Ett paket fran sverige - EBBP4

Oh yes, it's that time of the month again where foodbloggers across Europe do the unthinkable and send each other stuff to eat... and despite there being people who think that this defies all logic and we should be more careful as someone might poison us, I am always happy to join in.
No risk, no fun, right?
No, in all seriousness, this was a good opportunity for me to get out of my hermit crab's shell and get back in touch with the blogging world again. By the way, the reason for the long radio silence is a series of events, some unfortunate, but one really fortunate: I have moved into a much bigger shell which I am enjoying very much! The side effects, however, are being without broadband for longer than I thought was humanely possible, having to get acquainted with a new kitchen with a massive Smeg oven and also making the most of the space (of which there is now plenty) and enjoying some company for a change.
So I came out of my seclusion to do some serious shopping for delicacies that I enjoy, tie them up into a nice parcel and spend a small fortune to send it to a lovely lady in France which I only discovered through this EBBM4 and wow, what a great site... excellent pictures, very tasty recipes, a discovery on its own!
And I was instantly rewarded with a thickly padded envelope that reached me on Friday - from Sweden. Now, when the postman rang (twice, believe it or not) I was literally on the doorstep to head out to the Fat Duck in Bray where I was having a (birthday) lunch with my friend Jeanne... which was out of this world, by the way, and I promise to blog about it soon. So I had to contain myself, be very disciplined for a change and all I allowed myself to do was have a sneaky little peak and drop Dagmar of A Cat in the Kitchen a mail to thank her for all the goodies she sent.
Later that day, I finally could give into my curiosity and discover the extent of my luck:
Some decidedly Swedish treats: a massive bar of my beloved Daim (which I am munching on as I type), Kex Choklad which are chocolate-covered wafers I am sure I will love, and something I am really quite scared of: Tyrkisk Peber, a hot salty liquorice which I am warned to be try carefully, as it is very hot (3 on a scale of 3)... I do like spicy, but I am not a fan of liquorice - I will try this, however, and that's a promise! (Just need some time to pluck up the courage!)
Also part of the deal were some mini-crispbreads with sesame seed which I had with some salmon paté I brought home from, I blush as I write, Ikea the other day (just moved, remember? In such circumstances, these trips are unavoidable!)... There was also a bottle with an intriguing Japanese spice mix by the name of Furikake (sesame, seaweed and blackcurrant leaves) which I have yet to try - apparently it goes well with chicken and fish and while I am thinking of a recipe I could use it in, it has become an addiction to have a pinch of it to nibble on while I cook - it's highy addictive.
When I opened the packet, the first thing that caught my eye was a pack of Rooibos Festival - I already knew  back then that we would become very good friends, as it is Rooibos tea, which I like very much, interlaced with pieces of freeze-dried fruit, mainly rhubarb... being a rhubarb addict (a recipe for a rhubarb cheesecake which I enclosed in my parcel to Marie-Laure, is to come very soon) this made me a very happy bunny. I've had it less than a week and am already half-way through, so I might ask my blogging partner to send me some more when I run out - it's very refreshing and yummy and I can't get enough of it.
Thanks to Dagmar for spoiling me with her Swedish treats and thanks to Andrew for organising this round of Euro-Blogging by Mail, can't wait for the next instalment!

Comments

[Jeanne]

Wow!! That's quite a parcel - I'm sure you're going to have a ball nibbling your way through that ;-)

And wasn't The Fat Duck awesome? Mmmmm, harissa ice cream!! Next time, definitely the tasting menu!

[angelika]

So happy to see you back on bloggin again. My thoughts have been with you quite a lot, not only last weekend when I prepared your Jerusalem artichokes risotto.What great discovery ! I will blog about it soon... Take care, all the best from the 3 flying apples

[Andrew]

salty liquorice - them Swedes are crazy!

[Dagmar]

I'm glad that you liked your parcel. Sorry for not sending any homemade gifts, but I just had no time. I hope that you survived the salty liquorice, especially the filling inside the sweets... :-)

Just let me know when to send you more of the tea :-)

Take care!

[Ivonne]

As a jealous Canadian, I love/hate reading about these events. Love because the goodies are all so much fun. Hate because I'm not in Europe to partake.

Glad to hear you're out of your seclusion and back to blogging.

You have a great site ... all the best!

[Eric]

Kex is wonderful, it's like a Kit-Kat but with lighter chocolate and an overall fluffier build. SO good.. and so impossible to find in Canada.