The Vegan Innovator – Rickard Daun

What inspired the concept behind Dauns?

“I knew that opening up a vegan business I needed to create something unique – you can’t just be another vegan burger joint – and so I was inspired by my Swedish heritage. It was a chance to bring together things that were familiar and stuff that was new to the market, all whilst showcasing the foods that I grew up with.”

Why was Petticoat Lane a good location for Dauns?

“I first started out in South East London doing markets, supper clubs, catering, and from there, I did find a permanent place but it didn’t really work out. I’d always wanted to create somewhere I could combine a place for drinks, sweets, savouries and a deli of Scandinavian products, and I knew East London was the place for that.

Then, during COVID, I found this place. There’s already an appetite for vegan food here and I’m lucky to have Unity Diner right across the street, which is one of the most popular vegan places in London. Given that they could still attract people during a hard time, it was a great way to find some initial footfall.

When things opened up again, more people started to come – dropping by from breakfast through to dinner. Being so near to Liverpool Street it’s a good location, especially for tourists.”

What is Scandinavian food?

“Our food is a lot like world food, but we have a few things that we add to make it Scandinavian. Take meatballs and mash – our version is not too far from the UK version, but our gravy is more like a béchamel with milk or cream, so it’s richer. We also add in lingonberries. They’re very tart – similar to cranberries – and grow in abundance in Sweden. They have been used as a condiment, especially with comfort foods, for many years.

We also love our pickles, our dill and lemon. So, the things you might ordinarily pair with seafood, we use for lots of different things. We love our dill. It’s the most classic of our fresh herbs and is very popular in Swedish, Finnish and Russian cuisines.”

Does Scandinavian food veganise well?

“Not really, as we use a lot of butter, cream and seafood! But I would say that people in Sweden have traditionally been quite healthy, so vegan and vegetarian food products have always been quite popular and accepted there.

Some of the products we serve here, like our meatballs, they’re a Swedish brand and already very popular there as a healthier version. Like the meatballs, the dishes that we create are similar to the meat version, and I can imagine a few would not even notice the difference. One of our most popular dishes is the Tofish Skagen, which is tofu marinated in seaweed, a little red onion and lemon zest. It has that fresh seafood taste to it. I wouldn’t say it would fool anyone in a blind taste-test, but people definitely relate it to the original dish.

There are also some classic Swedish items that are accidentally vegan, especially baked goods. A lot of those are made with margarine instead of butter, so just happen to be vegan.”

If you were to recommend a dish to try, what would it be?

“The meatballs and Tofish Skagen. Everyone probably thinks of Swedish meatballs and like I said, ours are a very authentic, popular Swedish version, but the Tofish Skagen is a little different.

It’s a very famous Swedish starter that was invented by our first celebrity chef in the 1940s. He was inspired by a region in Denmark called Skagen that was famous for their seafood, and so he created this creamy prawn cocktail salad that’s served on a slice of buttered toast. I’ve had that on the menu since I started my business six years ago and I always recommend it. It’s very Scandinavian and uses all the ingredients you’d associate with the region – the dill, red onion, lemon zest.

It also gives a great impression of the Dauns’ philosophy because we serve it cold and open so that people sit in, use a knife and fork, and take their time. That’s the whole Scandinavian philosophy of Fika.”

What is Fika?

“You may have heard of Fika as this cultural coffee break, but it’s more than that. It could be anything, but the main idea is you sit down and take your time.

You’re finding time for yourself or connecting with someone meaningfully, dedicating that quality time to one another. So it’s not coffee and cake or whatever you eat and drink, it’s taking the time. We try and encourage that here.”