Ever since at the tender age of 5 when I first laid eyes on Bodil Hagbrink’s children’s book Bei uns in Lappland (in the English version Children of Lapland) in the local library I have been intrigued by Finland and its beautiful nature, people and culture. Year after year I pestered my parents to visit Finland during our holidays. Finally when I was about 10 years old I succeeded and we spent 3 weeks travelling around Sweden, Finland and Norway. It was one of my best summer vacation till this day. I immediately fell in love with Scandinavia – I was very young and didn’t have the understanding how I felt back then but in hindsight I think I just felt like I had arrived home.
Persistent as I am, I continued to annoy my parents until they gave in and we spent another summer in Scandinavia around 5 years later. By then my interest in Finland had become even more articulated, I listened to Finnish music (HIM, the Rasmus, …) and even started to (try) study some words. When the possibility of a high school exchange year came up, there was no doubt that I would apply for spending the year in Finland.
I spent one year in Tampere living with a Finnish family – it was one of best years of my life. Not only did I learn a lot about myself and grow as a human being, I also met some of my best friends along the way and felt deeply connected to Finland, its people, nature, lifestyle, and, of course, cuisine.
Finland has shaped me and my interest in baking and cooking. This website has been a long brain child of mine – but finally I got the guts to just do it and enjoy the ride. I am super excited to share my passion and love for the Nordic kitchen (especially baking 💙), culture and lifestyle with you!
