London – Page 2 – Scandelights

Prep, party and going home for Christmas!

Published on February 20, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

The third week in December was also a busy one. December is usually a crazy month, even though I try my best to prevent that from happening, I never seem to succeed.

Monday I went down to The New Forest for work (train lunch above) and when I got back to London in the evening I hit the shops for some last Christmas shopping. Thank god the shops are open in the evenings!

The next day I worked from home and prepped for our party the next day. In the evening we went to a lovely drinks party and when we got back I continued the prepping.

Wednesday night was our party and it was so much fun!! I didn’t take a single picture of people but snapped some of the food.

The next day I worked from home again and we had leftovers for both lunch and dinner.

In the evening a friend helped us eat the leftovers as he couldn’t make the party and the three of us had a lovely evening drinking champagne and stuffing ourselves.

Friday night I flew home to Sweden and back home we had tea and sandwiches in the middle of the night.

The next day I unpacked, wrapped Christmas gifts (which I love to do) and spent time with my parents.

In the evening we made boeuf bourguignon and it was so nice to be home and have dinner with mamma and pappa.

The next day I spent time with my best friend Emma and we had a lovely brunch with allll the seafood and even champagne. So lovely to be reunited again!

We had such a lovely day just hanging out and it was the perfect ending to a fairly hectic week.

Theatre, Lucia and my first côte de boeuf!

Published on February 13, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

The second week of December was a busy (and fun!) one! We went to a Christmas party on the Monday night and I was so busy chatting I didn’t take a single picture.

Tuesday we had eggs for breakfast before work.

And in the evening we met up with the book club. Our hostess Mary-Lou made a lovely three cheese mac ‘n cheese and I contributed with pudding; spiced sponge with cream cheese and pomegranate seeds.

Wednesday evening we had a lovely supper at The Palomar before seeing The Book of Mormon.

We finished the evening with some bubbly at Bar Americain.

Thursday I had a lovely night in (so needed) and ate all the comfort food. First nachos and then some Toblerone for pudding. Yum!

Friday night we went out again, and had an early supper at Bread Street Kitchen before…

…we went to the Lucia concert in St Paul’s Cathedral. It was so wonderful to celebrate this Swedish tradition with lots of fellow Swedes in this beautiful space. And it felt extra special because I got to share it with my boyfriend and his family.

After some mulled wine the others headed home and we headed to a second supper at Hawksmoor. We shared a (smaller than usual) steak with fries and bearnaise sauce and a sticky toffee pudding. Yum!

On Saturday I baked the soft gingerbread again and lots of sliced gingerbread!

And in the evening I cooked my first ever côte de boeuf! It turned out great and we ate it with dauphinoise potatoes, broccoli and bearnaise sauce.

The next morning we slept in and ate breakfast in our dressing gowns with the sun shining in through the windows.

The rest of the day we continued prepping for the party the following week and in the evening we had tagliatelle with bolognese, marinated tomatoes and garlic bread.

London: The Best Croque Monsieur!

Published on February 11, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

I have been to The Wolseley numerous times. It’s my favourite place for breakfast, but I have also enjoyed many lunches, dinner and even afternoon tea here. But it took me the better part of eleven years to discover their amazing Croque Monsieur!

One early Saturday evening in December, tired from Christmas shopping and in need of a bite to eat since I had skipped lunch, I passed The Wolseley and thought that would be an excellent place for an early solo supper. They are always fully booked but keep several tables available for walk-ins and I was lucky enough to nap one in the café area. It was actually the first time I’d been in that part of the restaurant and it was cosy and cute and had plenty of people eating by themselves, just like I did.

Eyeing up the menu the Croque Monsieur caught my eye (always in the mood for melted cheese!) and it was just as perfect as I had hoped. The bread was crusty and thick, filled with melted cheese and a nice slice of ham and topped with béchamel and some more cheese. It was very cheesy but in the best possible way and different textured made it such a treat to eat.

Sitting there full and happy, resting my tired legs and watching the world in the restaurant go by, I was so content. A perfect London moment. And a perfect meal.

The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9EB

Nights in and a weekend on the town!

Published on February 6, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

The first week in December was a good (and full on!) one.

Monday night I had Shake Shack for dinner and tried their new truffle burger. Which was OK, but I prefer the regular Shack burger!

Tuesday I had another night in with more comfort food; frankfurters and mash!

And scented candles, new Vogue and some TV.

Wednesday night and more comfort food. This time pizza (store-bought) with bearnaise sauce and a really good book!

Thursday I had frankfurters again and an ice cream for pudding. So nice with several nights in in a row!

But Friday night I ventured out and had a little date night with my city!

I had a lovely dinner at Barrafina Adelaide Street with my favourite croquetas…

… the best ever tortilla (honestly it’s fantastic!)…

…and some scallops!

Then it was time for Le Mans ’66 at the IMAX Leicester Square. Absolutely loved the film and seeing it on that screen added another layer of amazement. Wow!

Saturday I did some Christmas shopping and took pictures of all the Christmas lights I came across.

There were so many pretty ones!

When I got hungry I popped into The Wolseley for a quick bite to eat and had a lovely supper in the café.

Such a lovely Croque Monsiuer!

After some sustenance I did a bit more shopping, checking out Burlington Arcade…

…and Fortnum’s.

Back home I had a little treat from Ladurée for pudding. Love their salted caramel macarons.

Sunday I wrote Christmas cards before once again heading out Christmas shopping.

And was rewarded with this sunset view!

I then braved the queue for the Glossier pop-up!

It was so much fun trying all the products and to see the amazing space they’ve created. It had Alice in Wonderland vibes and was all pink and floral. Lovely!

Then I went to see my friend Gaby and we had a lovely dinner of steak, mash and a madeira mushroom cream sauce and vegetables.

Followed by a cheeky glass of Baileys on the rocks! Such a lovely weekend!

Sunshine, Cinema and a Weekend in Norfolk!

Published on January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

The last week of November was a good one! Monday’s are never my favourite day of the week, but with comfort food in the shape of frankfurters and leftover homemade mash, it was not bad.

Tuesday I had my hair cut after work and treated myself to Shake Shack when I got home. And finished the evening with a few episodes of the latest season of Bosch.

Wednesday was lovely and sunny and I took the train down to The New Forest for work. So nice to see the sun again, I didn’t even mind the cold train!

I had forgotten lunch, but had at least remembered to bring snacks, so Pom Bears and a Snickers was my very nutritious midday meal.

Thursday I went to the cinema after work and found some pretty lights amongst all the commotion on Leicester Square. The film I saw was Last Christmas which was sweet (but a bit unexpected too!).

Friday night we drove to Norfolk to spend the weekend there but had dinner at East Putney Tavern first. I had roast chicken with all the sides (fries, Mac ‘n cheese, salad) – yum!

The next day the sun was shining again and I loved sitting at the golf club reading for a while. Such a lovely view!

After that we had a lovely lunch at The Victoria Inn in Holkham. I had mussels and the boyfriend had pheasant! Really lovely and cosy place!

The plan was to go for a walk along the beach after lunch but it was already dark so we only did a short walk. But so pretty seeing the sun setting over the horizon.

After tea and Pointless we had dinner at The Ship and I started with one of my favourite things; Norfolk oysters!

Followed by steak with fries and peppercorn sauce.

The breakfast the next morning was lovely too!

I stayed for lunch too and had fresh prawns with aioli and grilled bread. Yum!

Another lovely beach sunset but too windy and cold for a proper walk.

So we went inside and warmed up with blankets and cups of tea. And watched Killing Eve!

And before we went back to London I cooked us dinner. Roast chicken, roasted new potatoes, broccoli and gravy!

London: Burgers at the Theatre

Published on January 27, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

Before I met my boyfriend I didn’t go to the theatre a lot. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I thought it a bit weird to go by myself and none of my friends seemed that keen to go. I had no problem going to the cinema alone, dining solo, or even travelling and I went to lots of exhibitions on my own. But the theatre, for some reason it was harder to face this alone.

So I’m so grateful I now have somebody to go with. Someone who likes the theatre even more than I do myself. But because we go quite often, it’s become less of an event and often we meet up straight from work without much time to eat before the play starts. So quite often we tend to skip the pre-theatre set meal (because we simply cannot fit it in; dining at 5pm for a play that starts at 7pm) in favour of some good old fashioned fast food.

And that’s why we were so happy to discover that they now have a burger restaurant actually IN the National Theatre. Amazing!

We had our first burgers there with a mere 20 minutes to spare before the play was about to start but it was no problem getting served and eat in that time; they were so speedy! But of course it would have been lovely with a bit more time to spare next time.

The pop-up burger restaurant is called Burgerworks and can be found on the ground floor in the café area (walk through the main entrance, head straight in and then left). It’s set up like most burger places: you order by the till and wait for your food until it’s ready.

They have a variety of burgers (beef, chicken, vegan…) to choose from but also salads and a halloumi sandwich, but we settled on a classic beef burger. A the beef one for him and a little beef one for me. And of course fries and cokes too. The holy trinity.

The burgers were really nice, and felt more pub-y or restaurant-y than fast food chain-y, which was nice. The patty was juicy, the bun nice and chewy (in a good way) and the fries nice and crispy!

I really hope this pop-up becomes a permanent fixture so that we can now grab a burger and a play all in the same place!

Burgerworks at National Theatre, Upper Ground, Lambeth, London SE1 9PX

Nights in, The Crown and a lot of cooking!

Published on January 15, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

The third week of November feels like forever ago, but it was a nice week (apart from one blip) and I cooked a lot!

The Monday was pretty blah though. I worked, had leftovers for dinner and went to bed early.

The next day I went to The New Forest with work and had a Pret breakfast on the train. Sadly this brioche egg muffin seemed nicer than it was.

After a full day away I came home and started watching the third season of The Crown…

… while eating chocolate chip cookies I made at the weekend.

The next day I had grilled cheese for lunch because of a sudden melted cheese craving (love melted cheese!).

And for dinner I had crisps and dip in front of The Crown. Please don’t judge. And love that series! It’s still great even with a whole new cast!

Thursday I had a healthier lunch of burrata and avocado. Yum!

And in the evening I met up with Laura at a cosy pub. We had dinner and wine and a proper catch up. So lovely!

But I didn’t feel to well the next day. Not hungover, more like something I ate didn’t agree with me. So I was pretty miserable and tired and couldn’t eat the whole day.

But managed to cook in the evening (with some help). First I made puff pastry bites with browned butter, chopped red onions, herbs, creme fraiche and salmon roe (recipe to follow!).

Next we had a lovely beef and ginger stir-fry with rice and sesame broccoli (recipe to follow!).

After a lie-in the next morning I felt lots better and cooked us two courses for brunch. Both oeufs en cocotte with pancetta…

…and American pancakes with blueberries, lightly whipped cream and maple syrup! So yummy!

In the afternoon we went looking at motorcycle helmets and gear and stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way home, so we had doughnuts and tea in the afternoon.

In the evening I made puff pastry nibbles yet again, but this time with cheese, speck, philadelphia and chives (recipe to follow!).

I also made us Presa Iberico with crispy potatoes, aioli, romesco sauce and padron peppers. Sooo yum! (Recipe to follow!).

The next morning my boyfriend had to get up early for work so I stayed in bed and had avocado toast for breakfast.

I spent the day prepping dinner, reading and drinking hot chocolate.

And in the evening we had whipped browned butter (recipe to follow) with baguette and fennel salami.

And pork belly slices with potato purée, carrots, wilted spinach and a creamy sauce. We also tried a failed pudding attempt which I won’t post until it’s successful!

Lots of cooking, some baking and a “failed” date night…

Published on December 12, 2019January 14, 2020 by Hanna1 Comment

The second full week in November was quite chilled after a lovely weekend away – just what I needed!

On the Monday I did laundry (love it!), had Shake Shack for dinner and watched TV before going to bed early. A really good Monday routine – apart from the burger.

Tuesday I started reading Northern Lights by Philip Pullman as I wanted to read it before we watch the series. I also watched some TV, catching up om The Morning Show and FBI. For dinner I had fish tacos!

Wednesday I made a really lovely halloumi wrap for lunch and in the evening I had noodles with cucumber. (Will post both these recipes soon!) I also watched a film that I missed at the cinema; Colette with Keira Knightley and Dominic West based on a true story.

The next day I did lots of work errands running around the city and taking some nice pictures as I went. Love being out and about on a dry day! For lunch I had leftover noodles topped with my new love crispy chilli flakes in oil. So so good! And for dinner I made tortilla pizzas.

Friday night I made chicken satay and a lovely pudding with raspberries and browned butter (!), will post these soon too!

Saturday I made cookies and chilled during the day and in the evening we went out for dinner but sadly didn’t have the best experience. Bad service and atmosphere. Luckily the company was amazing; we honestly have fun wherever we are so it didn’t ruin our date night, the food was good (but not amazing) and the wine really good.

On Sunday we had a nice lie-in followed by our usual breakfast AND brioche French toast (will post this too, but so behind at the moment)…

…and in the evening I cooked us a little homage dinner to Martin of Tours which we celebrate in my part of Sweden the week before. We had cream of mushroom soup to start and duck instead of goose as the main course.

Birthday dinner, Christmas event and a weekend in the country!

Published on November 29, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The first whole week in November started nicely with Shake Shack and Younger (it’s finally available in the UK!) and an early night. I know it sounds decadent with a takeaway on a Monday, but isn’t that when we need it most?!

Tuesday I moved on to another show; The Morning Show on Apple TV +. Really good so far!

On Wednesday I met up Gaby and Ro for dinner to celebrate Ro’s birthday! So lovely!

Thursday I ate and shopped my way through Fortnum & Mason in the evening. Such a fun event!

Friday we drove north for a weekend in the country and had a lovely TV supper in front of Pointless and Doc Martin in the evening.

On Saturday we had baked potatoes for lunch and in the afternoon I baked a cake which we ate in front of the fire and in the evening we got dressed up for a fun dinner party!

The next day was Remembrance Day so we went to the village church for a remembrance service and then had leftovers from the night before for lunch. Such a treat! We drove back to London in the evening but first had supper in front of the fire. So cosy!

Eating out, theatre and weekend cooking!

Published on November 25, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

This week at the end of October, beginning of November was quite busy both work wise and socially with two weeknights out, so at the weekend we stayed in and hibernated.

Monday was quite uneventful. I survived my least favourite day of the week, got my work done and had leftovers for dinner.

The next day I took the train to The New Forest and worked there all day.

When I got back in London I met up with a friend for dinner. We went to Temper Covent Garden and had a lovely evening!

On the Wednesday I used up some leftover girolles from the weekend and made myself a girolle toast for lunch.

On Thursday straight after work three of us had a quick bite to eat at Chick ‘n Sours before going to the theatre to see Groan Ups.

Now, I’m not a big comedy fan, so when everybody else were laughing hysterically I only smiled, but a good comedy should have other elements too that I definitely can (and do) appreciate. And this one had them all; clever writing, really good acting, clever ways to tell the story and a deeper meaning underneath all the jokes, so I really (!) enjoyed it. Go see it!

On Friday I probably made the last caprese salad for the season (as I refuse to use imported flavourless tomatoes) and in the evening I updated this gnocchi recipe and took it to a whole other Friday night level. You’ll find the new version here! And for pudding we had an ice cream sundae with homemade chocolate sauce. Easy and delicious!

On Saturday we had eggs for breakfast (like always) and in the evening I made us Jerusalem artichoke soup (also updated – will post this soon!) to start followed by perfectly cooked cod loin with beurre blanc, new potatoes and peas. For pudding I attempted chocolate soufflés from a random recipe I found on the recipe. Although edible (just) it had completely the wrong texture, and wasn’t at all what I would call a soufflé so will have to find a better recipe!

Sunday my boyfriend played golf and I baked a brown butter sponge cake with brown butter frosting. The frosting was amazing but I thought the cake itself a bit too try so will need to perfect this too.

For dinner I made us girolle toast followed by the most amazing slow-cooked short rib with caramelised garlic mashed potatoes. Yum! Oh, and we finally finished season three of The Handmaid’s Tale.