New Year's Eve Morning at Billingsgate Fish Market in London

Billingsgate Fish Market

We rarely go out on New Year's Eve. When the children were young we did what many parents of small children do - miss 12 o'clock altogether by nodding off in front the sofa, desperately trying to stay awake. Occasionally, especially when the children got older, we'd be invited to parties, or skiing (bliss!), or even have a party ourselves (in our old country house I was the Millennium party host - a memorable evening for many reasons....).

But we've never been keen on going out on New Year's Eve, even when the children grew up and went their own ways. Instead of the difficulty with babysitters, there was the difficulty (and expense) of taxis to the middle of nowhere.

When we moved away from the country into London, I thought we'd take up going out again - there was no problem with babysitting or transport - the tube in London is free and runs all night. But last year - our first here in London - after umming and arring for the days between Christmas and New Year, we decided to try our local, The Holly Bush, in Hampstead. With post-Christmas budgets pinching us, a night in a pub would be less expensive than going out somewhere (proper), we mused. Typically for us, after some cocktails with Daughter and her friends at home (they were staying over in our flat), we walked to the pub and ended up buying a very expensive bottle of champagne on the stroke of midnight. So much for saving money...

This year the same umming and arring has been going on again. But after such an extravagant (and so worth it!) night out for Daughter's 21st, we decided we'd treat ourselves to something nice at home and settle down in front of Jules Holland's Hootenanny on TV instead. Then I had a bright idea: why don't we go out to Billingsgate Fish Market in the morning to buy - hopefully - live lobster, and cook them for the evening? Why indeed not....

At 5 am this morning when the alarm went I regretted my bright idea, but after a cup of coffee I was up for the adventure. I'd always wanted to see the new Billingsgate market. I love fish, and I wanted to see if you really could barter for your supper. After a long and a lonely drive across the dark, empty streets of London, we finally reached the Isle of Dogs where the market is. And boy was it busy! There were obviously many other 'private' shoppers who'd had the same brilliant idea as us.

There was some serious haggling going on...

Some stalls sold fish which was already prepared.

But most sold the fish in boxes which looked like they were packed at sea...lovely!

When we walked along the aisles we realised we'd forgotten to go to a cashpoint en route. After a quick count-up we mustered £40 in cash and hoped we could get at least two lobsters. But there weren't many stalls selling this king of seafood. When we finally came across some, there were many other buyers. But we were relieved to find they were £18 per kilo. We bought two lobsters for £38-00 without even trying to haggle. It just didn't seem right with so many other buyers circling the stall.

The lobsters.

Then the Englishman found more coins in his pockets and we mustered another £15-00 for a box of uncooked king prawns, which we'd spotted earlier. At least here we were able to haggle and got the price reduced from £18. For two kilos of prawns that's pretty good value.

By eight am we were back at home, exhausted. I looked at the lobster and decided they needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. We'd never cooked lobster before, but the Englishman is a dab hand at crayfish. Lobster is only large crayfish, right? After a reviving cup of coffee, we decided to boil up some water with a teaspoon of salt, some bay leaves, thyme and a squeeze of lemon. According to several sites on the interweb, each lobster should only take 15 minutes to cook.

The lobster in the pot.

With some home-made mayonnaise I think we have not only got a delicious meal for New Year a deux but also a meal of excellent value. The proof of the lobster will be in the eating, I'm sure. So wish us luck with our nearly self-caught supper. Lets hope it tastes as good as 'catching' it was fun!

Happy New Year To You All 
and 
Many Thanks For Reading My Ramblings Over 2011!

Billingsgate Market
Trafalgar Way
London
E14 5ST

Tel 020 7987 1118
Fax 020 7987 0258
Email Billingsgatemarket@cityoflondon.gov.uk

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I was very sceptical about watching a Hollywood version of the first book in the wonderful Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  Although I felt the Swedish films left a lot to be desired, mainly because the plot of the books was completely mixed up between the three films, they had some authenticity as films made in the country where the crime novels originated from. Watching the whole action in English would surely take a huge amount away from the Swedish atmosphere?

I also absolutely loved Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in the three films by Oplev. She seemed to capture Lisbeth's complicated character - and she spoke Swedish. (As aside, I've yet to forgive the actress for leaving her lovely husband, Ola, just because she's become the more successful actress - or at least this is what the gossip magazines in Sweden cite as the reason for the couple's marriage breakdown and I believe them...).

But as the opening credits rolled on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I got a feeling that this version by David Finch could be quite good.



And I was right. The relatively unknown actress who portrayed Salander, Rooney Mara, was absolutely brilliant. She completely nailed Lisbeth as the distrustful, vulnerable, yet talented and confident modern sleuth with some serious issues with the 'perfect' Swedish society she inhabits. Lisbeth's apparent lack of social graces became both tragic and funny in Mara's skilled acting hands. There is a moment when watching Blomqvist work his laptop, she shuts her eyes in frustration at his slow speed at the keys. It was both funny and sad.

Just as when reading Larsson's first book, during this first film we all completely fell in love with Lisbeth. We felt sorry for her, we admired her, we worried for her.

The rest of the cast - apart from a couple of dodgy, faintly German-sounding, accents - weren't bad either. Daniel Craig is on top of his game; he totally sold his version of Blomkvist to me. My only beef with the accents was a minor one. Although I wondered why the director felt the need to have any accents at all - neither Craig as Blomkvist or Mara as Salander have Swedish accents. Perhaps the Swedish cast, led by Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger, couldn't do the mid-Atlantic English? I highly doubt it.

In any case, the story's authenticity did not suffer from this lapse in accent discipline, especially as the film was obviously shot in Sweden. In the final scene we even get to Blomkvist's Stockholm stomping ground in Söder, something I was gladdened by.

I now cannot wait for film two in the trilogy. Larsson's second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire is my favourite, mainly I think because it's set in Stockholm, near Blomkvist flat on Bellmansgatan. There is nothing like reading a book, or watching a great adaptation of a favourite book which is set in a city where you grew up. And I hope the disappointing viewing figures in the USA aren't going to stop the sequels. Now that really would be a tragedy.

So if you, like a few other million readers, loved Stieg Larsson's books, do go and see this film. It won't take away from the magic of the novels, on the contrary, it'll add another dimension to the story.

Birthday dinner at The Savoy Grill, London

It sounds terrible but Daughter's birthday has always been a bit of a headache for me. I'm sure anyone who has a child born around Christmas will know what I mean. 


Firstly you have to make sure friends and family refrain from using same wrapping paper for both the birthday and Christmas presents. Then there is the horror of horrors: the Combined Present! Or even worse: people forgetting the birthday all together. 


Before I had a child with a Christmas birthday I was guilty of all the above. I really didn't give it another thought; my view was that anyone who was born around Christmas time would've got used to it and wouldn't mind he odd mistakes or forgetfulness which most us ( especially if you are the Christmas organiser) suffer from during the festive season. 


I now realise that the odd lapse in present etiquette seem much more important when all your celebrations are crammed into the space of one or two days in a year.

Anyway, all this preamble is to try to explain why I try to go that extra mile for my Christmas birthday girl. But inevitably, as her birthday falls between Christmas and New Year, no-one wants to celebrate, or if it is a Bank Holiday in the UK, only a few places are open. Plus on many a year we've either been travelling back from celebrating Christmas in Finland or on our way skiing somewhere remote. Not such a hardship, you think, but ask yourself would you really want to spend your birthday queuing at passport control or sitting in a car on a long drive to Northern Sweden? 


This year at least we weren't travelling anywhere, and also, being in London it was easier to find restaurants which were open (and busy). This year it was also a super special day as my little baby girl turned 21. When I asked Daughter what she'd like to do, she said she wanted to go out with us, her family, and celebrate with her friends on New Year's Eve.

Time for a thinking cap; what we needed was a place which was grown-up, which was classy, in an old-fashioned way, yet where the food was good and which would be memorable. 

Suddenly I knew exactly what would fit the bill: the recently refurbished Savoy! I knew the Savoy Grill is one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants and I'd only heard good things about it. None of us had been there since its refurb so it seemed perfect. I made the booking online and mentioned that this was a special birthday celebration. Back came an email suggesting champagne on arrival and a chocolate cake with a birthday message for pudding. I was buoyed by the restaurant's efficiency - and promptly forgot to reply to the email!

All through Christmas I kept the venue for the birthday a closely guarded secret. Even as we stepped into the taxi on the night, Daughter had no idea where we were going. I'd just told her it would be fairly smart. By incredible luck, earlier, on the morning of the big birthday I'd also spotted in my inbox the email from Savoy and even managed to telephone the restaurant to see if it was too late to order the champagne and the cake. The Maitre'D was more than helpful and promised everything would be fine. 
 

We arrived early and decided on a cocktail at the American Bar. In the dimly lit room there was a pianist playing classics. We could have been in New York in the 1950's. While we sipped our drinks the pianist began a song with the line, 'She's only 21'. For a second I thought the friendly Maitre'D I'd spoken to earlier had even included the pianist in our celebration. But I soon realised it was just a co-incidence. A nice touch, all the same.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were shown to a wonderful table with a corner  banquette so none of us needed to have their backs to the room. (I love this as I hate to have my back to a crowded restaurant). Looking around me I saw how well The Savoy Grill had been refurbished: the style was just updated not changed from its former glory.


With a glass of champagne in her hand, Daughter's eyes sparkled. Smiling broadly she clinked glasses with us, and I knew I'd got the venue right. 

The food at the Savoy Grill is traditionally French, and I must say, brilliantly executed. We started with baked Orkney scallops with roasted cauliflower, anchovy and shrimp butter, steamed Cornish mussels, and lobster bisque. For mains I had pan-fried liver, which was the best I'd ever tasted. Daughter and Son shared a Chateaubriand, and the Englishman had the day's special lamb dish which included every cut of the animal. He declared it excellent as did the 'children' their shared beef dish. 


All evening the staff were utterly charming. With a full restaurant they made us feel as if we were the only people that mattered. Even if their style at times was a little overflowing in a Disney cartoon French way, still the traditional service didn't seem at all out of place here. We were at The Savoy after all.  

A close-up of the chocolate cake. 

There was a nice antique looking Christmas tree in the lobby.

Even the loos were worth a photograph or two.

The Savoy Grill is definitely worthy of a 21st birthday celebration.
Savoy Hotel
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 0EU
T: 020 7592 1600
savoygrill@gordonramsay.com

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!

Swedish Sankta Lucia at St Paul's Cathedral

I felt very privileged to be invited to The Swedish Church Sankta Lucia carol service, which this year was held at no lesser a venue but St Paul's Cathedral in London. The service was due to start at 6.30pm, but we were advised by our seasoned London friends to arrive early to get a good seats. So on the dot at five pm, we joined a queue (which to our surprise was already forming!) and shivering in the chill December wind, waited for more than an hour on the steps of the cathedral. By the time the doors were finally opened, the queue behind us snaked well out of sight around the corner.

The queue behind us was impressive.

The service itself was a combination of English carols and Swedish traditions. There was an excellent speech by the Swedish Ambassador, who true to form is a young woman with long blonde hair (these Swedes!).  She talked about the importance of traditions, and made the audience laugh when she revealed one of the more curious Swedish Christmas Eve customs: for the past fifty years the Swedish TV has broadcast a set of Disney cartoons at the same time in the afternoon. Over 4 million people - half of the Swedish population - tune in each year.

The Swedish Lucia Choir at St Paul's. Image from The Shine Project  

But, for me, the best part of the service came when the lights were lowered and a procession of The Ulrika Eleonora Church Choir and the Bromma Vocalis, all glad in white robes, holding a candle each, and led by Lucia herself with a crown of live candles in her hair, made their way down the aisles of the cathedral. The slowly advancing tunes of Sankta Lucia hymn filled my ears and senses and swiftly took me back to my school days in Stockholm's Johannes skola. I was thirteen again and singing (badly) with the other children.

Johannes skola Lucia procession

The hymns the choir sang were all familiar- although long forgotten - to me. The singing was absolutely beautiful and when the last hymn, Silent Night was sang in Swedish I have to admit to having a need for a hankie or two. And when the choir filed past us back down the isle, I felt like clapping, but obviously that just was not appropriate.

Instead we made our way out of the magnificent cathedral and went across the road for a well deserved burger.

It's funny how feeding the soul makes you incredibly hungry for big eats.

Christmas Shopping Event in Belsize Park, NW3

If, like me, you are still struggling to find the perfect Christmas gifts, there is a pop-up shop for one day only to be held at 7 Lambolle Place, Belsize Park, London NW3 4PD, which could solve all your tricky present-buying dilemmas.

The Last of the Christmas Pop-ups by Constant and True will take place on Friday 16th of December from noon till 7.30 pm. The items for sale include products from an exciting and exclusive range of designers and artists collaborations, as well as (you've guessed it!) books!

Constant and True design Victorian Punk; t-shirts for children and adults, and homeware by silk-printing iconic images combined with Victorian decoupage on organic and fine quality cotton fabrics. They've also produced a range of limited edition napkins created by artists, such a Gavin Turk.

Some of the Constant and True homeware

Made sheepskin produce rugs, cushions and buggy liners. They come in wonderfully vibrant colours and iconic designs. I love the little heart cushions that you can just see in the picture below. Their items can also be made to order.

Sheepskin eanbags

Gorgeous sheepskin cushions.

Plum cashmere have a selection of ponchos, mittens and scarves in finest cashmere yarns and colourways. This is the perfect gift for some-one who has everything. I have to admit to a personal connection here, but I can tell you that since I started this new venture I have barely been wearing anything else but 'my' cashmere. I now own two of these versatile ponchos and am trying very hard not to be tempted by a third one!

Cashmere poncho in red

England's Lane Books If you've read my blog before, you'll know that this is my favourite bookshop in the world. They will be bringing an interesting and festive selection of books to the pop-up shop. Just the thing to give to a difficult - or a very dear - person in your life!

Buying books is fun...

POSTED WAS A TEMPORARY EXHIBITION SPACE IN A FORMER POST OFFICE IN EAST LONDON THAT PRESENTED A SERIES OF ART EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES, SCREENINGS AND WORKSHOPS CELEBRATING THE POST AND EXPLORING AND EXAMINING OUR POSTAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE. 

julia royse, director of posted, has commissioned three leading artists - tracey emin, georgie hopton and jane simpson - to design beautiful limited edition writing paper and cards. each artist created a special set of stationery that is personal to them and will encourage the return to hand-written correspondence.

Writing set by Tracey Emin

If you can come along, please do. There will be refreshments and lots of Christmas cheer. Bring along friends and be merry!

The Last of Christmas Pop-ups by Constant and True

7 Lambolle Place

London

NW3 4PD

Tube: Belsize Park/ Swiss Cottage

Pay and display parking in Lambolle Place - vouchers also available

New jeans love: Nudie Jeans

I love shopping at Liberty's store in London (although my credit cards don't), and every time I'm in town for a meeting I suddenly find myself in this fantastic store. I don't quite understand how it happens....

This time, as well as drooling over the new deliveries of designer handbags and jewellery on the ground floor, I decided to take a look at women's wear on the first floor. Since putting on some weight after my small op, I have really struggled to get into my (not so) small collection of 7 For Mankind jeans.

I know, tears have been shed.

Feeling brave after an excellent meeting about cashmere (more about that later), I decided that it was time to get a new pair of jeans that actually fitted me. I know (hmm) that I will lose the weight as soon as I get my fat bottom into the gym, but in the meantime I need something to wear. (Just to be clear; I wasn't out shopping in my knickers; I've been recycling my Uniqlo jeans that are so ancient they'd fit an old sow, but are now, alas, showing signs of wear an tear.)

But, ladies and gentlemen, it is not easy to shop jeans for a big backside. After half an hour sweating and cursing in the sweet smelling changing rooms at Liberty's, I finally found a pair that didn't make my midriff into an Essex muffin top, or make my legs look like a pair of particularly lumpy sausages.

The make was new to me: Nudie Jeans. When the friendly shop assistant told me they were from Sweden, I wasn't surprised. I have always fitted in H&M trousers - their cut seems just right for my form. The black High Kai slim fitting jeans are good quality cotton and will according to the blurb form into 'a second skin'. After wearing them for half a day, I can already feel that they have stretched and are very comfortable.

I'm hoping they'll also double up as a day to evening trouser. With court shoes and a glittery top I think I can hide my extra kilos from those prying eyes at the forthcoming Christmas drinks dos.

As long as you don't tell anyone.

Nudie High Kai Skinny Black Jeans cost £96-00 and are sold at My-Wardrobe.com as well as at Liberty's store in London and online. 

Happy Finnish Independence Day

On this day in 1917, Finland gained its independence as a sovereign state from Soviet Russia. To celebrate the day, Finns all over the world will light two candles. Traditionally they should be set by a window at six pm, but my window sills here in London are too narrow to hold anything. At least I managed to get some proper blue and white candles from the Finnish Church Christmas Fair.

Hyvää Itsenäisyydenpäivää!

Danish YWCA Christmas Fair in Hampstead

I now have a nearly full set of Nordic Christmas Fairs in my basket of seasonal shopping activities. The last one (I promise) was a Danish one, which was held at Maresfield Gardens in Hampstead. This is an annual occasion and seemed very popular with locals and those travelling a bit further away. My friend who had tipped me off about the event, said we needed to get in early if we wanted to have any of the Danish smörrebröd. She was right: they opened the doors at 12 noon last Sunday, and when we arrived at 15 past, there was already a queue for the 'Red Indians' at the hot dog stand outside.

Inside the rooms, housing the familiar-looking Nordic Christmas decorations, were also filling up. I could tell there was a slight difference to the style here: The Danes seemed to favour window displays above candles; the elves with red hats had broader smiles on their round faces and there were more Danish flags about. I doubt, however, that a non-Scandi would have noticed any difference to the Finnish or Swedish Christmas offerings.

Danish flags look so pretty and Christmassy.

The Danish Royal Couple 

I was very tempted with these straw pigs.

With great difficulty, I tore myself away downstairs, where the two cafes were already full to bursting. I chose some marinated herring with rye bread and an open sandwich with beautifully spiced roast beef and horseradish. The food was delicious. Together with a tin of Danish beer, the sill tasted almost  as good as anything they have in Åland. (The 'almost' is here for my mother's benefit - she marinates her own herring which wins hands down in my book.)

Smörrebröd

Although I didn't buy anything apart from lunch at the Danish YWCA Christmas Fair I recommend this venue for its good value Danish food, and the many very pretty decorations on offer. It was also lovely to listen to the Danish being spoken all around us; if I closed my eyes I could imagine hearing Lund from The Killing herself shopping for Christmas decorations (as if she'd ever be so domesticated!).

The Fair is organised every year, but if you decide to go, take my friends' advice and arrive early.

Danish Christmas Fair: Last weekend of November.

Danish YWCA
43 Maresfield Gardens
London NW3 5TF
Tel. +44 (0) 207 435 7232
E-mail: k@kfuk.co.uk