IT’S SEMLA SEASON FOR CLOSEUP PR CLIENT BAGERIET IN LONDON’S COVENT GARDEN

Since opening in May 2013, Bageriet the Swedish bakery on Rose Street in London’s Covent Garden, has become the talk of the town for all manner of Swedish traditional delicacies and this time of year heralds the arrival of Semla cream bun season.   This delicious small Swedish bun laced with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream is traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday.     Loved by Swedes and non-Swedes alike, Paul Hollywood, celebrity baker and judge from The Great British Bake-Off, baked semla with Bageriet founder Daniel Karlsson last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qDuj6njUKA

“We’re seeing a lot of interest from Brits who’ve heard of semla but never sampled one before and they’re all proving to be very pleasantly surprised” says Daniel Karlsson who prior to launching Bageriet, supplied semlor (plural of semla) and other baked traditional Swedish baked goods to a host of top London stores, restaurants and catering events. “Shrove Tuesday in Sweden is called 'Fettisdag' which translates as Fat Tuesday and it's traditional to eat as many semlor as possible that day” explains Sven-Gunnar Appelgren who is Daniel’s business partner.    It turns out that statistically each Swede buys at least 5 of these buns from a bakery each year.     The original tradition to eat a semla bun in hot milk is still enjoyed by a host of Swedes too.

In Sweden the semla is more than just a cream bun, it’s a national obsession, with window displays in bakeries filled with them as soon as the Christmas festivities are over.   Tired of the strict observance of Lent, Swedes started eating them every Tuesday from Shrove Tuesday until Easter and most pastry bakers have their own unique method of creating them, “Back home there are semla competitions and all bakers create their own twist on the traditional recipe such as creating a special almond paste filling” shares Daniel.

Londoners have really embraced Swedish traditions since Bageriet opened its doors and it seems many are enjoying a Swedish-style “Fika” which is a coffee break often with a bun or a biscuit which most Swedes have at least twice a day, as Daniel explains “We’ve seen an increase in people taking the tradition of Fika to their office and there’s no better way to have an informal meeting with colleagues than over a fika break".

Bageriet is also the destination for traditional cinnamon buns, vanilla hearts, princess cakes and all the other Swedish bakery pastries, cakes and breads.

"Seven types of biscuits are served at a traditional coffee party or Kafferep, which is Sweden's answer to afternoon tea” explains Sven-Gunnar “and at Bageriet we bake a number of different biscuits daily”.    Bageriet also takes large orders for cakes, buns and pastries and can provide a bespoke catering service.   

Bageriet opened in May 2013 at 24, Rose Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. An exciting new Scandinavian addition to this fashionable area of London,  Swedish bakers Daniel Karlsson and Sven-Gunnar Appelgren are sharing the best Swedish food traditions with Londoners and tourists alike, at a time when Swedish food is enjoying huge popularity both in the capital city and nationwide.    

Daniel Karlsson has earned a reputation as one of London’s most sought-after bakers in recent years after hand crafting bespoke birthday cakes, traditional Kanelbulle cinnamon buns, Semlor buns, crisp-rolls, biscuits, desserts and pastries for the Swedish Embassy and a host of restaurants and stores across London.  He was Pastry Product Developer at Melrose & Morgan and Head Pastry Chef at Ottolenghi Motcomb Street.      His business partner, Sven-Gunnar Appelgren is passionate about bread baking and for the past five years has worked at the prestigious Wolseley and Ottolenghi restaurants as well as the Berkeley Hotel in Mayfair.

Bageriet The word “bageriet” quite simply translates from Swedish to English as “bakery”.