Happy Independence Day Finland!

Today Finland is celebrating its 98th year of independence, and I'm a little sad, because I was supposed to be in my home town, Tampere, raising a glass or two with my sister and my father. Instead, I'm recovering from a nasty bug. Oh well, there's always next year, and in 2017 Finland will be 100 years old! The centenary celebrations are already being planned in Finland as well as by ex-pat Finns all over he world.

I did an interview with the Chairman of the Finland 100 Years Committee for a magazine a few months ago. Click here to read the whole article. (Sorry, it's in Finnish, but there's more about the celebrations on the 'Finland 100 Years' website in English here.)

Later tonight I shall be watching the annual Independence ball from the Presidential palace in Helsinki, to see who's been honoured with an invite, and more importantly what everyone is wearing. Here's hoping the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Corporation) live streaming works this year...

I hope all you fellow Finns and friends of Finland, have a

Happy Independence Day!

Five things you should know about a Finnish sauna

Image: Visit Finland

I was three days (yes days!) old when my parents took me into a sauna. It was early spring, and we were visiting our summer cottage near Kangasala in the Häme province of Finland. By all accounts I loved the heat and gurgled away on my mother’s lap.

I’ve been an avid sauna-goer ever since, and I've even managed to covert the Englishman, and the Daughter-in-law into the practise. Before the Big Move, when we lived in the sticks, one of our priced possessions was a sauna, but alas in London we have to do without.

It's different in Finland, where most new flats come with saunas. If you are lucky to own a summer cottage (many Finns do), there'll be a sauna there by a lake, or deep in a forest. There are reputedly some 3.3 million saunas in the country; that’s more than one sauna per two inhabitants.

Historically the sauna first came into being as part of the main dwelling quarter; later it was where you cleaned yourself, where women gave birth, and the dead were washed before burial.  

Even today, the sauna is an integral part of the Finnish psyche. There’s a Finnish proverb, “Jos ei viina, terva ja sauna auta, niin tauti on kuolemaksi.” If alcohol, tar and sauna don’t make you better, you are facing death. (Tar was used as a disinfectant in the olden days)

When I lived in Finland, sauna was where business was conducted; where the long-standing Cold War President Kekkonen had his most secret and important meetings with visiting Soviet leaders. Oh, how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in one of those powwows! (Of course flies could not survive in a hot sauna, but you know what I mean.) 

As a result of this sauna culture, nakedness in Finland is more natural. However, contrary to popular misconception, it isn’t normal for women and men to mix in a sauna (unless they’re immediate family). It’s also now far more likely that business meetings take place on a golf course. Talking of which, some of the better public saunas I’ve visited in Finland have been in golf club changing rooms. In fact most hotels, sports halls and public facilities in Finland have a sauna. The Helsinki parliament building has a sauna, as do all the Finnish embassies and consulates around the world.

There are three main types of sauna today: electric, wood-fired and smoke sauna. I really love the wood-fired one, but whatever the type, to me, there are five crucial points you should know about a Finnish sauna:

Image: Visit Finland

1. A sauna has to be hot
2. There has to be a bucket of water available to throw over the stones to create steam, or löyly
3. If there’s no lake or sea to dip yourself in after a sauna, there has to be an area for quiet contemplation afterwards
4. You have to be naked in a sauna, but the sauna has nothing to do with sex (try doing it in a sauna...)
5. Having a sauna is a tranquil process; it’s not an activity to be hurried. 

So, if a Finn asks you to have a sauna with him – fear not. He’s not trying to embarrass you. All he wants is to share something holy with you – so say yes. You might be surprised and become a convert like the Englishman!

A version of this article will appear in the CoScan magazine later this year.

CoScan magazine is now online

Just a quick note to let you know that a magazine for which I write articles about Finland, is now online.

CoScan, or confederation of Scandinavian Societies of Great Britain was set up in 1950 and acts as a coordinating body for societies which work for cultural exchange between UK and Ireland on the one hand and the five Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway, on the other.

My article on Finnish tango is on page 14, and there's also a really lovely and insightful review of my novel, Coffee and Vodka on page 31.

You can see the magazine here, and join CoScan here.

Finnish Christmas and Heirloom restaurant, and the Savoy...

I rashly promised someone over on Facebook that I'd blog the recipes for my Finnish Christmas vegetable bakes... sadly I never got round to it this year, but perhaps in 2015? I see from my archives that I have blogged several times about my Finnish food traditions (with pictures), so until next year, this will have to do.

As usual, Christmas was a busy time for the Halme family. On the 24th, together with Son and Daughter, we had our fill of gravad lax, marinated herring, schnapps, as well as home-cooked ham and Finnish swede and carrot bakes.

Rosolli (beetroot salad) 

Gravad lax with schnapps

The terrier waiting for his presents

On Christmas Day, after presents and a couple of glasses of bubbly, we all headed out to the country to visit the Englishman's mother who turned 94 on the day. It was a lovely family gathering with 12 of us around a long table, chatting and laughing - and eating too much.

The main event: turkey!

On Boxing Day we drove back again through the frosty landscape in the bright sunshine, which in the evening turned into driving rain (sadly no snow in North London), but by that stage we were safely tucked up in our flat, preparing another Finnish food-fest. For some reason, all of it tasted far better second time around - perhaps it's the contrast between the traditional turkey and trimmings which makes Finnish food taste so delicious.

Day after Boxing Day was Daughter's birthday, and we were drinking champagne again in the morning, and in the evening we had invited a few of her friends and Son to a local eatery here in North London, Heirloom. It's a bit of a tradition to go out on Daughter's birthday, either for brunch, lunch or dinner. Usually I keep the venue a closely guarded secret, but this year, I gave her the choice of restaurant and she liked the idea of keeping it local.

Daughter opening her presents at Heirloom

We'd been to Heirloom a few times now, and we've never been disappointed with the food. It's fresh, traditional British fare with a modern vibe - all the vegetables are grown on a farm in Buckinghamshire and the food therefore is truly seasonal. I had Cornish Squid with Fennel and Datterino Tomatoes to start, Cornish Place with Ratte Potatoes and Seaweed Butter for mains. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. Other people around the table seemed pleased with their choices too. I tasted Daughter's Yellow Chanterelle Barley Risotto with black pudding to die for. It was all so tasty that the place reminded me a little of Fäviken in Sweden. Heirloom is obviously not in the same league vis-a-vis the theatre of the experience there, or the ingredients (or price bracket), but the cooking is definitely superb, and really quite handy for us, as it is just a short walking distance from home.

Yesterday I was invited by friends to lunch to Kaspar's at The Savoy (as one does!), and again my tastebuds were taken to another level. The Savoy looks so festive, especially at Christmas time, and inside its luxurious cocoon, you feel as if you'd stepped into another, more elegant, era.

Today, I came down to earth with a bump as the alarm went off at 6.30 am and I had to make my way to work. Luckily the Englishman drove me into Camden, so at least I didn't have to brave the London public transport quite yet....

Although, there is still one huge treat in store for me this Christmas: we are going to the Finnish pop-up restaurant, Tenu, tonight. But more about that later!

Did you have a quiet or a busy Christmas?

Sylvian joululaulu - my favourite Finnish Christmas song

Since I introduced you to one of the most common Finnish characteristics, melancholy, below, I though I'd share with you my favourite Christmas song which never fails to make me weep (yes, weep, not cry).

This carol, called Sylvia's Christmas Song, is based on a poem by Finnish poet Zacharia Topelius and set to music by Karl Collan. The story is about a bird, native to Finland, who is forced to migrate to Sicily for the winter, remembering his beloved homeland. The song (in its Finnish translation from the original Swedish) has twice been voted the most beautiful Christmas song in Finland and has become the song that most accurately describes the home-sickness felt by many Finns for their Nordic homeland at Christmas time.

There is also a reference to the bird longing to be freed from its cage, a part of the poem which some say refers to Finland's longing to become freed from Russian rule. (The poem was published 1853, some 24 years before Finland became Independent) Whatever the intention, the poet Topelius certainly manages to convey home-sickness, patriotism and the wish for freedom. Just what everyone wants at Christmas time?

Christmas preparations...

Michael Bubbles Christmas CD on; Daughter making mince pies, ginger bread biscuits and Finnish christmas star pastries; a full glass of some rather excellent M&S mulled wine on table in front of me...Christmas must be getting close.

Micheal Buble - isn't he just lovely?

As always, at this stage, Third Advent, I'm not at all ready - I have several presents to get, and the tree isn't purchased yet, in spite of a rather wrought attempt by daughter and me earlier today. (Long story, but basically we had a publicly conducted dispute about whether the chosen spruce would fit a base which I just know we have in storage somewhere - and whether we in fact should buy a new one for the stately sum of £20. We ended walking away from the quite openly bemused Christmas tree seller...we'll be going up to the larger store in Highgate again then this year, getting a pick of the leftover trees days before the big day. Oh well..)

But I'm beginning to feel Christmassy; the Finnish carol concert at Southwark Cathedral yesterday ensured that. Traditional as well a new Christmas songs were performed by Vuokko Hovatta, Zarkus Poussa, Jarmo Julkunen, Jani Pesola, David Gordon and the excellent Merenkurkut choir from Finnish Church in London. I was glad that we at Finn-Guild could support the church with sponsoring the concert via our travel bureau, Guild Travel. The Cathedral was full to bursting and many an Ex-pat eye teared up with the beautiful singing. (We Finns like to have good cry at Christmas....But any Finn will tell you this is 'good crying' - just another little thing you guys from different nations around the world find difficult to understand).

The Merenkurkut choir singing Finnish carols

But as I sit here, writing this blog, listening to Daughter singing along to Mr Bubbles, I feel incredibly thankful that, as well as being able to fit the Finnish traditions into our Christmas again this year, Daughter is going to do most of the cooking. She spent last Christmas being quite ill with a nasty bug, and couldn't really eat any of the many Finnish dishes she prepared for the first time then. Now she looks like a seasoned pro, adapting recipes, juggling several dishes...soon I won't be needed at all for the Finnish food preparations.

Perhaps this time next year I'll be a little more ready for Christmas? Fat chance...

Are you ready for Christmas?

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend! I'll be enjoying some mämmi (Finnish Easter dessert), Finnish Mignon chocolate eggs and Lonkero (not so traditional Easter fare, but hey, it's a holiday, right?).

But while I'm away enjoying the Easter break, you can find me talking about what it's like to write in a foreign language over at Jessica Bell's excellent blog.

And if you need a good holiday read, Kinlde copy of The Englishman is still on offer until 22 April 2014 at only $0.99 (or £0.77)! Download it now, I've been told it's quite a good read...

Hauskaa Pääsiäistä!    Happy Easter!

Merry Christmas - Hauskaa Joulua!

Today is Christmas Eve, which is when we Finns (and all the other Nordics) celebrate Christmas. In our household we've been doing two Christmases (Finnish and British) pretty much since I moved to the UK some 30 years ago. This year, Daughter has been cooking most of the Finnish foods. Her meatballs, swede bake and carrot bake look absolutely delicious, and her piparkakut (gingerbread men) are lovely!

A couple of days ago, I made my Gravad Lax two ways - one with the traditional dill, and one with fresh ginger. And yesterday The Englishman and I stayed up late to cook and glaze the ham. Today all I'd need to prepare is the traditional Russian herring with beetroot, carrot, pickled cucumber and red onion salad.

Sadly, however, our family will not be sitting down to our Finnish Christmas feast tonight.

No, it's not the power cuts. The storms have hit UK badly, people have lost their lives and today many parts of the UK are without power. We had a short period last night when  the whole of our North London street went black. My thoughts are with those who have suffered a loss and I feel sorry for anyone who has to travel today - from what I've seen in the news this morning, it's veritable chaos on the trains, planes and on the roads.

But for us, the reason for a swift change to traditional Christmas celebrations is that three of our family have taken ill with food positioning. Last night while waiting for the ham to cook, we decided to get some pizzas. This morning at about four am Son, Son's Fiancé and Daughter all started vomiting. Almost simultaneously. As I write, the flat is quiet, with all three sleeping...so I think it'll just be The Englishman and me for the Joulupöytä tonight.

This year's Swedish Blossa mulled wine is flavoured
with raspberries.
Thanks to a dear friend, we have a few bottles to enjoy!

Our ham, best ever from Morley's in Crouch End

Lunch a deux with the Englishman -
Finnish rice porridge and mulled wine.

Oh well, let's hope all will be better by tomorrow so that at least the British part of our Christmas celebrations goes without any major hiccups.

I'll leave you with a link to a broadcast of the traditional proclamation of Christmas Peace from Turku in Finland this morning.

Hauskaa Joulua kaikille!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Happy Independence Day!

Today Finland celebrates its independence. I have written before about the history of my country of birth, and about what being in independent means to a Finn, here. But this year, today is even more special for me, because the main celebrations are being held in my home town of Tampere.

Finnish flags flying at Tampere Hall. Photo: Jukka Kuusinen/Yle

The highlight of the day, the Presidential Ball is taking place in Tampere Hall, a concert centre, because the Presidential Palace in Helsinki is undergoing major renovations. Big Sis who's in Tampere at the moment, tells me there's been a lot of hoo-ha in Finland about the lack of any dancing during the ball. It's a bit of a tradition in Finland to see how well the President, or the ministers, or various celebrities who've been honoured with an invite to the televised Ball fare on the crowded dance floor. 'This year it's going to be a different kind of Independence Day - a celebration the Tampere way,' my sister said to me over Skype and threw her head back and laughed.

Our home town is indeed a bit different - dubbed the Manchester of Finland, it has its roots in heavy industry and the working classes. Although nowadays the industry, instead of being heavy metal and cotton  mills, is information and communication technology and skilled engineering, so the town is more white collar than blue collar. To me, Tampere still feels different, more old-fashioned and traditional than, say Helsinki or Turku.

In any case, even if there's a departure from important traditions, such as dancing, I still hope the celebrations in Tampere go well and the organisers do the city proud. If you want to see what really goes on during the Independence Day in Finland, you can follow the celebrations from my home town on YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Corporation) here.

Hyvää Itsenäisyyspäivää kaikille suomalaiseille!

Scandinavian Christmas comes to London

The weekend when the Scandinavian Christmas fairs come to London is always when I start to feel festive. The Finnish Church in Rotherhithe opened its doors this Wednesday with wonderful Finnish foods, sweets and Christmas decorations, while the Scandinavian Christmas market on the street between the Finnish and Norwegian churches was set up yesterday. A sunny and cold day, with the scent of mulled wine and Nordic Christmas hymns playing in the background, all that was missing was snow to make me feel all at home.

Here are some pictures from yesterday's market.

All that was missing was snow... 

Now how could you say no to these fellows?

I love these stars and had to get a couple to decorate my windows.

These decorations are so cute!

There was live music too. 

If tree's one thing you have to taste, it's Fazer chocolate with  ginger snaps.

Finnish Christmas stars and cinnamon buns.

Inka Karppinen being a lovely volunteer. 

'I know all about you,' said Father Christmas to the Englishman.
I was too scared to ask what he meant!

Finnish Church Christmas Fair 2013 is open:

Wed 20.11. 12-20

Thu 21.11. 12-20

Fri 22.11. 12-20

Sat 23.11. 10-18

Sun 24.11. 10-18

Tervetuloa! Welcome!

A-Z Challenge: K is for Karelia

My theme: writing and the business of writing

"Karelia: a region of NE Europe, formerly Finland but annexed in several stages by the former Soviet Union."

Picture from Paradox

In Finnish history, Karelia is a contentious issue. It's not mentioned in the above quote, (from Collins dictionary 2003) but Finland still has a region called Karelia. Many Karelian Finns also consider the area now belonging to Russia as their rightful homeland, because during the 2nd World War many people lost their land and property during bitter battles fought between Finns and Russians.

What has Karelia got to do with writing?

For a writer, historically dramatic events and regions are important, and you ignore them at your peril. Even if your book is set in modern times, there are always characters whose lives, or whose relatives' lives, have been affected by a historical event. This is true especially for Finland, whose short history has seen many wars and tragedies.

In my latest spy novel, The Red King of Helsinki, the main protagonist's Karelian family lost their home in the Winter War. This tragedy has repercussions when Pia's mother Maija decides to study the Russian language in the 1950's.

Maija’s degree in Russian language had always been a problem. First her mother was against it. Maija’s grandfather fought the Reds in the Civil War in 1917, and her father the Russians twenty-five years later in the Winter War. His family were from Karelia.

Maija’s aunt talked often about the two evacuations from Karelia, where 400,000 had to leave their homes and livelihoods. Her home as well as the childhood home was near Viipuri, now beyond the border in the Soviet Union. Auntie Eija's husband had died in the war; how, Maija wasn’t ever quite sure. She had visions of Uncle Kaarlo in a fist fight with a tall Russian while their large farmhouse with beautifully carved porches was in flames in the background. Aunt Eija carried pictures of the farmhouse they had lost as well as a black-and-white portrait of her dead husband in her purse. She never passed an opportunity to take the pictures out and decry the Soviet state.

‘We lost our homeland, but Finland kept her independence, unlike those poor Baltic states.’

Even though I don't have any close family connections with Karelia, I've always been fascinated by the Karelian people and its history, which has so coloured Finnish life. I guess that's why Karelian characters often seep into my fiction.

The Red King of Helsinki came out 30 March is now available on Kindle as well as iBooks and other e-reading devices. 

Finnish Easter shopping

Last weekend, during a Finn Guild friendship network event, I joined a group of Finnish ladies in Brighton to discuss multicultural marriage and the bringing up of bilingual (or in some cases trilingual) children. Whilst listening to an excellent talk by Maria Onuigbo on multicultural relationships, I realised that a huge element of how I've kept my Finnish identity intact all these years living in the UK, has been the upkeep of certain traditions.

So Easter to me is not just a holiday, it's about getting all the old decorations out, dressing my home in spring colours, being with the family and eating Finnish (and Swedish - see below) foods, with the occasional hot cross bun thrown in.

Finnish goodies at the Easter Fair

Which brings me onto the shopping bit of this post. Quite often in the past, I've timed a visit to Finland (or Sweden where you can buy most Finnish foodstuffs nowadays and which to me is a little bit of home too) to bring back such goodies as Fazer's Mignon chocolate eggs, Mämmi (a dessert with molasses and sugar) and quark-filled pastries.

This year, however, I haven't managed a trip back home, but will visit the next best thing - Finnish Church Easter Fair. This is an event which mirrors the hugely popular Christmas Bazaar in the Finnish Church and Seamen's Mission in Rotherhithe, East London. The Easter Fair is this coming weekend, so if you are looking for some unique Nordic Easter foodstuffs and decorations, East London is the place to be.

Because my roots are also partly from Sweden, where I lived as a child, I tend to mix into my Easter something from there too, such as these colourful feathers the Swedes attach to birch tree sprigs. I think you can buy these feathers in some florists in the UK, but luckily I've got some left over from last year.

Finnish Church Easter Fair is open:

Friday 15.3. 12-20
Saturday 16.3. 10-18
Sunday 17.3. 12-17

Finnish comfort food for a chilly night in London

I know I wasn't going to blog, but due to popular demand…. ;-)

Last night when the weather in the UK became decidedly Nordic, I fancied a traditional Finnish comfort food dish, Kaalilaatikko. This is a stew with mince and cabbage baked for a long time in the oven, which I've been craving since Big Sis mentioned it during her recent visit. I cannot remember when I last made this dish, but helpfully Big Sis (she works in the food industry in Lapland) gave me great ideas how to adapt the old recipe into a modern British kitchen. I added a few of my own tweaks, and the result was really quite delicious (the Englishman had three helpings).


When I posted a picture of my Kaalilaatikko on Twitter, I got requests of the recipe for the dish, so here it is:


A small white cabbage, cut into slices
500 grammes (1 lb) of mince
1 onion, chopped
1 packet of cooked Uncle Ben's rice
150 g tub of creme fraiche
1 cube of chicken stock
1 tbs maple syrup
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp of dried thyme or 1 tbs of fresh thyme
1 tsp of vegetable stock powder
sunflower oil




Heat the oven to 170 C.

Chop the cabbage and fry quickly in a little sunflower oil. Pour over boiling water to cover, mixed with the vegetable stock powder and cook for about 10 minutes until the cabbage is getting soft.

Drain the cabbage, reserving the water and mix in a stock cube into the liquid. (I used Oxo Reduced Salt Chicken only because that was all I had.)

Heat a little sunflower oil mixed with a little butter and fry the onion and mince until the meat is brown and cooked.

Mix meat with the cabbage and the rice. Combine the egg with the creme fraiche and blend into the meat and cabbage, also adding the maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper and the thyme. Mix well and put into a deep buttered oven dish. I used an oval pie dish. Add enough of the cabbage liquid so that you can just see it on top of the dish. (This prevents the dish from drying out in the oven). Dot a few knobs of butter (or omit if you're counting the calories) over the dish and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Serve the dish with some cranberry sauce, or if you can get hold of lingonberry jam (I get mine from The Scandinavian Kitchen), so much the better.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Just a little snipped from my childhood…a school Christmas end of term concert from Finland in 1979. Look at those haircuts!

Happy Christmas to you all!

Finnish Independence Day Celebrations

My invite to the Ambassador's reception.

I was delighted to be invited to the Finnish Ambassador's residence in London's South Kensington last night to celebrate 95 years of Finnish Independence. (I've written a little about our history here.)

And what an evening it was! I'm still buzzing today. I met so many old friends, including a fantastic woman with all the answers to how to remain young-looking, and who I went to school with, Marjo Putkisto. (Read all about her 'Method Putkisto' here). For some weird reason (life?!), this was the first time we'd met since leaving school at the age of 18, even though we've both lived in the UK for years and years. Marjo looked better than she did at school, so I for one am going to investigate her famous 'method'.

I also bumped into Jali Wahlsten, the charismatic owner of the Nordic Bakery coffee shops, and Helena Puolakka, the famed chef of Skylon on the South Bank. We discussed the merits of Twitter and I think I got them to agree that social media is the way forward. It's fair to say that at this point I had partaken in some of the fabulous food and drink on offer, so we may have come to a different conclusion all together!

Jali Wahlsten and Helena Poulakka

I must just mention the food at this point. Usually at these kinds of occasions, food is the least notable part of the evening, but last night the offerings were incredible. The little Karelian pies were just melt in the mouth heavenly, as were little cups of reindeer meat. I wasn't so keen on the shots of vanilla scented cranberry vodka, but the bubbly went down very well indeed. I forgot to ask if either Helena or Jali were responsible for the offerings.

The napkins had the Finnish national emblem on them.
So stylish. 

I also made several new ex-pat friends. There were wonderful volunteer teachers and organisers of Finnish Saturday Schools all around the UK, a talented photographer who talked to me about his new project in LA, journalists and engineers. There were Finns from all walks of life who came together last night to celebrate our quirky and wonderful country. Even the Ambassador himself was in a jolly mood and joined us in a photograph at the end of the night. (Not on my camera unfortunately).

It was as if, even though I knew a mere fraction of the people crowding the vast rooms of the Georgian mansion, we were all just one big happy family. Everyone was so jolly and friendly. I cannot tell you how magical it was. (And no, it wasn't just the cranberry vodka….OK it may have contributed!)

Lastly, thank you to my new colleagues (and friends) at Guild Travel and Finn Guild for your company last night. I sincerely hope I will be invited next year too!

Happy 'Little Christmas'!

In the Nordic countries we celebrate something called 'Little Christmas' on 1st of December. It's basically First Advent, but a less religious version. People have parties, children get presents from the elves, and the first advent candle is lit at breakfast (there's a huge FAIL in our household on this score since all Christmas decorations are still in storage - and because Daughter is the only person now who keeps us in check and she's away at uni).

'Little Christmas' also hails the beginning of the office party season in Scandinavia, just like here in the UK.

This year I thought the best way to give you all a bit of Christmas cheer is to share the Blossa Christmas ad. Blossa make the most famous Swedish mulled wine, each year coming out with a new version.

Blossa 12 Yuzu Ingefära

£19.90 
from Scandinavian Kitchen

Just the bottle design is brilliant, don't you think? This year's version combines Swedish traditional glögg flavours with Far Eastern fruits and spices, with yuzu, grapefruit, clementine and ginger. I cannot wait to sample it!

Hauskaa pikkujoulua!

Feeling poorly...

For weeks now I've been battling against a cold. I've tried everything; various nasal sprays, copious amounts of vitamin C and other potions, but last weekend my body finally caved in and I ended up in bed, having to cancel going to all sorts of lovely events, like the Finnish and Danish Christmas Markets.

Father Christmas at last year's Finnish Christmas Market

Lovely Danish wares at last year's Market

Yesterday I thought I was better again and went off to my new office in Camden. Once there, though, I felt awful and had to leave early. Same happened again at another office in Southwark today, and this afternoon I feel even worse than I did over the weekend.

I should have listened to my Big Sis who warned me against going to work when still feeling unwell. I never did listen to her advice!

Christmas preparations

It's strange how the little things make all the difference to Christmas. Even though I put a few decorations up for Pikkujoulu on the 1st of December, and I've visited the various seasonal ex-pat fairs, as well as been to the Swedish Lucia carols, to me, it hasn't really felt like Christmas yet.

But today, as I started making the two Finnish vegetable dishes Lanttulaatikko and Porkkanalaatikko (swede and carrot bakes) for Christmas Eve, the scent of rice pudding and swede being boiled, together with grated nutmeg which is used to season the dishes, made me feel completely Christmassy.

Lanttulaatikko and Porkkanalaatikko

While the two dishes cooked in the oven, Daughter decorated the Christmas tree and then moved onto making gingerbread biscuits. She put on the cheesy old That's Christmas compilation which we've had for years and years and which always brings a tear to my eyes on the first listen. It seems the tracks (eg Winter's Tale by David Essex) which I most hated when they came out are the worst....

You need nimble fingers to deal with the gingerbread biscuit dough.

The finished biscuits taste delicious.

The tree has a white and silver theme this year.

Hope you too are getting that Christmas feeling!

Finnish Christmas Fair

It never ceases to amaze me how two countries who are geographically so close can be so different. Take the two ex-pat Christmas Fairs I've just been to. Yesterday's Swedish Church was stylish, flash and showy. Set in the genteel part of town in Marylebone, it was where the well-heeled Swedes come to shop for their Christmas goodies.

Even the flag is smaller than at the Swedish Church...

The Finnish Church in London, however, is not blessed with a central location. 33 Albion Street, SE19, is only a hop and a skip away from Canada Water, but is stuck on a small high street which has seen better days. The church building, which is new, could be called ugly by someone who is not Finnish by birth. Obviously I, however, tried to see the Aaltoesk properties of the simple 70's (?) facade...

Inside the church was filled with Finnish goodies. There was someone playing the piano, bringing a tear to my eye with old Finnish Christmas songs. Unlike at the Swedish Church, here the stalls, which were heavily laden with wonderful Fazer goodies, proper dark rye breads, and fantastic old-fashioned straw decorations made in Savolax (to name only a few) were unmanned. There were no friendly Finns in their national costumes (why not - the Finnish ones are by far more beautiful in their simplicity than the Swedish ones?), nor was there a scary Pastor (phew) handing out programmes. The Finns in their infinite efficiency had decided on a supermarket model - at the entrance you were handed a basket and you paid at the tills. A much more sensible solution to the inevitable crowds of ex-pats these events attract, but somehow less romantic.

I could have bought up the whole of this table.

I just love those straw reindeer.

Finnish coffee.

I had to take a picture of the 'Squeaky Cheese' - I've never heard this baked cheese called that!

Proper Finnish pastry for Finnish Christmas 'stars'.

I'm afraid I succumbed to Finnish sausage.

I know, it's not good for you, but I just couldn't resist.

Is there a legal issue we're not aware of?

One thing the Finns do have is their monopoly on Father Christmas - he does live in Finland after all. And as if by magic, half-way through my shopping expedition, he appeared to the delight of both children and adults alike.

He was handing out sweets - and it's not even December yet!

Finnish Koskenkorva vodka and liquers.

Even though the location could be better, I had a wonderful time at the Finnish Church Christmas Fair today and bought far too many things. More about that nearer Christmas!