Anyone for tennis?

Saturday was Ladies' Singles Finals day at Wimbledon and I thought I would bring a taste of English culture to my colleagues in Helsinki, so I arranged a Pimms and Strawberries party. Just to be sure I had enough Strawberries (Mansikka) I bought this tray of 5 kilos of the finest Finnish fruit. They do taste as good as they look, we are at the height of the season here.

Of course, with Strawberries should go some cream. I know the word for cream (kerma), so felt confident looking for that in the K-Supermarket. A moment's challenge to work out which was whipping cream? Whipping isn't a word that has come up in my 3 Finnish lessons, in any of its meanings. So, check the can of spray cream - no, don't buy it, but look for a word that matches with one of the various cartons. That worked! A little Grand Marnier added before you whip gives a luxurious touch.

I had also decided to bake some Marmite whirls, so needed some frozen pastry. That had to be chosen by a process of elimination, using the pictures on the packets. Eliminate the filo, the pie crust and the pulla and I was left with a picture that looked like a salmon-filled strudel. That worked too (recipe below).

The game itself was OK, but not outstanding, especially since I had needed to upgrade my Welho cable TV subscription to get the channel showing Wimbledon. Still, the same channel shows the Formula 1 racing, so I was at least able to watch Lewis Hamilton win at Silverstone on Sunday.

But, when I settled down to watch the Gentlemen's Singles Finals, the channel was not broadcasting it live. Instead, they chose to show the Boys' Singles Finals? Why, you might ask, would they eschew what has since been described as the best Mens' Final in history? Simple. Finnish junior, Henry Kontinen, was a finalist in the Boys'. Sadly for Finland, he lost. Congratulations, though, to Laura Robson from the UK, who won the Girls' Singles Final. A Brit who can win at Wimbledon? There's something worth raising a glass of Pimms to.

Marmite whirls

1. Open up the sheet of thawed pastry
2. Spread with Marmite
3. Sprinkle with grated cheese
4. Roll up tightly like a swiss roll
5. Cut 10mm slices and place on baking parchment
6. Bake at 150º C for 30 minutes
7. Allow to cool, if you can, before eating.