Swede Eating With Rachel Khoo
Optimum Nutrition|Autumn 2018

Cook, food writer and broadcaster Rachel Khoo has several books and TV programmes to her name; but having moved to Sweden, there was always room for one more. Here, she tells us about The Little Swedish Kitchen and why there is much more to Swedish cuisine than (the rather iconic) meatballs

Cook
Swede Eating With Rachel Khoo
What have you learnt from Swedish cuisine, comparing it to French cuisine or the food that you grew up with? “That it takes a lot of confidence and skill to only work with a few ingredients rather than have a whole buffet full available to cook with.” What do you think Swedish cooking can bring to the British kitchen? “The simplicity and creativity with few seasonal ingredients. Most of them people have in the kitchen already.” How important are buns in Sweden; what is your favourite bun and why? “The Swedes have a word fika which means to take the time to have a coffee and bun. People don’t ask you whether you want to go for a coffee, they ask you if you want to go for a fika.

“I think it says it all if a culture has a term for coffee and bun time. In terms of favourite buns, nothing beats the light, airy semla. [This] is a brioche bun spiked with cardamom, filled with an almond paste and topped with whipped cream — a bun which is only made around pancake day/before lent. I do a version with a pistachio cream in the cookbook.”

How does the Swedish concept of lagom [enjoying just the right amount of the good things] apply in the Swedish dining room?

“You probably wouldn’t use the word lagom when it comes to food but more in terms of ambiance and overall feeling. The food was spot on, the service was warm but not overbearing and the interior was comfortable but not over the top. A bit like how Goldilocks’ porridge was just right.”

What would be your go-to supper and why?

This story is from the Autumn 2018 edition of Optimum Nutrition.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Autumn 2018 edition of Optimum Nutrition.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OPTIMUM NUTRITIONView All
Summer Of
Optimum Nutrition

Summer Of

Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2016
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Optimum Nutrition

Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick

Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2017
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Optimum Nutrition

Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?

Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2018
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Optimum Nutrition

Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep

Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes

time-read
10 mins  |
Summer 2018
Natural Beauty
Optimum Nutrition

Natural Beauty

If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2018
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
Optimum Nutrition

A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies

Lazy Vegan frozen Chunky Pulled Peaz is a gluten-free, plant-based protein source suitable for vegans and — with a substantial texture — flexitarians.

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2019
Do Something Different
Optimum Nutrition

Do Something Different

As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2019
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
Optimum Nutrition

Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence

When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2019
Teaching Children How To Forage
Optimum Nutrition

Teaching Children How To Forage

Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2019
Keep Calm And Curry On
Optimum Nutrition

Keep Calm And Curry On

In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2018