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We'll be honest, we'd never heard of the Danish festival of Fastelavn before now. But when someone described it to us as a Nordic Halloween or (much catchier in our opinion) a carnival of cream buns it's fair to say we sat up and paid attention.
The festival's been around for many, many years - think of it as Denmark's answer to Mardi Gras as it also marks the start of Lent and usually happens in late February or early March. Across the North Sea it launches a family-friendly series of festivities which include dressing up, games and sweet treats. And key among those sweet treats are the fastelavnsboller. These festival buns are soft buttery pastries filled with whipped cream and topped with icing and are on sale for just a few weeks each year.
If you've never tried a Fastelavn Festival Bun, or are an expat Dane wanting a hit of home, then this month Danish bakers Ole & Steen are the place to go. They've come up with a limited edition selection of three festival buns to try. They are:
- Vanilla Festival Bun - The classic combo stuffed with whipped cream and topped with white chocolate.
- Mocha Festival Bun - A rich mix of coffee cream and salted caramel, topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate.
- Raspberry Festival Bun - A bun filled with chocolate and raspberry cream, topped with icing, extra raspberry cream, and freeze-dried raspberries.
Having conducted an extensive tasting of the buns purely for research purposes you understand. Each week, one of the buns is on offer for just £3 as their Must-Eat of the Week, so we can heartily recommend trying each of the flavours so you find out which is your favourite.
More about Fastelavn Festival Buns at Ole & Steen
Where? Ole & Steen’s UK stores are located across London, including Seven Dials, Haymarket, Northcote Road, and Canary Wharf. A full list of stores is available on their website.
When are the buns available? They're available in-store until March 2, 2025.
Find out more: Visit their website and follow them on Instagram @oleandsteenuk to find out which bun is their Must-Eat of the Week.
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