Kokova Magazine

Nordic Noir TV is the home of the very best in Scandinavian crime and thriller film & TV and the organisers of Nordicana, the UK's only festival to combine Nordic crime & thriller film & fiction, a genre that exploded after the release of Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) books and films, and the hugely popular BBC4 aired TV series, The Killing, Wallander, Borgen & The Bridge.

Yet after the opening day on 1st February the reviews were flowing and they were less than complimentary, so we took a trip along to The Old Truman Brewery on Sunday 2nd February to take a first-hand look for ourselves.

Now in its second year, Nordicana embodies everything that we have come to love about Scandinavian culture, including the food and drink, fashion, interior design, furnishings and even the music but unfortunately the location of this event also meant we got a bit of a feel into the Scandinavian climate. The Old Truman Brewery is never going to be a hot house and after last year's RAW we were well prepared to keep our coats on in this colder than cold building. A loss for the event in cloakroom fees but a must for many visitors.

Aside from the temperature the event seemed a little sparse on visitors and a wee bit 'thrown together' in terms of organisation. Hopefully this is something the organisers will be looking into rectifying before the next event. But was it a waste of time and ticket price to visit Nordicana 2014? We have to disagree.

Admittedly there is a certain level of expectations that the majority of people have come to desire from organised events but for us we actually found the intimate feel to be a welcome change. Being able to get close enough to speak to the actors and bakers we had popped along to meet was refreshingly simple. Maybe this was due to the lack of visitors on the Sunday but for those in attendance it was a major advantage.

Discovering new foods is what we really enjoy and Nordicana did not disappoint. There were only a handful of vendors at the event and we would like to have seen more choice from the vast selection of culinary offerings that Scandinavia has available but those that we met were more than willing to show off their wares.

First up we met the House of Sverre, where Lowry served us the most amazingly clean smoked salmon we have ever enjoyed. Personally I don''t opt for any type of salmon as I am not keen on the oily artificial residue taste that accompanies each mouthful - but at the House of Sverre their salmon arrives overnight from the Faroe Islands, straight from harvesting, with an aroma of fresh sea spray. Throughout handling the salmon is never frozen or treated with any enhancers or additives making it as fresh and natural as salmon gets.

House of Sverre is a traditional Norwegian Smokehouse in London, producing luxury, handcrafted, sustainable,cold smoked salmon for the discerning connoisseur. If you like it salty go for the tail end as, being thinner, this absorbs more of the salt. For a richer salmon experience take a slice off the neck. Our personal favourite as non-salmon eaters was the tail end - so much so that we bought 100grams home for our tea! Available to order online at the House of Sverre.

To wash it down try a bottle or two of 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. You can buy from Totally Swedishat their shop on Crawford Street or order online. Since 2005 TotallySwedish has provided Londoners and the rest of UK with a wide range of fine Swedish products: groceries, children's range, books, magazines, greeting cards and Swedish art and design.

We finished off our tasting session with a selection of delicious desserts in the form of Semla, Chokladbollar and Cinnamon buns. The semla is a small bun, flavoured with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream. The traditions of semla are rooted in fettisdag (Shrove or Fat Tuesday) when the buns are eaten at a last feast before the period of Lent.

Chokladbollar consists of oatmeal, sugar, coffee, cocoa, butter, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar. The ingredients are simply mixed together and shaped into balls, rolled in shredded coconut and popped in the fridge. After they have chilled a while they taste delicious and are easy to eat! All this topped off with a cinnamon bun and we were very happy bunnies indeed...

If you are looking for a bit of fun and glamour in your cake then pop over to Princess Tilly's Tea Parties where you will find a selection of handmade cakes with a Swedish twist - for birthdays, weddings and tea parties. Did we ever need any more of an excuse to put the kettle on for tea?

As for Nordicana being a hit - for us it was as we may never have discovered such delightful flavours from Scandinavia. And we are looking forward to going again next year, to see if we can discover some more.

For more information visit https://nordicnoir.tv/ or check out our Flickr pictures now.