Swedish accessories are all the rage: think knitted jumpers, minimalist furniture and unflattering, yet apparently fashionable, frocks with weirdly-placed waistlines and impractical sleeves.

Ensconced on this ‘Scandwagon’, I’ve managed to procure all of these and more: along with the candles, the cardamom buns and the box set of The Killing, I’ve got a Scandinavian boyfriend.

In line with the current trend for treating all Nordic exports with roughly the same degree of reverence we’d extend to, say, a cure for cancer, or a plan to get The Great British Bake Off back on the BBC for good, friends and relatives find this immensely exciting.

As soon as they’ve learnt his name (Jonas), seen his hair (blonde) and heard his accent (Swedish), they start metaphorically – or, in my grandmother’s case, physically - patting me on the back for my supposedly wise choice in partner.

Surely, they assume, it’ll be hardwired into his DNA to do an equal share of the household chores? He wouldn’t consider banging on about acts of sexual depravity after a mutually exaggerated chat down the local with his mate Steve, right?

It’s fine, apparently, to make judgements based on crude cultural stereotypes if that stereotype is largely flattering, involving encouraging things like equality, Abba and Ikea meatballs.

Not all of these preconceptions translate into reality.

I haven’t yet come home to find Jonas serenely stirring aromatic pots of foraged mushrooms while simultaneously folding his fabulous collection of knitwear and performing a tender solo of Lay All Your Love On Me.

Yet there are still advantages to extending Scandimania to your love life. Granted, the biggest plus is the translation help. It’s always useful to have someone on hand to fill you in on the monumental plot development you missed on The Bridge when glancing away from the subtitles in order to extract a Malteaser from the packet.

However, there are other benefits too, if the prospect of watching Nordic Noir without having to furiously rewind every 10 minutes isn’t compelling enough. Here’s a few things I’ve learnt from my own Scandi relationship...

Equality at home

“Lad culture baffles him”: what it's like living with a Swedish boyfriend