With it being the first of June and summer nearly upon us, I thought it might be an apt time to share a little midsummer inspiration courtesy of last year’s gathering in Cornwall. I love celebrating the changing of seasons, even if it means just putting on a dress and decorating a store-bought cake with fresh strawberries!

The little cabin we stayed in was the perfect backdrop for our midsummer festivities and can be rented through airbnb here. But if you’ve never used airbnb, use this link for $40 off your first stay!

In case you aren’t up on your Scandinavian culture, Midsummer is something Swedes celebrate on the longest day of the year, June 22 (or whatever Saturday is closest). This usually involves a smorgasbord, flower crowns, and the all important strawberry cake!

Of course, as we were celebrating with British friends, ours had to include a cheeseboard and elderflower cordial.

I also thought I would share the recipes we used for our smørrebrød (open face sandwiches). This was the easiest recipe I could think of to celebrate Scandinavian culture. Let me know in the comments if you end up trying them!

TOAST SKAGEN

German rye or sunflower bread
1 lb cooked & peeled shrimp (small works best)
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp dill, chopped
2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp crème fraîche
juice of ½ lemon
pinch white pepper
salt

To garnish:
red roe
dill sprigs

Just stir everything together and taste until you get the proportions you prefer. Top the sunflower bread with a scoop of shrimp and garnish with roe and dill sprig. There are so many different ways to make this recipe. We simply used what we had on hand, but you could definitely use substitutions like greek yogurt or regular sourdough bread.

KARTOFFELMAD SMØRREBRØD

German rye or sunflower bread
2 small potatoes per person, boiled and sliced
¼ cup crème fraîche
salt

To garnish:
fried onions
freshly chopped chives

Spread crème fraîche on the bread and place 2 sliced potatoes on top. Spoon more crème fraîche on potatoes before topping with fried onions and chives. Sprinkle with salt if you want.

PS. If you want to make your own knækbrød, this is the recipe I use and it is great. The only thing I always add is a sprinkle of coarse salt or Maldon before putting them in the oven.

We couldn’t leave Cornwall without stopping by one of its famed picturesque fishing villages, so on the way home we stopped by both Charlestown near St. Austell and Polperro.

I’ll be honest, the only reason we stopped to see Charlestown is because I love Poldark and it’s one of their filming locations (for more of Poldark’s Cornwall locations, check out the BBC’s list). Regardless, it was a fun place to take a walk along the harbour and break up our drive a little.

Polperro, on the other hand, is a place I could have spent much more time. It was a bit of a trek to get to as there’s no parking in the village, but definitely worth the walk. Even on a busy Sunday in the summer, it felt quiet and quaint. We ate dinner that evening at a pub with a rooftop patio and it was the perfect way to end our trip.