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With our fast-paced lifestyle, we could all do with slowing down and appreciating what we are eating and the people we are sharing our meals with. In Denmark this concept is embraced in the term hygge and in Sweden fika. It’s all about taking time to pause, to appreciate slow living, being mindful, making any break in the usual routine special – the exact opposite of grabbing a coffee on the go and barely tasting it.

Danish hygge cannot be translated in a single word, but means wellbeing through cosy contentment and enjoying simple things. To me, the ultimate hygge scene would be close friends gathered round an open fire, sipping mulled wine, tucking in to warming soup and dumplings, a smörgåsbord of spiced breads and treats to nibble on through the evening, and enjoying good conversation.

Put simply, fika means to have a coffee in Swedish. In the workplace it is a 15-minute break mid-morning and again mid-afternoon in a designated room away from desks. Having a fikabröd, a Swedish pastry, is popular too, including classics such as cinnamon or cardamom twists. But most importantly, it’s a relaxed way to meet up with friends or work colleagues every day. Fika is a lifestyle and a very desirable one too, but there are no rules – you can have a herbal tea and a healthy raw nut and goji ball if you prefer!

Scandinavians love to bake bread and yeasted buns. Their favourite flour is rye flour, which produces dense, dark breads, often enriched with seeds and spices. Rye bread is easy to cut thinly and excellent as a base for open sandwiches. Yeasted sweet buns such as cardamom twists are quintessentially Nordic and must be served warm with a coffee. Traditionally made with lots of butter for richness, our vegan version is just as delicious and the dough is enriched with apple sauce and almond milk rather than butter and eggs.

Scandinavians are well known for their love of foraging. In the summer it’s berry season, including lingonberries,

while autumn is for mushrooms. The long winters mean that they have a strong tradition of preserving in salt, making sauerkraut or drying berries and mushrooms. They are great picklers of vegetables and berries too. Our quick pickle for onion, beetroot and cucumber is easy to make and you’ll find the addition of an acidic component to the topping of an open sandwich enhances the flavour and looks pretty.

Swedish potato dumplings with herby garlic mushrooms These Swedish potato dumplings are normally stuffed with meat, but for a simple vegan dumpling we leave out any stuffing, which makes them easier to prepare. They are perfect for a warming winter supper and delicious served with lashings of herby garlic mushrooms and a lingonberry sauce.

Serves 4 | Prep 45 mins | Cook 1 hr

For the dumplings:• 1kg large King Edward potatoes• 2 tsp salt• ¼ tsp ground allspice• 2 tbsp chopped parsley• 2 tbsp chopped dill• 160g pasta flour• 1 tsp baking powder

For the herby garlic mushrooms:• 2 tbsp olive oil• 150g large shiitake mushrooms, sliced in

half and stalks trimmed• 150g large oyster mushrooms, sliced in

half and stalks trimmed• 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves• 4 cloves garlic, chopped• 2 tsp juniper berries, crushed• 2 tbsp sherry• 25g parsley, chopped• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• lingonberry sauce, to serve (see recipe, opposite)

Rachel Demuth takes inspiration from the Nordic countries, creating Scandinavian recipes that are sure to boost your mood.

ABOUT RACHELChef-proprietor of the award-winning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel Demuth is now dedicated to running Demuths cookery school, which offers a range of themed workshops, guest chef events, cookery holidays in France and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian and Vegan Diplomas for professional chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled foodie, Rachel loves to combine her passion for global cuisine with locally grown produce.

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The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen is on a mission to find out why some societies are happier than others. The Nordic countries rank in the top 10 happiest in the world, and while some obvious reasons for this include high social support, standard of living and life expectancy, these nations all have very cold, dark winters too. So how do they stay happy?

I believe it’s a lot to do with the Nordic philosophy of living in the present. For example, they believe that even simple things like making a cup of tea can be special, if you use a favourite teapot and cup, and then savour it by drinking slowly and consciously. I recently did a course in mindfulness and the first task we were set was to see how long it took to mindfully eat a raisin – it took a surprisingly long time and it made the raisin taste really delicious. It’s worth considering how often you eat your supper whilst doing something else, such as watching TV, browsing on your mobile or reading, which means the whole plate of food could be eaten without you even realising that you have eaten it – or enjoyed it.

Hygge to be happy

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LINGONBERRY SAUCE The lingonberry, or mountain cranberry, is native to boreal forest in the Arctic tundra. It is smaller than a cranberry, bright red and sour to taste. We could only find lingonberries freeze-dried, but you could swap these for 100g fresh or frozen cranberries instead.

Makes 120ml

• 10g freeze-dried lingonberries• 100ml water• 20g golden caster sugar• 2 star anise

Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until the lingonberries have rehydrated, the sugar has dissolved and the sauce thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse. Remove the star anise before serving. Can be served warm or cold.

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1 Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. To make the dumplings, keep the potatoes whole and with their skins on. Prick with a fork, place in a large pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then drain and place on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes or until soft. Test with a knife: if it goes in easily through the middle, the potatoes are ready. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.2 Use a small knife to peel the potatoes, then cut into roughly sized 5cm pieces. Mash gently, or for best results press the potato through a potato ricer.3 Weigh out 600g of the mashed potato. Spread it onto a work surface, sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of the salt, the allspice, chopped parsley and dill, and mix gently. Mix the pasta flour and baking powder together. Sieve it over the potato and gently work the flour in until the dough comes together to form a soft ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough.4 Divide the dough into two and roll out each one into a long sausage shape. Divide each length into 12 and roll each piece of dough into a round dumpling. You

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should end up with 24 small dumplings.5 Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add 1 teaspoon of salt. Place 8–12 dumplings into the pan at a time and poach in gently simmering water for 5 minutes. They will be puffed up when ready. Test a dumpling by cutting it open to make sure it is cooked through.6 To make the herby garlic mushrooms, heat a large frying pan, add the olive oil, quickly followed by the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and stir-fry for a few minutes until the mushrooms release their juices. Add the thyme, garlic and juniper berries, and fry for another minute. Pour in the sherry and cook for a few seconds.7 Stir the chopped parsley into the mushrooms and mix with the poached dumplings, so they are coated. Drizzle over the oil and serve straight away, with the lingonberry sauce.

PER SERVING (WITH LINGONBERRY SAUCE) 476 cals, fat 9g, sat fat 1g, carbs 80g, sugars 8g, protein 12g, salt 2.84g, fibre 7g

SWEDISH POTATO DUMPLINGS WITH HERBY GARLIC MUSHROOMS

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Fig smørrebrød Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins + marinating

• 1 small red onion, sliced into rings• 1 tbsp pickling liquid (see recipe, opposite)• 4 tbsp cream cheese or cashew cheese

(see recipe, opposite)• 2 slices rye bread• 4 ripe figs, sliced• handful of kale crisps (see recipe,

opposite)

1 Place the red onion in a bowl and mix in the pickling liquid. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

2 Divide the cream cheese or cashew cheese onto the rye bread and spread evenly over each slice. Layer over the figs, then top with the kale crisps and pickled red onion rings.

PER SERVING 262 cals, fat 10g, sat fat 5g, carbs 32g, sugars 13g, protein 9g, salt 2.0g, fibre 6g

Avocado and beetroot smørrebrød Serves 2 Prep 20 mins + marinatingCook 1 hr

SmørrebrødThese open-faced sandwiches are made all over Scandinavia, but particularly loved in Denmark and now considered one of their national dishes. They are essentially pieces of bread decorated with delicious toppings and can be either made in a simple rustic picnic way or as small beautifully decorated canapés for parties. There are lots of rules for a traditional smørrebrød, mostly revolving around pickled fish! So we’re rewriting the smørrebrød rulebook and coming up with our own vegetarian and vegan combinations.

To make up the smørrebrød, layer up the ingredients onto each piece of bread and arrange them on a large plate or wooden board. We cut some in half, so they can be shared between three to four people. We’ve made three different combinations, but you could play around with all the ingredients and make up your own versions.

Squash and maple walnut smørrebrød Serves 2 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 25 mins

• ¼ butternut squash, deseeded and peeled

• 1 tsp olive oil• 4 tbsp cream cheese or cashew cheese

(see recipe, opposite)• 2 slices rye bread• 2 tbsp red cabbage sauerkraut• 2 sprigs of dill

For the candied walnuts:• 8 walnut halves• 2 tbsp maple syrup

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Slice down the length of the butternut squash to make 0.5cm slices. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, until soft and slightly colouring around the edges.2 To make the candied walnuts, mix the walnut halves with the maple syrup. Place on a small parchment-lined baking tray, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.3 Divide the cream cheese or cashew cheese onto the rye bread and spread evenly over each slice, then layer over the roasted squash to cover the bread. Top each one with the sauerkraut, candied walnuts and a sprig of dill.

PER SERVING 376 cals, fat 19g, sat fat 6g, carbs 38g, sugars 16g, protein 9g, salt 1.01g, fibre 6g

SQUASH AND MAPLE WALNUT SMØRREBRØD

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3 Slice the beetroot and pour over 1 tablespoon of the pickling liquid, plus the liquid smoke and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.4 Divide the avocado slices between the rye bread, fanning them out to cover the surface. Arrange with slices of pickled beetroot and pickled cucumber, top with Cavi-art and decorate with pea shoots.COOK’S TIP Cavi-art is a vegan caviar alternative made from seaweed, which looks and tastes like the real thing. You can find it online.

PER SERVING 317 cals, fat 16g, sat fat 3g, carbs 32g, sugars 14g, protein 7g, salt 3.18g, fibre 8g

PICKLING LIQUID • 1 tbsp golden caster sugar• 1 tsp salt• 1 tbsp boiling water• 1½ tbsp cider vinegar• 1 tsp coriander seeds• 1 tsp dill seeds

Place the golden caster sugar and salt into a small bowl and pour on the boiling water. Mix until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cider vinegar, coriander and dill seeds, and leave to infuse for 1 hour.

CASHEW CHEESE

Makes 350g

• 250g cashews• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast• juice of 1 lemon• ½ tsp salt

Pour enough boiling water over the cashews to cover well. Leave to soak for 1 hour, then drain and rinse.

Combine the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt into a blender and whizz until smooth. You may need to add a little water to help blend, but try to keep it as thick as possible.

Leave in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.

KALE CRISPS

• 8 large kale leaves, torn into pieces and stems removed

• 2 tsp olive oil• ¼ tsp Malden sea salt• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

Preheat the oven to 110C/ fan 90C/gas ¼.

Put the kale leaves into a large bowl and rub with the olive oil, so they are lightly coated. Sprinkle with the sea salt and nutritional yeast, then lay out on a baking tray in a single layer.

Roast for 30–40 minutes, regularly opening the oven to let out the steam. Remove when crisp.

• 1 mini cucumber, cut into 0.5cm slices• 2 tbsp pickling liquid (see recipe, right)• 1 medium beetroot• 2 tsp Stubb’s Hickory Liquid Smoke• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced• 2 slices rye bread• 2 tsp Cavi-art• handful of pea shoots

1 Place the cucumber in a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of the pickling liquid. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.2 Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Keep the beetroot whole and unpeeled, wrap in foil and roast for 1 hour until tender. Leave to cool, then rub off the skin.

FIG SMØRREBRØD

AVOCADO AND BEETROOT

SMØRREBRØD

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Using one finger, stir the mixture until the dough starts to come together, then use both hands and start to knead.2 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, using your fingers to stretch the dough up then gently fold it back, until it feels hydrated, smooth and elastic. Knead in the oil, 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing it to be absorbed before adding the next amount.3 Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Knock back the dough and leave it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.4 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Using a large rolling pin, roll out the dough to create a long, A4-sized rectangle. Mix the margarine, ground almonds, brown sugar and ground cardamom together and spread this mixture in a thin layer over the dough, covering all of it evenly.5 Fold up the dough like a leaflet, bringing the right side over by a third, then the left side over the top, to create three layers of dough. Gently roll it out to make it slightly bigger than A4, then cut 12 long strips. 6 Take each strip, hold one end and make

a few turns to create a twist down the length. Then wrap it around your fingers to create a loose knot, pushing the end up through the middle to hold it in shape. Repeat with each strip to make 12 knotted twists.7 Lay the twists into 12 mini non-stick cake tins. Alternatively, you can put them onto a baking tray, leaving plenty of room between each one to allow space for them to double in size. Cover the tray loosely with oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.8 Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Sprinkle the flaked almonds and cardamom seeds over the top of the twists and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.9 When the pastries are out of the oven, warm the apricot jam to help loosen it and brush a little over the tops to give them a shine. Leave to cool on a wire rack.COOK’S TIP Cardamom is at its freshest and most perfumed by buying whole green pods, removing the seeds and crushing them fresh. A halfway solution if you can’t face the faff of podding them is to buy cardamom seeds, or just use cardamom powder.

PER TWIST 324 cals, fat 16g, sat fat 3g, carbs 36g, sugars 7g, protein 8g, salt 0.36g, fibre 2g

Swedish cardamom twists Cardamom and cinnamon are the spice of choice for buns in Scandinavia, and in my opinion cardamom is far more perfumed than cinnamon and goes very well with a steaming cup of coffee.

Makes 12 twists | Prep 40 mins + provingCook 15 mins

• 250g white bread flour• 250g white spelt flour• 1 tsp quick instant yeast• 30g golden caster sugar• 200ml warm almond milk• 100ml apple sauce• ½ tsp salt• 1 tsp ground cardamom• 100ml olive oil• 100g dairy-free margarine• 4 tbsp ground almonds• 100g brown sugar• 1 tsp ground cardamom• 2 tbsp flaked almonds• ¼ tsp cardamom seeds• 2 tbsp apricot jam

1 Place the flours and yeast into a large bowl, stir together, then make a well in the centre. Pour in the sugar, almond milk, apple sauce, salt and ground cardamom.

NEXT MONTH SPECIAL

CHRISTMAS DAY SHOWSTOPPERS

SWEDISH CARDAMOM TWISTS

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