Lauded for its innovative and edgy spirit, Borba Margo is one of London’s most coveted accessory players. Scan caught up with Jessika Göransson and Anderson Borba DaSilva to get the low-down on the label and the duo behind it.

It might sound like a cliché, but some things are meant to be. On a sunny day in London in 1996, Jessika Margo Göransson, a half Swedish, half polish 17-year old holidaying in London, sat down on a bench in Covent Garden to prepare for a busking session with her violin, her greatest passion at the time. A moment later, Brazilian twenty-something Anderson Borba DaSilva walked past and took a seat next to the pretty violinist to eat his lunch. The pair started chatting and shared Anderson’s bacon sandwich. “As soon as we met, we both felt an instant connection and sharing an interest in many things including fashion, we became close friends immediately,” the duo tells us in unison when we meet them in their East London studio.

Eight years later, in 2004 to be precise, Göransson and Borba DaSilva founded Borba Margo together. Prior to launching the label, Jessika completed a women’s wear degree at Middlesex University in London and went on to hone her skills at various fashion houses including Gaspard Yurkievich, Oskar Suleyman and Hussein Chalayan. Borba DaSilva, meanwhile, gained experience elsewhere, including a stint at the tailoring department of The Royal Guards.

All Eyes on Borba Margo

Fast-forward to 2009: Borba Margo is considered one of London’s most promising new names. Coveted for its distinctive aesthetic that is playful and severe all at once, the label bagged the British Fashion Council’s prestigious New Generation Sponsorship no less than four times.

Speaking of the style that’s wowed the jaded and hard-to-impress fashion elite, Borba Margo’s aesthetic has a mildly surreal and somewhat organic feel to it, as bags and belts are carefully sculpted to mould around the body like living organisms. But other interpretations circulate, too: “Someone once described our look as a bit S&M, but a soft, seductive version thereof,” says Jessika and goes on to offer her own description of the label: “The style is full of contradiction; it’s body conscious and quite strong with focus on bold shapes. It’s also very feminine but not in the girly sense of the word.” Something else that sets the label apart from most other accessory lines is the fact that many pieces, such as the “skirted” belts, almost double as garments. This distinctive aspect has not come about by chance, but stems from Göransson’s background in women’s wear design- and her willingness to blur the lines between accessories and clothing. “I like the idea of a belt that thinks it’s a skirt,” she says.

Great Minds Think Alike

Talking to the duo about their creative ventures, it becomes obvious that their minds are acutely synchronized, almost spookily so, some would say. But despite being twin souls and sharing most creative agendas, working as a duo must surely have its drawbacks? “Of course we disagree sometimes, but most of the time we are so in tune with each other’s ideas that it’s almost ridiculous. In some cases we have to consult a friend to see if both of us have gone mad, or if we’re on to something good,” says Jessika and laughs.

“It’s also healthy to have someone to bounce back ideas on. That way you get another perspective and the original idea can develop and get better,” Borba DaSilva adds.

In terms of the design work as such, the creative pair share the notion that the label is “under constant evolution” and its fundamental concept serves as the springboard for new directions. “What we’ve designed previously provides the base for our next creative step,” explains Borba DaSilva. “Unlike most fashion designers, we don’t necessarily change route completely every season and we only use new reference points in a subtle way rather than drawing on obvious themes. Our design process is based on intuition: it’s a feeling, an aesthetic that comes naturally to us.” So what gives rise to these reference points, however subtle they may be? “Everything,” says Göransson. “We both love music and dance, but often we utilise our inspiration in an abstract way. It’s unusual that we take inspiration from tangible things,” she says by way of reinforcing her business partner’s previous statement.

Borba Margo’s autumn/winter 2010 collection, currently available in prestigious stores such as Colette, Harvey Nichols and Liberty, centres on escapism. “We were longing for what’s missing at the moment, i.e. glamour and luxury. Hence we created a collection representing the antithesis of the current doom and gloom and the frugal fashion that traditionally goes with it,” says Göransson. Simply called The Escapist Collection, the range certainly doesn’t hold back on the glam factor. Luxury symbols like tassels and gold chains are used throughout, but the resulting look still retains the recognisable Borba Margo air that is largely defined by contradiction. “The shapes might be square and utilitarian, if not even a little boring, but to counteract the plainness, we lavishly decorated the pieces with gold chains and tassels to create a dual aspect.”

Next Chapter

With the autumn/winter collection done and dusted, what’s next? “Our label is developing slowly but surely. We’re mainly known for our belts but we’d like to establish the wider accessory range a bit more and push the handbags, gloves and jewellery lines further.”

Before bidding farewell to the duo, we ask Jessika what attracted her to move from Sweden to London, leaving aside her strong friendship with Anderson, of course. “I never chose to lead a comfortable, safe life. I chose a challenge, and London provides that,” she replies. And on that note, we let Jessika and Anderson carry on with their most immediate challenge, namely to continue developing Borba Margo together.
www.valerydemure.com

When most people think of the Scandinavian seasons, they either think of the bitter cold and round the clock dark winter days – or the vibrantly colourful summer season with its rolling green hills and sparkling silvery lakes (although, some, admittedly, think only of blonde women, Ace of Base and meatballs, but these have little to do with this article).  However, the often forgotten thing about autumn in Scandinavia is that it is certainly also a time to cherish and a time of exceptional beauty – as well as being full of some of the most amazing foodie treasures known to man.

With all the hoo-haa of Midsummer Parties and dancing around maypoles well and truly over, summer in the Nordic countries comes along in fleeting bursts and before we know it, the days are once again getting shorter and the nights colder.  By the middle of September, the whole of Scandinavia has changed its green summer coat for the rustling, golden comforting blanket of fallen leaves, and it is time for long walks in the forest, for slowing down and fattening up for winter time. Back in the Viking times, autumn signalled the time for preparing for the days when hardly any daylight at all shone through.  From the summer with its abundance of fruit and vegetables, winter proved always to be a testing time and our forefathers hunted and gathered everything they could for easy storage.   In the Northern countries they hunted for game which they salted and dried.  In the south they fished, preserving what they could by drying and curing – as well as slaughtering a good proportion of their farmed animals.  Everywhere, the Vikings harvested and milled – and stored grain and oats for the long months.  Yep, it was porridge for everyone, all year long, even back then.

Autumn nowadays in Scandinavia is first signalled by the arrival of the crayfish season in August, which carries on well into September.  Mainly in Sweden and Finland is this season a big celebration, with most people spending many a weekends enjoying the fruits of the sea along with the jolly company of some amazing aquavit and some good friends (whilst being attacked by the last hungry mosquitoes of the year).  Plenty of “snapsvisor” – aquavit songs – are sung during the crayfish season and many a horrific hangover endured.

The game hunting season is another big autumn signal in Scandinavia.  In all of the northern countries, the moose hunting season starts and eager hunters stalk out in the forest, hoping to get the catch of the season – and that all important moose-head to stuff and display on the wall at home.   Roe deer, wild ducks and red grouse, to name but a few, are also hunted.  Game in Scandinavia today is not intensively farmed at all and is of the highest of quality in the world, giving it a seriously hefty price tag – but well worth a taste if you’re ever lucky enough to be offered it.  Lately, the much publicised Nordic Diet has claimed that wild game is the meat we should all be eating for health reasons, likely ensuring even heftier price tags in years to come.
Scandinavia also harbours a vast amount of incredible treasures when it comes to late summer berries.  From wild raspberries, the plumpest, juiciest blackberries and blueberries imaginable, you can find them all here.  Of course, not forgetting the all important lingonberry either, an essential jam served with Swedish and Norwegian meatballs.

Towards the end of July to beginning of August, the much sought after cloudberry blooms across the colder areas.  The cloudberry is an orange berry that looks a bit like a plump, overgrown fat raspberry but which grows on stalks instead of bushes – and the plant itself can withstand temperatures of down to -40 C.  It is very difficult to cultivate and is most often found only in the wild; it is very hard to pick as the fragile berries burst instantly in the hands of unseasoned pickers.  Most cloudberry is therefore made into jam and sold across the world, but nowhere is it more popular than in Sweden, where this jam is often heated and served with vanilla ice cream.  Cloudberry is expensive – even during harvest season locally, prices often top £12 a litre – but the tart, unusual taste of this wonderful berry is certainly worth splashing out for.

In Finland, cloudberry is often made into an exceptional liquor called Lakkalikööri – and you can also find cloudberry yoghurt and cakes in certain shops.  Lately, the humble cloudberry has also enjoyed quite a bit of press attention from the Nordic Diet, which has hailed it as one of the best berries to eat if you want to follow a Nordic Diet because of its high vitamin content.  In the UK, cloudberry jam is available in a few different brands, the best, and the one that has the highest fruit content, is the Tillmann version – which is also less sugary than others.  Fresh cloudberries or even frozen ones are pretty much impossible to get hold of outside Scandinavia.

But even if you can’t make it to the Nordic countries to collect your own fresh berries this autumn, it is easy to sample some of the other the treasured goods from the comfort of London.  Arrange a bit of a crayfish and aquavit party for a fantastic, traditional Scandinavian feast.  Get hold of some of the amazing autumn berries on offer – either in fresh or jam form – and get cooking and inventing for both savoury and sweet dishes.  All you need then is a good bunch of mates and an autumn evening and you’re all set.  Hold off on the moose hunting, though, even after the 4th glass of aquavit when it all seems like such a good idea (even in Hackney):  it’s usually not.

Three easy-peasy ways with Cloudberry:

Cloudberry Jam and Vanilla ice cream
The ultimate Swedish dessert.  Get hold of some good quality vanilla ice cream and heat a few spoonfuls of cloudberry jam – pour over the ice cream just before serving.  Alternatively, make it a bit more exciting by adding some crushed meringue and whipped cream and gently fold in – a sort of “Swedish Mess” (inspired by the British dessert “Eton Mess”).

Cloudberry layer cake
Three sponge layer cakes (we recommend Karen Wolf “Lagkage”, which comes in three pre-made thin layers, easy to assemble, or make your own Victoria style sponge and split to three).  Pop a layer on the serving tray, add a thin layer of cloudberry jam, add a thick layer of patisserie cream.  Add sponge layer 2, repeat over.  Cover cake with a nice layer of whipped cream all round and on top and decorate with a light dusting of chocolate shavings.  Leave to set for a bit in the fridge before serving.

Cloudberry baked cheesecake
200g ‘NICE’ biscuits or other plain biscuits – most can be used, even plain Hobnobs.
75 g melted butter
800g full fat cream cheese
180 g Caster sugar
4 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
3 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
300 ml sour cream
1 jar of cloudberry jam (use as much as you need/like to – most likely just over half a jar)

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C degrees.  Grease a 23cm spring form tin.  Sit the tin in foil – and wrap the foil all around the side to prevent water from seeping in (the best way to bake a cheese cake is to bake it in a bain marie).
Crush the biscuits and combine with the melted butter.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the tin.
In a mixer, put the cream cheese, 160g of the sugar, the eggs, yolks and 2 tsp vanilla sugar as well as lemon juice and mix really well.  When smooth, pour over the biscuit base.

Put the cake tin, which is tightly wrapped in the foil, in a larger tin or roasting tin and pour boiling water all around it, till about half way.  Bake for 1 hour exactly.

Beat the sour cream, the rest of the sugar and vanilla, pour over the cake and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and roasting tin (discard water).  Heat the jam gently and very carefully pour/smooth it over the top of the cake.  Leave the cake alone for at least 4 hours – ideally longer – to set properly- before opening the spring form (or else the cake may well crack).

Bronte Blomhoj is the owner of Scandinavian Kitchen in London, a place that stocks everything you need to feel truly Scandinavian, except flat packed furniture: you’ll have to go elsewhere for that. They don’t have any moose heads for sale, either, although they’d quite like one so if you want to get rid of yours, let them know.  Moo.
All recipes by Scandinavian Kitchen 2009 (c)

Kirgsley is Sweden’s only Swinglish stand up comedian.

‘Snus?’. The Swede opposite me waved a miniature teabag in my face. I was young and naïve and keen to try new experiences, but I wasn’t sure whether he was expecting me to boil up a thimble of water and fetch a tiny drop of milk so we could have a teeny-weeny tea party.

He popped the teabag into his mouth. ‘This is snus,’ he said proudly as though revealing the secret of all things Swedish.

This was snus, the dark sticky oral tobacco that is widely used in Sweden and one of the few things that Swedes are prepared to get really passionate about. In 1994, snus and the freedom to snus (yes, it’s a noun and a verb) was the single most important issue for Sweden on joining the EU.

Spend more than a couple of days in Sweden and you soon learn that the small tobacco-filled teabag, or worse, loose snus, is shoved under the upper lip while the snuser ruminates. This can lead to confusion: Sitting opposite a Swede in a pub, you are never quite sure if they are orthodontically challenged or if brown teeth and the protruding muzzle are down to a snus habit. It’s only when they excuse themselves (or not) to spit tobacco onto the floor that you can be certain.

Snus| Photo: courtesy of Török Gábor (nyuhuhuu) | CC License

To the outsider, the habit might seem like a rustic practice, but snus is used more widely than cigarettes. There are special fridges to store the little packets and even paraphernalia such as ‘portioners’ to take snus surreptitiously without getting fingers covered in tobacco, supposedly adding a whole level of snus sophistication.

Maybe my heart wasn’t in it, but my one young, naïve taste of snus was enough to put me off it for life. So if ever you sit opposite me in a pub in Sweden and wonder if my teeth are rotten, I guarantee it’s not snus. I’m English, after all. SNUS

Scandinavian brands H&M and IKEA have been placed first and third respectively on global brand agency Interbrand’s most recent list of the Best European Brands. They and many other Scandinavian brands are clearly getting something right. But what is the secret behind creating such remarkably strong brands? Scan Magazine had a chat with Graham Hales, Managing Director at Interbrand London, to explore the reason behind this success.

Brands are everywhere around us. They have become a natural part of our everyday lives, helping us to make instant and almost instinctive choices about what we eat, wear and practically everything else in life on which you can put a price. The choice is often based on previous experience of a brand’s products or services, or on what a brand represents in terms of attitude or lifestyle.

Graham Hales, Managing Director at global brand consultancy Interbrand, London, describes a brand as “a stamp of value.” The brand promises that by choosing it, you will get a certain quality or experience. When it continuously lives up to the promise, you will begin to expect certain things from that brand and it becomes essential for the business. “Without a brand you don’t have a reputation,” says Hales.

Scandinavian secret

So with two Scandinavian brands topping Interbrand’s Best European Brands list what does Hales think is the secret behind the Scandinavian’s success?

“Scandinavian brands tend to have a cool, clinical, contemporary cleverness attached to them,” Hales says. To a certain extent, he adds, the success is down to this “contemporary style statement that happens to be Scandinavian.

But more importantly, he concludes, “Scandinavian brands have a sense of character about what they are and what they are not,” meaning that they don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. Their brand promise is communicated clearly and the company delivers on that promise.

More than a logo

Interbrand has worked with companies around the world to create strong brands since the 1970s. To Interbrand, a brand is all about business value, it is an essential business asset, which, if you get it right, will serve both your organisation and your customers well.

But it’s about more than getting the logo right. The logo is only one aspect of the brand, representing what the brand promises to deliver to the customer, Hales emphasises. “For example, the IKEA logo on its own may look very simplistic to someone who doesn’t know the concept of the company. Equally, the use of yellow and blue might not make any sense to them.” But of course, the use of simple lines and the choice of colour make perfect sense for IKEA. It conveys the meaning of the brand and what it promises to consumers: Swedish simplicity, quality design for a good price.

Strong brands

But how do you create a strong brand? “You need to think about the bigger picture of your brand and then create a logo that represents all of that,” says Hales. To do this, companies need to follow certain guidelines. “When you create a brand you need to think of who you want to be in the market place and how you can deliver against that.

You need to see yourself as the market and your consumers see you. Around that insight you formulate a ‘credible brand promise’. That is, ‘what we promise to deliver to our customers,’” Hales says, adding: “The brand also needs to be distinctive in the market place. And, finally, the brand needs to be future focused.”

The hugely successful Swedish fashion brand H&M follows this formula. The company understands what their young target group wants: affordable top fashion. Working closely with celebrities and top fashion designers gives H&M the edge over the competition whilst living up to their promise – and their consumers’ expectations. “Clarity, consistency and leadership,” Hales summarises, is the secret to the H&M brand’s success.

Valuating brands

Convinced of the value that branding represents for a business, Interbrand has developed a Brand Valuation tool that measures the asset a brand is to its owner in actual financial terms. “Brand value is the dollar value of a brand.” Over the years, Interbrand’s Brand Valuation has become a significant industry benchmark.

Interbrand calculates brand value in a way similar to how other financial value is determined. The way the current brand owners use the brand is taken into consideration, as is the current value of the earnings that the brand is expected to generate in the future. There are three key elements involved in Brand Valuation: Financial Forecasting (financial forecast used to calculate the Economic Value Added (EVA) of the branded business), Role of Branding (which identifies the earnings of EVA specifically attributable to the brand, depending on the importance of the brand for customers in choosing products or services) and Brand Strength (determination of the risk of future earnings relating to the brand).

Based on its research, Interbrand every year compiles a list of the Best Global Brands which is published in Business Week. Recently, they have also started publishing a list of the Best European Brands. In 2009, H&M topped the list and IKEA was third.

What are they doing right?

Both brands know what their consumers want and deliver on it:

H&M – affordable fashion

Ranges by top fashion designers

Linkage to celebrities

Value for money

Clear and consistent communication

IKEA – affordable home design

Simplicity of design – fits every home

Great retail environment

Value for money

Clear and consistent communication

The Swedish currency exchange company FOREX has moved across the Channel and opened its first office in the UK. Scan Magazine went on a visit to see how the business has been welcomed.

With more than 100 branches spread throughout Scandinavia, FOREX has gone a long way since its humble beginning in 1927. Back then, the first exchange office was opened at Stockholm’s Central Station by the Swedish barber Gyllenspets as a response to his customers’ need to exchange money.

Today Forex has around 1,000 employees, a turnover of 42 billion Swedish kronor and has just opened its first office outside the North, more accurately in Baker Street, London.

Here a team of young and dedicated Scandinavians are ready to show Londoners why FOREX is so popular in Scandinavia. One of them is Swedish Oskar Svensson who is the country manager for the UK and Iceland. He believes UK customers deserve to experience the Scandinavian way of doing currency exchange. “The Scandinavian approach to customer service is very different from the English. In Oxford Street many of the exchange services are just a hole in the wall and that is not comfortable or safe for the customers,” he says, adding “We do not aim to make as much profit on the customers the one time they come in but aim to make them come back.” One of the reasons for customers to come back is that FOREX, contrary to many other exchange services, does not charge any fee for the exchange. But do people really use an exchange office more than once? Maybe not the tourists, but they are not the only potential clients in the UK, explains Svensson’s Danish Colleague, Branch Manager Per Middelboe.

“Many people exchange their money outside the UK because it is more expensive to do it here. We want to change that and thus aim for both the UK market and the tourist market. Many people also exchange in the airport before travelling, but they can save 10-15 per cent if they exchange with us instead, so everybody gains if they exchange at FOREX, before they leave,” he says.

This may sound almost too good to be true, but actually it is the other way round, says Svensson; it is the English competition that is too poor to be true. “In England people are used to paying a high spread. In Scandinavia there is no more than a couple of per cent difference between the buying and selling prices whereas in the UK it can reach as high as 20-30 per cent. In that way the competition in Scandinavia is fairer to the customers.”

But while competitors may have reason to worry, the outlook is bright for the two Scandinavians  and FOREX, which plans to open 6-8 branches in London before the Olympics in 2012.

The image of the land of the little red wooden houses, clear lakes and midsummer fishing trips is an idyllic one.   Sitting in the green field on a summer’s day, enjoying fresh air and a picnic of Swedish everyday delicacies such as fresh crayfish, prawns and a sprig of dill is a blissful and welcome event.  Ah, the land of the healthy people who eat all that healthy food.  Or so you thought.

Deep under the surface hides a little guilty culinary secret, you see…  The smörgåstårta.  If you have not yet experienced this classic Swedish dish, well, basically, imagine several different sandwiches on white bread, slapped together to form a big cake that would feed, say, 15 people.  Cover the lot in a thick layer of mayonnaise and decorate it in best 80s style complete with olives on sticks and whirly slices of lemon. Slice and serve. Yes, you’ve found it:  the Swedish culinary calorie bomb.  And man, it is so, so good.

Foodie secrets

So, the cat is out of the bag: it is not just about herring and health in Scandinavia.  Every country has a few foodie secrets that probably will never be mentioned in any international cook book or tourist guide.  For Sweden, it is the Smörgåstårta (although the regional habit of eating a hotdog topped with mashed potato and prawn-mayo probably comes in a close second).  No self-respecting Swede will, of course, admit that eating a savoury torte decorated in half a kilo of mayonnaise is a sin, but is rather an integral part of any anniversary, birthday or nice get-together.

Nobody is really sure where the concept of Smörgåstårta originated or why it has been such a hit in Sweden in particular, as the roots of this dish do not appear to be specifically Swedish.  Konditor Gunnar Sjodahl in Ostersund has been mentioned as the possible ’inventor’ of this supposedly most Swedish of dishes, although its popularity in Finland suggests its origins are less precise.  The closest thing to compare it to is the American “Sandwich loaf” which was extremely popular during the 1950s.  The idea is the same:  a loaf of sandwich bread, sliced length ways and filled with many, many different fillings (read: anything in the fridge), then covered in some sticky dressing and decorated with things such as radishes cut into flowers and twirly bits of cucumber.  Perhaps the Smörgåstårta is a leftover variation of the American fifties dish?

Regardless of its origins, it is never far from the Swedish mind: it even made headlines a couple of years back in Sweden’s own Smörgåstårtagate, when a policeman in Lund was convicted of gross misconduct for suggesting his effectiveness might be improved if offered a Smörgåstårta.

Best of Swedish

Well, perhaps there are links – but looking into the Smörgåstårta from Sweden, you cannot deny that the fillings of a Swedish smörgåstårta can represent what is best of Swedish produce:  cured or smoked salmon, beautiful fresh prawns and maybe even crayfish.  So yes, the idea of making it a huge sandwich from which to cut slices is similar to the American loaf, but the stuff you put into it and the combinations you choose – well, this is how it becomes the well-loved Swedish smörgåstårta.

Today, the Smörgåstårta still has its place in Swedish cuisine and you can order one at the local konditor or baker for that all important family event (usually served at Christenings, big birthday parties, as a late night snack at weddings…).   Alternatively, have a go at making it yourself – it is surprisingly easy and tastes really good.  Indeed, yours truly was very sceptical before the writing of this column, but having used the recipe below is now a convert and probably also a few pounds heavier.  Happy pounds, nevertheless:  it is worth the effort.

How to make a Smörgåstårta

Serves around 12 people (a nice slice each, eat with a fork).  The quantities below are a guideline as you should always make sure the smörgåstårta is filled properly – a dry loaf is no fun at all.

16 slices of white sandwich bread

Spread or butter

Smoked salmon – about 6-7 nice slices

Prawns – about 300 grams

6 hard boiled eggs, mashed and mixed with mayonnaise, salt, pepper and a little pinch of mustard

A tub of cream cheese

A good sized jar of a good quality mayonnaise (500g is around about enough).

Stuff to make it look pretty and interesting:  cucumber, dill sprigs, chopped chives, radishes, lemon, caviar… use your imagination.

This is how you do it:

Cut the crust off all bread.  Lay 4 slices on your serving plate in a square (the one you will use for serving – you can’t move the loaf after it has been made up)

Butter the bread, then spread a good helping of cream cheese, add some chopped chives and place the salmon.  Butter next round of bread on both sides and place on top of salmon.  Next, spread with your egg mayonnaise mixture to give a good, thick, even layer across bread.  Butter the next round of bread and place on top of the egg mixture.  Add a good layer of mayo mixed with half creme fraiche, add chopped dill and give it a good grind from the pepper mill – and then add 2/3 of your prawns (the rest are for decoration).  Butter the underside of the last round of bread and place on top.

Cover well with cling film and pop in fridge for around 24 hours to leave the bread to mix with the fillings.  A few hours before serving, remove from fridge and get ready to decorate the torta.

To decorate, use a spatula to cover the entire loaf in mayonnaise.  Yep, all sides need a nice layer.  If you use a lighter mayo, be aware that it will not stick so well so mix with a bit of crème fraiche as this will give the mixture a bit more hold when chilled.  Some people mix it with whipped cream at this point to make it stick better – although that sounds like it could be slightly criminal.

Once your wonder is all sealed, it’s time to decorate.  Slices of cucumber, swirly bits of lemon, radishes cut into flower shapes and prawns arranged in lovely patterns are all go.  The more Eighties looking, the better.  Once you’d feel proud to serve it at a Wham fan club re-union party, it’s probably ready.

Chill until serving, then slice.

Always remember:  there are no hard rules with regards to the filling, so make your own variations.  A good meat smörgåstårta could be made with ham and beef and pate, or  perhaps be adventurous and go for a new-age Italian version with peppers, salami, ham and olives and swap the white bread for nice Italian sliced loaf.

Bronte Blomhoj is the owner of Scandinavian Kitchen, a cafe/deli that now sells smörgåstårta made to order (as long as she doesn’t eat them first).