Forget Nordic noir. In Putney it’s the Nordic nosh that currently has them all flocking in. Sophie Farrah visits a brand new Scandinavian shop and cafe
Ikea, Abba, meatballs: no prizes for guessing where we’re going with this. Yet Scandinavian culture, in toto, is a smorgasbord of delights that owes little to flat-pack furniture or a coterie of dancing queens.
Take Blåbär, for example, the new Nordic lifestyle shop and café currently ripping up spruce in Putney.
“Blåbär actually means blueberry!” laughs owner Sandra Linnea West. “But in Swedish that has another cultural meaning: to be a blueberry is to be new at something. Blåbär is Oli and I’s first venture together, so we’re the blueberries now!”
Sandra herself is Swedish, while Oliver Goodier – her partner in life and work – is English. Oli works as an art director in the film industry, which helps to explain why the café is so gorgeous to behold.
“He was actually born in Kingston, and we now live in Richmond, so we wanted to bring a bit of Scandinavia to South-West London, combining the food and culture of my Swedish heritage with Oli’s background in design,” explains Sandra. “Putney is very green and there is an amazing sense of community here. It’s very Scandinavian in that way.”
Walking into Blåbär is like walking into your über stylish Nordic neighbour’s house. Arranged over two floors, it’s homely, yet incredibly chic. It’s also unusual in being both a café and a shop, yet the two merge effortlessly.
‘It’s a common concept in Scandinavia, especially in Copenhagen. You can buy the tables, the chairs, the lighting, the plates we serve the food on – everything! It’s about showcasing the Scandinavian lifestyle as a whole.”
Thus, aside from the Scandi chic design and tempting Nordic nibbles, Blåbär also flies the flag for a lesser-known element of Scandinavian culture: fika.
“Basically it means having a coffee with something sweet, like a cinnamon bun,” smiles Sandra. “But it’s really more about taking time out to be with friends and family; to slow down and appreciate what you have. In Sweden, time for fika is scheduled into the working day!”
A bit like mindfulness, then, but with coffee and cake – an excellent idea. And it seems that Blåbär’s cinnamon buns have taken Putney by Nordic storm.
“We bake them in-house during the day, so people can smell them from down the street and end up coming into the shop!”
For something savoury, try Blåbär’s fresh, healthy open-top sandwiches: a single slice of Danish rye bread loaded with tasty, authentic toppings such as gravad lax (raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar, and dill), Skagen (cold water prawns) and the obligatory Swedish meatballs with beetroot.
“The quality of topping is key. Our cured salmon is from Norway and it’s gorgeous, we make our own beetroot and apple salad to go with the meatballs, and the Danish bread is great too. Oh, and our coffee is roasted in Stockholm!”
Sounds good. And while flying to Stockholm may not always be entirely practical, catching the bus to Putney certainly is. I can smell those buns already…
For more information and to book visit blabar.london
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