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FIKA

Here’s what happened when this Swede introduced fika at her London office

You can take the Swede out of Sweden, but you can never take their fika. Hanna Månsson writes about what happened when she brought the concept to her London office.

Published: 2 March 2017 12:21 CET

Here's what happened when this Swede introduced fika at her London office

Hanna Månsson, left, brought the Swedish fika break to her London office. Photo: Private & Fredrik Sandberg/TT

When I left Sweden for London almost 12 years ago I also left behind a lot of things that I really love. Friends and family aside, I left 'mosbricka' at one o'clock in the morning, grillchips with dip at fredagsmys, Eurovision hysteria and a lot of fairly fabulous employment rights. And perhaps the hardest one of all – I left behind fika.

I tried to adapt. Instead of fika I embraced after work pints, boozy brunches and Pimm's-filled park hangs. I became a little English (and a little alcoholic?). But the sacred, coffee-fuelled fika break was harder than I imagined to shake off. I missed it dearly.

Then, eight months ago, I joined a company called Hubble. Being a company with the vision to enable people to love where they work through matching businesses with really cool office space, we constantly talk about what makes employees happy at work. During one of these conversations it appeared to me – what about fika? I knew fika used to make me happier at work in Sweden, would it also work in England?

In the beginning I kept it quiet. After all, suggesting to your employer to give the whole company 30 minutes' extra paid break time per day takes some guts – especially when such an idea is completely alien.

Then, I started gathering ammunition. I read every single research piece and study I could find about fika and its impact on employees' well-being and work productivity. I looked outside Sweden at similar things, and discovered Alex Pentland's study on the positive benefits of short, regular staff breaks.

Finally, loaded with confidence that this was a great idea to introduce at Hubble, I gathered the senior management and did my pitch. I don't know what I had expected, but after ten minutes of me talking nonstop every single person in the room was smiling. “Sure, let's try it,” was the answer I was given. “You get two weeks to run a trial.”

Only Swedes will understand the satisfaction.

The following Monday I announced the start of fika to the rest of the business in our morning meeting. I set a reminder for 3.30pm in everyone's calendar and even made a spreadsheet of cake responsibilities (might have overdone that a bit…). And so it started. In the beginning I was the driving force urging people to get up and join in. But it didn't take long until my role as initiator was superfluous. Suddenly my colleagues were the ones driving the ship. “Isn't it fika soon?” became the most asked question each day.

On the last day of the trial period I sent out a survey to everyone in the business asking how they had found fika. The results were crystal clear – every single person loved it.

The main reason given was that it brought the team closer together and allowed us to get to know each other better in a relaxed environment. Additionally, many found that their energy levels were better in the afternoons which led to better productivity. In just two weeks we became less tired, more productive and a tighter team. And maybe a little fatter, thanks to that spreadsheet.

With these overwhelmingly positive results, there was no question about it – fika was here to stay. That was two months ago, and fika has now become an integral part of our company culture. We don't just enjoy fika, we are proud of fika.

So to all you Londonswedes, UK-Swedes or general scandophiles out there – I say go for it. Here's some research for you to quote, now go out and make fika happen at your place of work.

Hanna Månsson is a Sweden-born, London-based digital marketer, writer and filmmaker. Together with fellow Swede Evy Samuelsson she forms the feminist media production duo 'Linnea&Lovisa'. Follow her on Twitter.

How to grow your own fruits and vegetables in Sweden

Know your growing zone

Sweden is split into eight different growing zones, known as växtzoner in Swedish, with one being the mildest zone in the far south of the country and eight being the harshest, in the far north.

The easiest way to figure out which zone you live in is to search your address on a digital growing zone chart like this one from the Swedish Garden Association.

There are two “bonus” zones too, which you’re unlikely to see on plant labels: zone zero, which refers to extra mild conditions in zone one, like a sheltered south-facing garden or the climate inside an unheated greenhouse, and the fjällzon or zone nine, which is found in mountain regions.

Lots of fruit trees can handle snow, for example, but not all of them will survive the winters in harsher, colder zones.

“Apple trees or fruit trees will survive snow,” British gardener and cider maker John Taylor, known for presenting Swedish gardening show Trädgårdstider (Garden Times), told The Local.

“You can grow all kinds of apples, pears, plums, cherries, we can grow edible quince in southern Sweden, so there’s a bunch of fruit trees which will survive, but it depends what rootstock they’re on – that’s called grundstam in Swedish,” he explained.

“There’s one rootstock called B9 that survives down to minus 40, because it’s from Russia, then there’s another called M106, and that probably doesn’t want to live in the depths of Norrland.”

Buy plants local to you

An easy way to make sure the plant you’re planning on buying is going to survive in your zone is by sourcing it from a local plant nursery or garden centre, as they won’t sell plants that can’t handle the local climate.

“There’s a nursery in the north of Sweden and Finland called Blomkvists, they sell lots of fruit varieties which will survive up there,” Taylor said. “You can grow pretty much anything you want up there, just as we can [in Skåne, southern Sweden], but it will be different varieties that taste different and will survive the frost.”

You won’t be able to grow Mediterranean fruits like lemons or oranges in Sweden unless you bring them inside during the winter, although you should be able to grow peaches or nectarines in most of the country.

“The further up in the country you go, the further north you are or the further away from the coast, the harsher the climate becomes, so you might need to have them on a south-facing wall or in a greenhouse,” Taylor said.

Think outside the box

Although the growing season in Sweden may be shorter than it is further south, there are still a number of crops from warmer climates that do surprisingly well.

“People don’t really grow cucumbers outside here, I don’t think they realise that you can actually grow them outside,” Taylor said. “Tomatoes, too. You don’t need a greenhouse, you just stick them in the ground, they’re basically a weed – you’ll get so many you won’t know what to do with them.”

Sweetcorn, for example, performs well in a Swedish climate, Taylor said, although Swedes more often grow it as a feed crop for pigs.

You can also test things by trying to build a microclimate so you can grow things that are one or even two growing zones away from yours. Usually this is done by providing shelter from the wind and the weather using fences, hedges or by planting near buildings, as well as providing protection during the winter.

And if you’re pushed for space, look into companion planting, where you can grow multiple plants which complement each other in the same space.

One example of this is the “three sisters”: corn, climbing beans (or peas), and squash. The corn provides a support for the beans or peas, which anchor the corn in high winds while fixing nitrogen in the soil, while the squash’s large leaves provide shade for the soil, preventing it from drying out.

Don’t be put off just because you don’t have any outside space

Thinking outside the box applies to balconies too.

“If you’re in a built-up area, you will get reflected light from other buildings, so even if you’re on an east-facing balcony, you should be able to grow a lot of stuff. North is a bit more tricky, but east and west are probably better than south as you’re not getting hammered by the sun all day,” Taylor said.

You should be able to grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers, but it’s important to get hold of good soil and replenish it each year, so your plants have enough nutrients.

“Anybody with a balcony can grow pretty much the same that you can in a garden, you just have to get the soil up there and you always have to fertilise, the soil becomes nutrient deficient after one season.”

“But if you’re prepared to get the soil up on your balcony you can grow anything, even fruit trees. They will be smaller and stunted, and won’t give as much fruit – I’ve done it myself – so don’t see it as an obstacle, see it as a possibility.”

Kale and tomatoes growing on a balcony. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Take inspiration from Swedish growers

Thinking outside the box doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore what all your Swedish neighbours are doing. If you’re not sure what to plant in your garden or what fruit and veg you should try to grow, take a look at what other people who live near you are growing.

You might also come across some crops you’ve never tried before which work well in a Swedish climate, like Alpine strawberries (smultron), honeyberries (blåbärstry), wild garlic (ramslök) or sea buckthorn (havtorn).

This doesn’t just apply to varieties, but also where you plant them in your garden. Some crops need full sun, some work best in shade, and others, like asparagus, can grow tall and cast a shadow over your garden.

“You want a south-facing location for all fruit, and berries – check out what your neighbours are doing,” Taylor said.

If you don’t want tall plants to cast a shadow over other crops, see if you can plant them at the northernmost edge of your garden, while making sure that sun and soil conditions are still optimal. Blueberries, for example, need acidic soil to thrive, meaning you will probably need to amend your soil if planting in the ground, or even plant them in containers.

Think about what you want to do with your harvest

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to plant what you like to eat, too. If you hate the aniseedy, licorice-y taste of fennel, why bother growing it?

You should also choose the variety of crop based on what you’re going to use it for. Do you want to make pickles with your cucumbers, or are you going to eat them on salads? Do you want cherry tomatoes for snacking on, or big beef tomatoes for making sauces?

“Think ‘what am I going to do with my harvest’,” Taylor said. “Am I going to juice it? Am I going to preserve it? Am I going to make cider with it, for example?”

Apples, for example, can range from sweet eating apples to tart cooking apples, so make sure you do your research before you commit to buying an apple tree. Most varieties exist in English-speaking countries, so you should be able to search the name of the variety online and find some information in a language you understand, if you don’t speak Swedish.

“Patience is a virtue,” he added. “A lot of fruit trees are going to take two or three years, or even more, to give a harvest. So you have to have patience.”

Learn to deal with the Swedish weather

Many areas of Sweden along the coast or in the south of the country can get windy, which you’ll have to learn to deal with.

“How to deal with the wind? You can’t,” Taylor said. “We cannot affect this, we are powerless.”

“What you have to do is plant them in areas where there’s less wind, usually behind large buildings.”

Some plants simply won’t survive the wind, so either you plant them close to buildings, protect them, or accept that you’re restricted in what you can grow.

Make sure to provide supports for crops which will grow tall, like sunflowers, peas, beans and sweetcorn, and tie these down well or bury them deep in the ground, so summer storms can’t blow them away.

Listen to the full interview with John Taylor in The Local’s Sweden in Focus Extra podcast for Membership+ subscribers. Out on Wednesday, May 8th.

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