Sweden’s Countryside: A Michelin-graded DIY Restaurant

An ever-increasing interest in sustainability and holistic health has made foraging for natural healthy ingredients in the wilds of Sweden a sought after experience for visitors from all over the world.

Probably the ultimate wild dining experience, diners forage for their own food, cook it themselves and enjoy their Michelin chef designed menu at a table somewhere in the Swedish countryside. 

The Edible Country was launched in the spring of 2019 and took over 1,000 bookings from all over the world in its first season.

Clearly, people are loving the idea of a close to nature food experience where they can forage for nuts, berries, herbs and greens and fish for herring, perch, char, or salmon.

Enjoy Recipes Designed by Four Swedish Michelin-Starred Chefs

With their baskets laden with nature’s produce, diners then set about creating the nine-course menu designed by the Michelin-starred chefs Titti Qvarnström, Niklas Ekstedt, Jacob Holmström, and Anton Bjuhr.

For a fee, a chef can be hired to cook the meal – not one of these guys though, a local. 

The work now done, diners enjoy the fruits of their labor at an outdoor table – which, just as you’d expect, is sustainably produced from unfinished pine – set in a forest, a meadow, or by a lake. And with all that pure, fresh air, and surrounded by unspoilt countryside, that food is going to taste amazingly good. 

Seasonal and local produce

The menus are designed by the region and the season. As a little taster: “Forest broth, poached perch and broiled herb butter”, “Freshly smoked char, chanterelles, juniper berries and wood sorrel”, “Sautéed herbs in browned butter” made from nettles, wild garlic and ground elder, and “Wild summer berries with herbs” containing blueberries, raspberries, meadowsweet, sorrel and chickweed – mouthwatering.

The whole project was set up by the Visit Sweden tourist board to encourage visitors into Sweden’s remote regions and celebrate its wild resources.

There are currently 23 tables dotted around the country, from Swedish Lapland to the Baltic Sea and Gothenburg in the west. Booking a table is entirely free but diners can pay for a local guide – essential if there is any doubt about what can be picked (Edible Country accepts no responsibility for illness or injury), mood enhancing table decor, a basket of local produce, or a local chef to take the stress out of the cooking.

Highly processed foods are getting a bad press these days, and Edible Country is showing how an alternative of natural, healthy food can be just as easy to make and just as tasty.

The interest this project has attracted shows just how much people are looking for something more natural. Growing awareness of the climate crisis and how sourcing out of season and exotic food is impacting the planet has led to increased interest in local, organic, sustainable foods.

And now the outbreak of coronavirus is leading to fundamental questions about how our food is produced. 

The search for healthy, sustainable alternatives is no trend. It is here to stay.

We’re thrilled to showcase a few of these fantastic recipes created by Sweden’s culinary masterminds:

Caroline Williams

Caroline is a writer, photographer and teacher. She loves good food, good light and good weather, and currently teaches English in Istanbul.