A Little Bit of Sweden in the Heart of the UK
Since 2005 TotallySwedish has provided Londoners and the rest of UK with a wide range of fine Swedish products including groceries, children's range, books, magazines, greeting cards and Swedish art and design.
With two stores set in the heart of London, we went along to their Crawford Street shop to try a little bit of Sweden for ourselves.
Set very much in the style of a traditional delicatessen, the store is clean and tidy, light and airy and the staff are on hand with a warm welcome, without being intrusive.
We encountered an array of 'pick and mix' that would delight any child (or adult!). Brightly coloured sweets in a variety of flavours but with subtle differences to those we grew up with here in the UK; less heavy and congested in the mouth and not overly sweet but full of flavour.
There is a large selection of pasta and sauces, cooked and preserved meats, cheeses, pickles and jams that sit comfortably alongside a selection of children's books and gift items. A one-stop shop that also includes teas, coffees and a selection of ciders and spirits.
While many of the items on offer seem to have an English counterpart, it is plain to see that a number of the patrons of this store are looking for a little piece of home.
We sampled a variety of goods and found that while flavours differ from those we are used to, nothing was overloaded with preservatives or artificial sweeteners; leaning more towards natural preservatives, and being pickled, dried or smoked.
Armed with a bag of gluten-free liquorice and a selection of produce we headed home to try them all. The liquorice didn't make it out of London!
For more information and to shop online visit www.totallyswedish.com
Or pop along to one of the TotallySwedish shops at: -
32 Crawford Street, W1H 1LS London
66 Barnes High Street, SW13 9LD
We sampled a selection of produce including: -
Schweizernöt This is the most popular chocolate bar from Swedish chocolate giant 
Marabou. A milk chocolate bar topped with selected, roughly chopped hazelnuts. Pretty simple, but oh so good.
Plopp One to make you giggle from the name alone - but tastes divine! A classic from Cloetta, "Plopp bar" is made from milk chocolate, with a soft toffee filling.
Chanterelles This variety of mushrooms are highly prized by connoisseurs for their excellent flavour. Chanterelles are small, yellow to golden, have a pleasant aroma, and a flavour that is highly sought after, especially in Europe. Easily reconstituted by soaking in water for 30 minutes, they are then ready to use in a risotto, omelette or substituted into any recipe.
Branteviksill This little pot of pickled herring was a show stopper for us. Our IT manager, who doesn't have a sweet tooth, described it as his equivalent to chocolate. When we opened the pot we have to admit that the look of the contents may have been enough to put us off trying. A bit like jellied eels, the fish sits in a slimy looking sauce but the aroma of the pickles and spice is divine. The combination of the pickling sauce and fish if perfect.
Blåbär 100% An extraordinary drink from Saxhyttegubben, with 
a distinctive taste and unique characteristics. The drink is made from freshly squeezed, wild blueberries from the Swedish forests in the Bergslagen region. No additives. No preservatives. Each bottle (33 cl) contains the juice of approx. 2300 blueberries of the highest quality. It has the sharp, sour taste, as you would expect from blueberries but it also has a quite dry edge, giving it the comparison to some red wines. This is ideal for anyone with a sour taste preference and makes a perfect stand alone drink, over crushed ice, as a mixer or mixed with lemonade.
Lingonsylt Made of 55% organic lingonberries and 40% organic sugar, nothing else. The last five percent is water so that the jam will burn not in the pan, most of which will steam away during manufacture. This was our cream of the crop in terms of what we took away from TotallySwedish. This rich jam is amazing. Not only can it be used as a jam, with toast, pancakes or whatever your choice, it is also fabulous when served with meat dishes, meatballs and makes the perfect balancer to accompany the Branteviksill.
Pepparkakor Gluten free gingersnaps. If you like ginger biscuits,
you will love these. Nice and snappy and just the right size to pop in whole. A bit surprised to find they are actually made in the UK but we are assured they follow a Swedish recipe.
Fria While we were there we came away with a selection of Fria gluten free products because we love them, especially the Poppy Seed Rolls! It is great to know that TotallySwedish not only stocks Fria products but also has a large selection of gluten and lactose free produce available too.
On the whole the flavours we encountered were different to what we may be used to and if you are expecting heavy, processed foods then this may not be the shop for you.
But if you like your flavours clean and light, and your food preserved in a more natural way, then pop along to TotallySwedish and try some for yourself.
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