The Food Diaries

Fika - the Swedish cafe with a secluded rooftop bar

You’ll find Fika, the Swedish cafe and grill, at the top end of Brick Lane in London - wedged between the two bagel shops (the ones with the queues out the door). Give the wood-panelled sauna-like interior space a miss and head straight to the set of stairs at the back which leads you up to a bijou summer terrace - complete with views over the City skyline, and a west-facing sun trap, sheltered from the rain and wind (though not from the smells of the bagels and salt beef next door which will have your stomach grumbling!). Settle back with a Swedish pear cider or cocktail and indulge in a little fika (Swedish for a “little break” for conversation, drink and food).

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Swedish Sandwich Cake!!

Smörgåstårta is a Scandinavian mega sandwich “cake”; layered with slices of crustless white bread separated by various filling, then decorated with a savoury creamy cheese “icing” and finally garnished with vegetables and other decorative ingredients. It is surprisingly straightforward to make and can be a great (if unusual) addition to a buffet table. It is best made the day before and decorated before serving.

Line a rectangular, deep dish with clingfilm (so you can easily wrap up it up later). Now take slices of white bread (you will need between 1-2 loaves of bread, depending on the size of your dish), crusts removed, and butter generously (you may need up to a half pack of butter altogether!). Fit a first layer of bread slices along the bottom, butter side up.

First place a layer of smoked salmon slices to cover completely (around 200g smoked salmon), adding a squeeze of lemon overtop.

Second, add another layer of buttered bread, and a thin layer of dijon mustard or horesradish cream, then layer on some smoked ham or salami slices.

Third, add another layer of bread on top (unbuttered this time), then a thin layer of mayonnaise, followed by some thinly sliced hard-boiled eggs (around 4 eggs) and some salt and pepper.

At this point you may be ready to quit with the three layers, but a fourth can be nice. I like something like a smoked fish pate, or some crab or prawns mixed with mayonnaise and a little lemon juice will do.

Wrap up the cake nice and snugly and leave in the fridge overnight. Now the fun begins. Unwrap the cake and place on a serving dish. Cover the the entire cake in icing (made by mixing together a couple tubs of cream cheese which has been loosened with some creme fraiche or sour cream and a little lemon juice till it is just easy enough to spread). I decorated the cake with sliced radishes and some piped smoked fish pate (from a tube), and walnut crumbs to cover the sides. But there are plenty of other ideas: some lettuce leaves, some prawns, chopped olives, chopped parsley on the sides.