé for One

50g dark chocolate

A pinch of sea salt

2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar,

25g butter,

1 large egg separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

• Set a fan oven to 180°C and grease a ramekin or small oven proof dish with butter

• Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and melt slowly.

• Whilst the chocolatey mixture is melting, whisk your egg whites until they become snowy peaks and then whizz in the sugar until it all becomes glossy.

• Take the bowl of chocolate and butter off the heat and cool slightly. Then stir in the vanilla extract and egg yolk.

• Fold the stiff egg whites into the chocolatey mixture and delicately spoon into the ramekin.

• Cook for 18 mins and scoff with cream and or ice cream.

Individual Bread and Butter Pudding

x2 small slices of any bread or brioche

a handful of sultanas, cranberries or choc chips

x2 tbsp caster sugar

x2 tbsp double cream

60ml whole milk

Butter to spread

x1 egg

• Set a fan oven to 180° C and grease a ramekin or small oven proof dish with butter

• Spread the bread liberally with butter.

• Layer the bread (you may need to cut it down) into the ramekin sprinkling the dried fruit or choc chips between the layers as you go.

• Meanwhile whisk the egg, cream, sugar and milk together in small jug.

• Pour the creamy mixture over the bread in the ramekin, sprinkling nutmeg or cinnamon on the top if desired.

• Bake for 35 minutes until the top is golden and delicious.

YUM YUM and no need for mind-bending ‘Ottolenghi-style’ 15 ingredient and 25 step instructional methods for total delicious decadence.

Sophie xx

One spoon please?