Greetings from Charlotte

In South Kensington, August is primarily the month of the Proms. Last week on August 11, the Danish Philharmonic orchestra was performing in Royal Albert Hall. It was a successful performance and meant we were kept busy. August has also been the month the Danish magazine "Mad og Bolig" included Madsen in a feature about "Danes in London" with lots of photos. However, during August it is first and foremost essential for us to finalise the menus for the Autumn. That includes a new a la carte for September and the catering menus for New Year and Christmas. For the first time we will be doing catering for New Year's eve which there will be more on in the next newsletter.

Finally, we are currently busy preparing for London's first Scandinavia Show at Olympia Conference Centre in October. Madsen will be there with our handmade "frikadeller", "fiskefrikadeller" and Kransekage. Keep an eye out for this show as most of London's Scandinavian shops and organisations will be there.

Not to forget the catering - amongst others, thank you to Day Birger et Mikkelsen for chosing our open sandwiches for their recent presentation in Maida Vale.

Enjoy the rest of the summer,

Charlotte

It's Kräftskiva time...

Right now the Kräftskiva/Crayfish party season is in full swing in Sweden. For you not to miss out we start our crayfish menu on Thursday, August 26 and run it to Saturday, September 18. We will be stocking lots of Swedish Nils Oscar beer, OP Anderson and Skåne Akvavits. The crayfish menu can be ordered for parties down to 4 people, as long as you give us minimum 48 hours notice.

This year the menu features both dill and cumin marinated crayfish, herring with potatoes, smoked salmon canapes, Västebotten cheese with Peter's yard crisp bread and mushroom quiche. You can find the full menu here.

To book please write an email to reservations@madsenrestaurant.com - remember to mention you are interested in the crayfish party.

Love Cooking Festivals

For those who really enjoy cooking there is a new festival that demands a bit of attention. The Love Cooking Festivals are new and exciting food events where you can watch celebrity chefs cook on stage and give you tips. The festivals take place throughout October and November in Bristol, Edinburgh, London and Harrogate.

In London the event takes place on November 2, 2010 in the Royal Festival Hall. At this event some of the chefs are Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes, Rick Stein, Mark Hix, Richard Corrigan and Oz Clarke. They each have a different "show" to offer that is centered around what they are particularly good at. Gary Rhodes will cook great British classics, Oz Clarke will match food and wine while Richard Corrigan and Rick Stein will explain fish cooking - to mention a few. The organisers currently offer 2-4-1 on all tickets until August 22 so hurry up to book now - you can find out more here.

100% Norway design

100% Design is an exhibition in Earls Court from 23 to 26 September, 2010 during The London Design Festival. Building on the success of previous years, 100% Norway 2010 will showcase works of both established and up-and-coming designers, and feature a number of the country’s leading manufacturers. This will be the seventh time the exhibition visits London to act as a door opener for Norwegian designers and manufacturers to the British market. Simultaneously, it builds awareness of Norwegian design in the UK and internationally. You can find more details and a list of all the Norwegian designers here.

100% Norway @ 100% Design
Earls Court, Stand G40
Thursday 23 September: 10.00 - 21.00
Friday 24 September: 10.00 - 19.00
Saturday 25 September: 10.00 - 18.00
Sunday 26 September: 11.00 - 17.00

The Danish Church in London

There has been a Danish church in London since 1696. It has changed location several times over the years however, it is now based in St. Katharine's Precinct overlooking Regent's Park's north eastern corner. The church itself is an impressive building and the community surrounding it is very active. In charge of the church you find Pastor Else Hviid and Pastor Henrik Olsen, as well as managers Dorte and Poul Jensen. The Danish church is an Evangelical-Lutheran church with a strong connection to the National Evangelical-Lutheran Church (Folkekirken) of Denmark and they celebrate services, christenings, marriages and funerals in the same way as any parish church in Denmark. There is a Sunday service every Sunday at 11am.

The Danish church also has a strong community outside the religious services. The church has an important role in teaching both children and adults the Danish language. Every Saturday there are Danish classes for children and during the week evening classes for adults. In addition to this, mothers with young children meet every other Wednesday to play and sing in Danish with their children - and probably also for a chat! However, there are many other activities such as a book club, film club, bridge club and even a knitting club. All in all, the Danish Church is an important institution for Danes to stay in touch with their roots, language and religion. You can find out more here.

This month's recipe

SWEDISH PEA SOUP

Over summer we have had our Swedish pea soup on the a la carte as a starter. It is a lovely refreshing soup that does well with the changing weather and it is very easy to make. This recipe serves 4 people and can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Ingredients: 500 g peas, 2/3 shallot onion, 1.5 cloves of garlic, a dash of whipped cream, 0.25 liter water, salt and white pepper

How to make: Chop the onions and garlic finely. Then boil them with the peas in a pot. Once tender drain the peas, onions and garlic and mix them with a blender until a smooth mash. Put the mixture in a pot over the heat and add the cream and stir until warm - do not boil.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper and serve with fresh bread.

What's on in the area

Natural History Museum
Big bugs Exhibition (26th July – 21st November): Be amazed by the world's most enormous insects and arachnids from the Museum's collections at our fantastic Big Bugs exhibition this summer. Discover many rare scientific specimens, including the largest insect specimen ever recorded, alongside some live creatures like emperor scorpions. Find out more here

V & A Museum
My Generation: The Glory Years of British Rock (30th April – 30th August): Top of the Pops was launched by the BBC on New Year's Day in 1964, and went on to become the longest-running TV show in British history. On that night the Rolling Stones were the opening band; the photographer was Harry Goodwin. This display brings together 200 of Harry Goodwin's most striking and memorable photographs, from Bob Dylan to a dramatic shot of Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar with his teeth. Find out more here

Science Museum
Who am I? (Permanent from the 25th June): Who am I? invites you to explore the science of who you are through intriguing objects, provocative artworks and hands-on exhibits. Discover what your voice sounds like as a member of the opposite sex, morph your face to see what you’ll look like as you age, or collect DNA to catch a criminal in our brand-new interactive exhibit. Find our more here

Royal Albert Hall
Prom 53 Mozart/Bent Sørensen (August 25, 19.30): The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra visits with joint Artistic Director Isabelle van Keulen and Principal Guest Director Leif Ove Andsnes. Find out more here.

Cadogan Hall, Chelsea
Australian Chamber Orchestra – Plays Beethoven (31st August 19.00): The Times calls the Australian Chamber Orchestra “the best chamber orchestra on earth”. The Washington Post says it has “the energy and vibe of a rock band with the ability of a crack classical chamber group." The ACO is famous for exhilarating, high-impact performances of Beethoven, “fired by fierce energy” and “worlds apart from the stodgy style so often heard”. Find out more here

Christie's, South Kensington
Christie’s Interiors (31st August): Christie’s put on an auction for you interested in interior pieces varying from furniture and lightning to prints and painting. Find out more here

OPENING HOURS

Monday Midday - 10.30pm
Tuesday - Thursday Midday - 11pm
Friday & Saturday Midday - 11.45pm

Sunday Midday - 5pm
kitchen closes an hour prior to closing time

020 7225 2772
reservations@madsenrestaurant.com