My morning coffee: Lagkagehuset

This morning my daughter started ballet school and if you've even been a mother of a little girl at her first ballet lesson, where its all pink and tutus and ooh and aah, then you'll know the place of which I speak. Nothing could prepare me for it. My daughter had been dressing up in her 'dancing shoes' and prancing around in various mock ups of a ballerina's wardrobe for a couple of days but there's something very different about being in a room full of such little girls. It was one of those moments.

The school we have chosen for her is in Christianshavn and so it was a merry little jaunt on the bikes from Østerbro on this sunny Saturday morning and what a wonderful way to start the day. But the energy and excitement for what lay ahead did not dispel the need for a wake up shot of caffeine and I decided that the best place for this pitstop would be the original Lagkagehuset on Torvegade.

Now that I am writing up my experience at what has apparently been voted one of the best bakeries in the city, I am struggling to find testament to support the urban myths that surround this place. During my time here I had heard (although now I cannot verify) that lagkage is a layered cake traditionally eaten on birthdays and the building that sits at the junction of Torvegade and Overgaden oven Vandet (shown in the picture above) reminiscent of such a lagkage, was the first bakery to open in the group and gave it its name: Lagkagehuset (the layer cake house). In any event, here it was that we made pilgrimage and enjoyed coffee and a pastry before the morning's fun began.

Lagkagehuset can be found all over Denmark and their branded colouring with the famous signatures of the founders, Steen Skallebæk and Ole Kristofferson, can be a comforting sight in moments of need. Their bread is really what puts them on the map and they boast that most of it is allowed to rise for 12 hours. Be prepared to pay though as this labour of love doesn't come cheap.

And, of course, they are the creators of the cursed 'chokoryg' - is it a chocolate roll with rye in it or a rye roll with chocolate in it? Either way, the mention of 'rye' and it immediately made an appearance on  my list of 'healthy'(er) snacks! Be warned, they are not for the faint hearted or those, like me, with no self control.

Cost: a large (single shot) cappuccino costs 32 DKK
Coffee hygge factor: 3 out of 5

Find out more at www.lagkagehuset.dk