On the Table: Be inspired by a Scandi Christmas and keep it simple

“Inviting neighbours in for a Sunday afternoon Glögg is an effortless and lovely way to stay connected and shine some light on long, dark afternoons. . .” Swedish-born Tine Roche, MD of Cambridge Cookery, shares her favourite Scandi drinks and dishes for the festive season

My Scandi upbringing comes to the fore as soon as we enter into the month of December. In the Nordic countries, this is a month peppered by relaxed, candlelit events in people’s homes.

The most ubiquitous, hosted as an afternoon event and including both young and old, takes place on any of the Advent Sundays: the Glögg party - or mulled wine party. Most households will have their own recipe for the perfect mulled wine; some more alcoholic than others, but always offering a good non-alcoholic choice as well.

Red wine, port, brown sugar, a shot of brandy or vodka, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and the tiniest pinch of nutmeg tend to make for a sweet, warming drink which while heating up fills the house with the quintessential scent of Christmas.

Served in espresso-sized cups, with little bowls of raisins and almonds on the side for guests to drop into their cups, Glögg is accompanied by thin gingerbreads. Home-baking is still going strong in Scandinavia and the tradition of making a dough from melted butter or margarine, whipping cream, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, cardamom and ginger and raised with bicarbonate is very much part of life.

Leaving the dough to relax in the fridge overnight makes it easier to roll out to wafer-thin and cut with seasonal cookie cutters. Baked in less than five minutes and decorated with white icing once cooled, these spicy thins remain something without which the month of December simply isn’t complete. Vikings and the German Hansa fleets trading through the Baltic left a legacy of spice - saffron, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon are very much incorporated into Swedish baking.

Due to the distinct lack of such parties outside Scandinavia, I share with fellow Nordic expats a sense of something missing from the month of December. Lighting candles from the moment I get up in the morning helps with creating a sense of “hygge” and inviting neighbours in for a Sunday afternoon Glögg is an effortless and lovely way to stay connected and shine some light on long, dark afternoons.

When it comes to the food on my table, I reach for the same core ingredients every year. My culinary body clock will signal a need for citrus fruit and cabbage (both green and red) alongside rich, umami-infused morsels ranging from beechwood smoked salmon to duck liver mousse.

Salads made from oranges, satsumas, pink grapefruit and avocado are superb mid-winter. I like to partner them with shredded raw red cabbage and add bits of dates or a handful of raisins for sweet, toffee-like chewiness, as well as a scattering of sunflower and pumpkin seeds for crunch. I also like a simple grated carrot, lemon juice, good pinch of sugar and raisin salad. An everyday staple mid-winter. These salads are all quick to make, and need no more than a drizzle of olive or avocado oil on them.

I adore nibbles and canapés and December lends itself particularly well to gatherings around plates of delicious, small helpings of food. As a lover of Old World Chardonnay, whether still or in the form of a Blanc de Blanc Champagne, perhaps from an English producer, I know that my favourite white grape is a great accompaniment for rich smoked salmon, duck or goose liver mousse and lemony goats’s cheese - all perfect canapé building blocks.

For the big event itself, I have over the past few years found myself steering away from the traditional heavy roasts. I have never seen the point of turkey, which cooks dry and is expensive, huge and cumbersome to store and roast. As the festive period consists of so much food over such a short period of time, I find it is much more tempting to go for a bit of duck breast, ideal with both citrus and cabbage, a single, 1.4kg fore-rib for four to five people, served simply with some horseradish cream, watercress, orange slices and perhaps a few saffron-roasted potatoes.

Agreed on with the rest of the family a couple of years ago, when the whole duck I had bought turned out to be off, a lighter main meal and a series of canapé-style offerings with lovely wines ties no-one to the kitchen and leaves everyone feeling well and looking forward to the next morsel.

Plus, eating like this leaves plenty of appetite for a glass or two of Tawny Port or Marsala with some dark chocolate, good quality marzipan and Medjool dates, enjoyed while gathered around various board games!

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