Runeberg cake competition! Yes, it's helmikuu/February once more, and we can't resist baking and tasting those delicious Runeberg cakes . Sparing a thought or two for Finland's national poet, whose wife invented these excellent delicacies. Pictured above is a selection of the cakes baked for today, on sale in the school's cafe; and to the right, there's Päivi supervising the supply of snacks and coffee. Heidi organised a competition, which resulted in four different offerings, created in a variety of different styles as you can see. Some with alcohol, some not. The judges - pictured below, with the remains of the competition entries - gathered, tasted, conferred, and though sadly unable to appreciate the estimable qualities of Number 2, passed down their judgement; Kari was indeed the baker of the best Runeberg cakes. This year, anyway!

And no sooner is one seasonal cake baked and eaten, than we have another! This week, the suomikoulu organised a competition to see who could bake the best laskiaispulla , and these were the entries. Heidi won, quite rightly - anteeksi, I can't remember which one of these was hers, but I suspect it was A - but Kari and Ria-Noora came close with some tasty looking bakes. Heidi told us about a dispute, which goes way back, as to the proper filling for the laskiaispulla , almond paste or raspberry jam, and we also held a poll to find out what people thought (result not yet in, but it looked as if raspberry jam was shading it). I had a go, and it was time consuming - grinding the cardamom, and of course kneading the dough and performing all those unholy rituals trying to persuade it to rise - but fun. I'll definitely do this again - after seeing the other entries I know what I'm aiming for!

Hyvää uutta vuotta! And with no pause for breath, let me show off this baking effort - it's my first ever attempt at Runeberg cakes ie. Runebergintortut :) They'll be available everywhere in Finland at the moment (properly baked ones, that is!). They're traditionally baked to celebrate Runeberginpäivä , the 5th February. J.L. Runeberg is regarded as Finland's national poet - he wrote the original Swedish words for Finland's national anthem - and is an excellent excuse for these tasty treats. I've become quite an addict, since I've often been in Finland at this time, and I've sampled the gamut from posh ones at Stockmann in Helsinki, to vegan/organic ones at an 'alternative' cafe in Joensuu. Which were actually very nice, but then home baked is always best, isn't it? So I thought, what about baking some myself? And why don't you have a go as well, if you never have? I found I already had several recipes in various books. They do ...

It doesn't take long for a new visitor to Finland to discover salmiakki. That stuff which looks like licorice but with a really strange taste. Watch someone eating a bit for the first time: you may see some dramatic facial expressions, and hear strong vocal reactions such as 'What is that ?!?' The fact is, not all Finns like it. Shocking, but true. While some foreigners - prepare to be shocked again - take an immediate liking to it. And even though it's found elsewhere, in places like Sweden, there's no doubt it's very characteristic of Finland. If you somehow wandered into our school and didn't know it was the Finnish School, you'd spot a hefty clue in the fact that a lot of the sweets on sale in our shop are salmiakki in one form or another. Salmiakki itself is ammonium chloride, which sounds like sodium chloride, and it would, because it is another salt. Hence it's often called salty licorice. I've been caught out by that in the past. Once...