international wine welcome to fine dining - the place ... · mariestad´s continental makes a...
TRANSCRIPT
ine dining
DINING
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Fine DiningDINING
DINING
wineFine Dining
september 2011
Welcome to Fine Dining
- the place where the world cames
together in Sweden
2
fine dining
contents
3 editoriAL
4 notes
8 erik´s Wine bAr the most unassuming winebar.
11 JohAn’s meAt tempLe Johan´s Meat Temple satisfies every carnivore´s craving
16 A mAnor house WeddingYour wedding day - a memory that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
20 smorgAsbord The story goes a fairly long way back to the beginning of the 16th century
25 sVensson’s VerAndA The idea of the Veranda came about after a music festival in Enskede about ten years ago
30 the good gAme The number of wild boar kills is increasing year on year
33 tornViLLAn to be A`LA cArte Tornvillan in Nacka is actually a lovely old fortified castle, with ramparts and tower from 1889
35 the herb king of ekerö Orto Novo cultivates salads and herbs, is part of Svensk Sigill and is climate certified.
39 mAckmYrA WhiskY – WorLdneWs from sWedenThe first gravitational whisky distillery in the world is un-der construction, outside the town of Gävle, to the north of Stockholm.
40 At home With Jennie And peo “Here’s where I want to live!” they both said and without further ado they moved into the mansion.
43 stenbro sALonger The old vicarage has undergone a complete metamorphosis
11 25 33 4020
Who Are the chAîne des rôtisseursThe Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society for both professionals and amateurs , with roots that stretch back to the year 1248. The society is represented in about 70 countries and has more than 25000 members worldwide. From its headquarters in Paris the organization is headed by President Yam Atallah In 1959 the Balliage de la Suéde was founded by amongst others Tore Wretman. In Sweden there are 14 associations, so called Balliage (Bailliwicks) which is individually responsible for its own program of activities. Coordination, administration and international contacts are taken care by a national committee under the leadership of Bailli (Grand Bailiff ) Délègue. One of the society’s strong points is the international membership which allows them to make use of the fantastic network and offers possibilities to take part in any event at all, wherever and whenever over the whole world.
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Welcome to Autumn In Sweden and Fine Dining
The summer was unusually short this year, and suddenly it was Fall. It doesn’t really matter though, just that the mushroom sea-
son has already begun and the games season is waiting in the wings. We are very lucky in Sweden to have produce to pick or shoot direct in the forests and, I might add, of the very highest quality without any additives or synthetic substances.
There’s a lot more you can read about this subject in this edition of fine dining, and as usual we’re mirroring the drama around our most well known star chefs and their newly opened restaurants. We’ll drop in on some different bars and also visit some of the best producers in our oblong, lovely land.
Lastly, I’d like to take this opportunity to greet our visitors from all over the world. I hope you enjoy a really lovely and rich autumnal experi-ence during your stay in Sweden.
editoriAL
oVe cAnemYr
Editor-In-Chiefwww.finedining.se
Are you interested in taking part in Fine Dining? Tell us about your products or your services. Newly opened or designed, new foodstuffs, services or products etc. Contact us at [email protected]
editor in chief Ove Canemyr
[email protected] Dining/Trendsetter Box 24013,
104 50 Stockholm
editoriALAnne-Marie Canemyr,Carl Wachtmeister
Catarina OffeChaîne des Rôtisseurs
Art directorSophie L Slettengren [email protected]
engLish copYRoger Brett
Would you like to be associated in Fine Dining? Tell us about your
products or services. Newly opened or new designs,
new foodstuffs and so on. Contact: [email protected]
+46 70 794 09 87
Cover photo: Anne-Marie Canermyr
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AdAm dAhLberg Won the sWedish bocus d´or seLectionAdam dahlberg emerged victorious from the extremely competitive selection of who should represent sweden at the 2012-13 bocus d´or. At a ceremony at the restaurant Academy today he was declared the winner.. The extremely high standard of all of the entrants made for a tough competi-tion. Adam gave an outstanding performance.This is contemporary international gastronomy at a very high level. “He has what it takes to compete in the world’s most prestigious contest - The Bocus D´Or,” says Mathias Dahlgren, President of the Swedish ’Golden Bocuse’ Academy. The Academy is named after the legend-ary French Chéf Paul Bocuse from Lyon who won the competition himself back in 1997.
the jury’s decision reads: Based upon a distinct idea, Adam Dalhberg has created and executed both of his entries with professionalism and skill. He handles the raw produce with respect and has produced two visually attractive dishes; both of them very tasty and ap-pealing with a personal touch. This is contemporary international gastronomy of the highest order. A professional and well-structured piece of work in an intense effort that resulted in two almost perfect dishes. In the face of stiff opposition he has shown the jury that he has what it takes to claim a future victory.
Adam Dahlberg is 34 years old and is a freelance chef from Stockholm. In the past he was worked together with Mathias Dahlgren at Bon Lloc and Norlands Bar & Grill both of which are in Stockholm. In 2007 he won the gold medal in the Laurier D´Or and took bronze in 2009 in the Nordic Challenge. Adam will compete in the Bocus D´Or Europe in Brussels on 20-21st March 2012, to qualify for the World Championships in January of 2013.
2nd Place was taken by Anders Vendel, 3rd was Tom Sjöstedt and Ebbe Voller 4th.
For more information about the competition: <http://www.gastronomisverige.se>www.gastronomisverige.se, where you’ll find photos and other material from the competition.
notes
mArcus sAmueLsson And JimmY LAppALAinen - Working together At the neW cLArion hoteL post in gothenburg.
When Marcus Samuelsson, one of Sweden’s most celebrated chefs returns to his for-mer hometown of Gothenburg, it will be to open the Norda Bar & Grill at the Clarion Hotel Post. The doors will open for diners on 1st January, with Marcus as the creative director. Executive chef will be Jimmy Lappalainen fresh from his successes in New York - Aquavit, Riingo and the Red Rooster in Harlem.
mAriestAds LAunch A neW medium strength beer mAriestAds continentAL
Mariestad´s Continental makes a reappearance on the stage of the ’Golden Nectar’. Since 1993 Spen-drups Brewery has been inspired by Mariestads Brewery and its illustrious history. There is a lot of interest in medium beer in Sweden. Back in the 60´s and 70´s Mariestads used
to sell a beer under the name of Conti-nental. The name was chosen as a trib-ute to the 19th century and the region which meant so much to the develop-ment of beer in Sweden. Mariestads Brewery 4.2 vol %, in a 33cl one way bottle will be launched in restaurants on the 1st September and at the state owned off-license SystemBolaget on the 1st October. Price Sek: 12.90:- Art # 1467-03
guest AppeArAnce At gQ restAurAnt On the 4-5th October, Germany’s most successful Chef, Dieter Mueller, will be putting in an exclusive guest appear-ance, with a 6-course tasting menu at Restaurant GQ. Dieter is a giant within German gastronomy. During the 18 years he was at the Schloss Hotel Lerbach (near Cologne) he created cu-linary history and was rewarded for it with three stars in the Guide Michelín. His guest appearanceat GQ will be his first in Sweden, but a reunion for GQ´s innkeeper Juergen Crossman , who worked together with Dieter at the two star Schweitzer Stuben during the 80´s. “We’re really looking forward to his visit and promise that it will be an outstanding culinary experience,” says Juergen.
Fine Wines very own homepage
w w w.f inewine.nu Here you’ll find the last 4 editions of Fine Wine
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10.000 hours to the cuLinArY oLYmpics It’s less than 10 thousand hours to the start of the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany on the 6th October 2012. The Swedish national team assembled in August to set the tempo and in September they will trial various menus. Fig-gjo has already started to develop a new and unique range of crockery for the event. In October they will all emerge from the pantry and present the menu in Future Kitchens under ’What’s Cooking?’on the National Team’s website, www.kocklandslaget.com Here you can follow the team’s preparations. Don’t forget to vote for ’King Of The Kitchen’ in this year’s Cookery Book competitionat www.bokstaden.org
WouLd You L ike to hAVe Your oWn issue of f ine d in ing in Your e -mA i L - free of chArge?pLeAse giVe us An e-mAiL to [email protected]
And Add the Address You WAnt to hAVe fine dining sent to. if You Are An eArLY bird You WiLL recieVe Your
oWn issue for free one WhoLe YeAr. but You hAVe to Act before februArY 1st 2011.
chocoLAte festiVAL At the nordiskA museet 14-16 october(nordic museum in stockholm)
For the tenth time chocolate manu-facturers, suppliers, confectioners and patissiers take their place in the Great Hall to exhibit and sell the latest in quality chocolate products. Choose between pralines, chocolate cakes and pastries; talk to the ex-perts, taste, take home and enjoy! On the Friday Sweden’s
Best Confectioner will be announced. The festival is all about spreading the word about quality chocolate and the enjoyment it gives. “We also want to present the people who work with these delicious products every day.”Magnus Johansson & Tony Ols-son are the ’festival generals’.
internAtionAL stAr chef opens LuxurY restAurAnt in stockhoLm
Jonas Lundgren, known mostly for his silver medal bocus d´or 2009, had decided after 15 years working abroad in international star restaurants to move back home to sweden and open a luxury restaurant himself. it is a challenging kitchen where guests are invited to leave their comfort zones and try some new eating experiences.
Since his apprentice period at the Gondola in central Stockholm he has ne-ver worked in a Swedish kitchen. Instead he went in search of his dream and worked abroad in international restaurants. His culinary journey has taken him to Number 2 Times Square, Pierre Gagnair, The French Laundry and Bagatelle. He is also one of the few Swedish cooks to have won a silver in the world champion-ships in professional cooking - Bocus D´Dor. This amazing journey has laid the
this YeAr´s bLossA tAstes Like coffeeVintage Glögg (mulled wine) has been re-leased every year since 2003 and is appre-ciated for its exciting combination of fla-vours as well as its bottle’s newly created design. In previous years Blossa has been spiked with amongst other things saffron, clementines and blue berries. This year the flavour inspiration comes from another well known drink - coffee. Blossa 11 goes very well with dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, a well-matured hard cheese or a home- made butterscotch; you can even add a few drops of Blossa to the toffee recipe. The Blossa bottle takes on new design every year. This year’s bottle is in-scribed with ‘Jens Pamp McCann’.
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competition Young chef of the YeAr concourse, internAtionAL des Juenes chefs rótisseurs is decidedAndreas Edlund from the Poontus Group, com-peted against 20 young chefs from all parts of the world.
Of the three that competed from the Ameri-can Continent USA and Columbia took the first and third place. Second place was won by Germany.
Andreas had an excellent menu, and was Judge Stacy´s favourite. ”I was convinced that Andreas would be called up to the podium, ” said the South African who won last year´s competition. “All of the competing menus achieved an usually high level, much higher than last year,” remarked taste judge Phillipe Clergue from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, who to-gether with eight other tasting judges from different countries, had the unenvi-able task of choosing the first, second and third prize-winners. Andreas thought his performance was much better than the Swedish heats. ”Of course, I wanted to win but in some ways I´ve already won just by being here.” The competition was held in Istanbul and was based around a secret basket of produce contain-ing lobster, rack of lamb, aubergine and figs as essential ingredients. Andreas will soon be returning to Fårösunds Fort on Gotland where a number of truffel evenings await during the autumn.
Andreas has accepted an invitation to hunt in South Africa once the truffle sea-son is over. He is an ardent hunter, and made some friends amongst his compe-tition comrades from Cape Town. This is the kind of thing that happens when chefs from around the world get together.
The Concourse International des Jeune Chef´s Rótisseurs competition has been held annually for the last 35 years. All chefs must be under 27 years of age on the day of the competition.The next national heats will be on the 1st March with the final being held in Berlin in September 2012.
spendrups LAunches tWo of its oWn Wines Dryckesföretaget Spendrups har sedan Beverage company Spendrups has had wine on its list since 1995. On the 1st October Spendrups will take another step towards launching two of its own wines - Spring Village Merlot and Char-donnay. The wines has been produced in conjunction with a Californian pro-ducer and will be sold in plastic PET bottles.
“For us it was a natural step to take, where through our subsidiary Spend-rups, we have built up a high degree of competence and experience”, says Fredrick Spendrup, CEO for Spendrups.
For us, Spring Village isn´t just our own wine we´re launching here, it´s also the first wine we´re putting on the market in a eco-friendly returnable PET bottle. The packing is contemporary and in-line with our continued environ-mental endeavours here at Spendrups. “It wasn’t by chance that we decided to launch Spring Village made from Merlot and Chardonnay - both these varieties are amongst the most well-known and popular in the world,” says Åsa Halldén, MD for Spendrups Wine. “This launch is the result of close co-operation with one of our partners and we’re delighted to be able to present this pair of wines.”
WouLd You L ike to hAVe Your oWn issue of f ine d in ing in Your e -mA i L - free of chArge?pLeAse giVe us An e-mAiL to [email protected]
And Add the Address You WAnt to hAVe fine dining sent to. if You Are An eArLY bird You WiLL recieVe Your
oWn issue for free one WhoLe YeAr. but You hAVe to Act before februArY 1st 2011.
notes
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medLemmArFöreningens medlemsföretag är alla verksamma i Sverige med fungerande bryggerier eller produktionsenheter.För att kunna ansöka och bli medlem i Sveriges Bryggerier måste bryggeriet eller företaget ha varit verksamt i Sverige i ett år. Beslut om medlemskap tas av Sveriges Bryggeriers styrelse.
carlsberg sverige AbPostadress: Box 164, 311 22 FalkenbergTel: 08-757 70 00 08-757 70 [email protected]: 161 86 StockholmBesöksadress: Bryggerivägen 10Tel: 08-757 70 00 08-757 70 00falkenbergPostadress: Box 164, 311 22 FalkenbergTel: 08-757 70 00 08-757 70 00
ramlösa hälsobrunnPostadress: Box 15023, 251 82 RamlösaTel: 042-29 56 00 042-29 56 00
Starköl, öl, cider, läsk och vatten, mälteri
coca-cola enterprises sverige AbPostadress: 136 87 HaningeBesöksadress: Dryckesvägen 2CTel: 08-500 750 00 08-500 750 00
Läsk och vatten
grebbestad bryggeri AbPostadress:Datavägen 14B, 436 32 AskimTel: 0525-61060 [email protected]
Starköl, öl och läsk
hellefors bryggeri AbPostadress: Box 80, 712 21 HälleforsTel: 0591-688 00 0591-688 [email protected]
Läsk och vatten
herrljunga cider AbPost- och besöksadress: Östergårdsg. 11, 524 32 HerrljungaTel: 0513-226 00 0513-226 [email protected]
Cider
Jämtlands bryggeri AbPostadress: Pilgrimstad Center, 840 58 PilgrimstadBesöksadress: Pilgrimstad CenterTel: 0693-314 30 0693-314 [email protected]
Starköl och öl
kopparbergs bryggeri AbPostadress: 714 82 KopparbergBesöksadress: Klotenvägen 4Tel: 0580-886 00 0580-886 [email protected]
banco bryggeri AbPostadress: Box 103, 360 53 SkruvTel: 0478-203 00 0478-203 00Sofiero BryggeriZeunerts Bryggeri ABPostadress: Box 313, 881 27 SollefteåTel: 0620-575 00 0620-575 00 Starköl, öl, cider och läsk
krönleins bryggeri AbPostadress: Box 253, 301 07 HalmstadBesöksadress: Klammerdammsgatan 26Tel: 035-17 60 00 035-17 60 [email protected] Starköl, öl, cider, läsk och vatten
sigtuna brygghus AbPostadress: Pionjärvägen 2, 195 61 ArlandastadTel: 08-591 21 400 08-591 21 [email protected] Starköl, öl
spendrups bryggeri AbPostadress: Box 3006, 143 03 VårbyBesöksadress: Vårby Allé 39Tel: 08-672 77 00 08-672 77 [email protected] BryggeriPost- och besöksadress: S:t Hansgatan 47, 621 56 VisbyTel: 0498-21 77 73 0498-21 77 73 Starköl, öl, cider, läsk och vatten
trensums musteri AbPostadress: Box 112, 362 22 TingsrydBesöksadress: Storgatan 37Tel: 0477-540 00 0477-540 [email protected] Läsk och juice
två bryggareÖsterlenbryggarna ABPostadress: Simrishamnsvägen 44, 273 36 TomelillaTel: 0417-135 00 0417-135 [email protected] Öl och svagdricka
Ab Åbro bryggeriPostadress: 598 86 VimmerbyBesöksadress: ÅbrovägenTel: 0492-165 00 0492-165 [email protected] Starköl, öl, cider, läsk och vatten
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erik´s Wine bAr TExT & PHOTO CATARINA OFFE
next to the entrAnce to the gondoLA restAurAnt is the most unAssuming WinebAr. don’t Let AppeArAnces deceiVe You
becAuse Who WouLd turn their nose up At 500 Wines And A List of 50 Wines AVAiLAbLe bY the gLAss Which Are chAnged
eVerY dAY?
Erik’s Wine Bar has many regulars who meet to enjoy
a glass or two, and relax in the friendly atmosphere. A guest is eating his dinner at the bar, while having a detailed conversation with the sommelier.
Another sits in solitary majesty and sniffs enjoyably at his glass. Others sit alone or in groups tast-ing blind, or hunt for rarities in today´s wine list. Just for today
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there is a 1995 Verve Clicquot Magnum available. By the time you read this it will be just a faint memory, but don´t despair, new and exciting wines are popping up all the time. The ’today’ menu is released daily at 16.00 hrs on the bar´s website.
You never need to feel lonely, be-cause the small barwith seating for 33, is very snug and it´s easy
mY stAff Are LoYAL, knoWLedgeAbLe And
hungrY for more. “theY don´t hAVe to knoW
About eVerYthing the guests Ask them , but
theY cAn find out”
to shoot the breeze with the staff or giggle at the menu´s clever lit-tle quotes, from known and un-known humourists.
“Good wine is never too expen-sive, it´s just the bad wine that costs too much.” Or “A magnum champagne is perfect for two people , as long as one of them isn´t drinking!” In the middle of the floor stands a rustic table with bottles, cases and general wine paraphernalia. It´s not some kind of chic “still leben” but rather the staff´s highly significant work place. In the middle of all of the guests they taste every wine be-fore it is served. The chief som-melier Lard Andersson himself contributes a lot to the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere in the bar. There is no doubt that he re-ally enjoys his job.
” Here in the bar I have a lot of freedom ; in principle I can buy in what I want. If I purchase an odd wine I can ask the Chef to create a dish to go with it. Up in
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the Gondola it´s a bit more for-mal; there it´s all about closed deals and volume.” Lars creates the wine list on a whim.And judging by the way it looks Lars is in a good mood most of the time. “I try to change out 20 of the 50 wines every day,” he says. My staff are loyal, knowledgeable and hungry for more. “They don´t have to know about everything the guests ask them , but they can find out,” he says. “All of the fa-mous sommeliers have worked here,” he says proudly.
Even the wine has a reasonable markup. Lars wants the guests to be able to browse through the whole range of wines and it looks
like they´re doing it! Amongst the 6 champagnes available per glass is the budget wine Cuvée Diebolt-Vallois for 130 Swedish crowns. “Our guests are much more knowledgeable today than ten years ago when they just ordered champagne. Five years ago they chose Blanc de Blancs while to-day they ask for “growers” cham-pagne. “Swedish people know a lot about wine,” he continures. “Especially considering that they live in a non-wine producing country,” he says.Today’s big trend grape is Pinot Noir, “This is where we see a re-turn to European varieties,” says Lars.
the Wine List usuALLY consists of 50% Wine from the neW WorLd And the other hALf the oLd WorLd. right noW though, there is A definite biAs toWArds the oLd.
The wine list usually consists of 50% wine from the new world and the other half the old world.Right now though, there is a defi-nite bias towards the old.
Firstly we have Champagne, Bor-deaux and Bourgogne , then we get the Italian wines from Pied-mont and after that wines from the rest of the world. A little surpris-ingly we find beers from micro breweries, a few selected fortified wines and something distilled to go with the coffee, many different Grappas, and lastly brandies dis-tilled from fruit berries and even asparagus and garlic schnapps!
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JohAn’s meAt tempLePHOTO & TExT CATARINA OFFE
“i LoVe hAmburgers,” sAYs JohAn Jureskog, tV chef, former sWeden nAtionAL teAm member, pArtner in the suc-
cessfuL roLf´s kitchen And the neW Ag in stockhoLm. no Wonder then, thAt the hAmburger he´s referring to is
the one theY serVe At the Aforementioned Ag. mAde from four different cuts of meAt Which Are tenderized bY
hAnging prime cuts of sWedish beef from seLected fArms, chopped And bLended With beef fAt And herbs, cooked
With dAnish bLAck sArA cheese And serVed on speciALLY bAked buns.
”Vi skA höJA köket än mer och bLi
sVeriges bästA Värdshus”,
Together with his friend Klas Ljungquist, he ran Rolf´s
Kitchen which was famous in the beginning because of architect Jo-nas Bohlin who had hung up the chairs on the walls rather than for the food.
Johan cooked the food he wanted to without any consideration to trends and fine cuisine, he felt, was rather boring. What happened next was that the trend caught up with Johan´s cooking philosophy and the little restaurant became even more well known and popu-lar. The regulars found that they had to squeeze themselves inside with all the other guests that had come from far and wide. For a long time they considered open-ing another restaurant with meat
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as the main attraction. After sev-eral years of looking they found the perfect location and suddenly meat is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Pure luck or skill? Who knows, but Johan´s Meat Temple satisfies every carnivore´s craving. The new AG is situated at the most impossible address. Even if you’re on the right street it’s hard to find the entrance.
Once through the door it’s still hard to know which way to go, but walk up two flights of stairs and the doors to paradise are waiting.The first thing one notices on entering are refrigerated glass display cases full of meat - juicy looking sides of beef. Further along are the wines chosen to ac-company the amazing selection of meats. Håkan Fällman from the Stockholm Abbatoir is the main supplier and obeys Johan´s slight-est whim, and gladly too! Butch-er’s son Håkan is just as much a meat lover as Johan. Håkan ten-derises the meat halfway and the rest is done on AG´´s premises.
“i LoVe hAmburgers,” sAYs JohAn Jureskog
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Appropriately, our meal started in the bar with Johan´s Spanish tapas specialities. After that our table is ready and we sit down to Birgitta Watz´s impressive ceramic dinner plates and odd looking silver cut-lery bought at flea markets. The place fills up quickly and the back-ground noise grows in strength, sometimes a little too much. This is something that´s on Johan´s to
do list. “Though it will never be silent here,” says Johan. We select something grilled from the menu together with classic side dishes. “Please use your hands if you wish,”,says Johan. One of Johan´s personal favourites is Porterhouse with creamed spinach. All kinds of meat are on offer depending on the season. Right now we´re look-ing forward to autumn´s game
-venison, hare, elk and wild boar. It´s not all steaks and entrecotes; AG uses up the whole animal, from nose to tail. Tongue, heart, stomach, liver and testicles are transformed in Johan´s kitchen into brawn and other delicacies.
Both Johan and Klas went to St Görans Cook School in Stock-holm, and then as novices to a
! pure Luck or skiLL? Who knoWs, but JohAn´s meAt tempLe sAtisfies eVerY cArniVore´s crAVing.
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very famous restaurant in Stock-holm called Paul & Norbert. The latter is still Johan´s mentor. Klas went to the Handels University and now they share the job as res-tauranteurs.
“I fix the food and Klas does eve-rything else. On the floor below, we’re building a 1500 sq metre banqueting hall and a large cater-ing kitchen,” Johan tells us.
“And together with Joel Wåreus I’m writing a cook book. Would you like to see it?” He disappears and returns with a loose leaf file full of scraps of paper.
I took a seat at the bar and started looking through the notes. I´d still be sitting there today if I hadn’t had other things to do!
“And together With JoeL WÅreus i’m Writing A cook book. WouLd You Like to see it?” he disAppeArs And returns With A Loose LeAf fiLe fuLL of scrAps of pAper.
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“Det här är Stockholms motsvarighet till Osteria Verona på Piazza Erbe fast listan på Primewinebar är bättre.”www.amaroneguiden.se
PrimewinebarÖstermalmstorg 5, Stockholmwwww.primewinebar.se
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A mAnor house Wedding PHOTO & TExT CATARINA OFFE
Your Wedding dAY - A memorY thAt WiLL stAY With You for the rest of Your Life. there Are mAnY VAriAtions, from
top secret to sumptuous, A smALL guest List to A reception With hundreds of guests. An ALternAtiVe thAt suits
mAnY peopLe is the stAteLY home. sWeden is fuLL of oLd mAnor houses, situAted in WonderfuL nAturAL surroun-
dings. mAnY of them hAVe been refurbished into modern conference fAciLities And hAVe become knoWn for their
hAut cuisine. mAnY of these Venues speciALise in Weddings. choosing such A Venue meAns Your eVerY Wish is tAken
cAre of bY professionALs Who knoW WhAt theY´re doing. Just such A mAnsion is in skebo in the uppsALA upLAnds,
Just north of stockhoLm. situAted in A beAutifuL pArk, it hAs A VieW oVer the WAter And A reLAxing bAbbLing
brook to one side of the house.
Wedding coordinator Annika Björklund, who is also re-
sponsible for the restaurant, will help with everything from the first
contact until the whole wedding is completed. All of the thank-you cards from wed-ding couples on
the shelf in the reception is proof enough.“Of course, it´s good to have ex-perience and routine, but still, eve-ry wedding is a one-off, and the bridal couple and the guests have to feel it too,” says Annika. “Why should they get married here? Be-cause we have the best food and the best wines.”
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The menus are heavily adapted to the seasons and the bridal couple often like to have tables laid in some special way. No one wed-ding is like another.
Of course the Mansion’s estate is always nicest in the summer, where the bride and groom can have the actual ceremony in the garden. The head gardener, Pelle Anderson, has created a mini
park inside the big one, surround-ed by a two metre high flowering hedge. Another alternative is to exchange your vows in one of the nearby country churches. The re-ception can be held in the garden, and if couples so wish they can be photographed on the mansion´s bal-cony, just like a fairy tale wedding.When I visted many guests had arrived the evening before, but others came in the morning and
most of the rAW produce in the skebo kitchen is LocAL.
the meAt comes from their oWn fArm, the herbs from
the gArden.
ate a simple lunch to keep them going until the wedding reception.Most of the raw produce in the Skebo kitchen is local.The meat comes from their own farm, the herbs from the garden under the gables of the house. “Pelle cultivates the things he likes best, so we just adjust the menu to that,” says Chef Jona-ton Fogel “and it works out fine.” Jonaton is able assisten in the
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kitchen by Cissi and Dogge. As Jonaton talks to us he stands there with a herb bouquet of bronze fennel, Spanish chervil and thyme in his hand. He is going to make herbal ice-cream out of it. Cissi goes out to pick wild strawber-ries for the children´s ice cream while Dogge is frying up small home-made sage and thyme lamb sausages for the main course. The bridal couple have chosen Skebo´s unique Meat Mosaic, as a starter. It looks just like a painting, espe-
cially with its edible flowers and other accompaniments laid out on a stone plate. “The starter was divine,” said one of the guests in the break. The main course was a variation of lamb leg, neck and the aforementioned sausages. The dessert consisted of rhubarb in its own juice, sorbét and almond cake. Judging by the buzz in the room, the guests were thoroughly enjoying their meals and the wine that accompanied it.
After dinner there was coffee, drinks from the bar and dancing – in fact anything that the guests requested. Supper consisted of a home-made cinnamon sausage. My own wedding feast some years ago wasn’t bad either. Per-haps my husband and I can renew our vows on our 25th anniversary, in which case Skebo would be a good call.
the bridAL coupLe hAVe chosen skebo´s uniQue meAt mosAic, As A stArter. it Looks Just Like A pAinting, especiALLY With its edibLe fLoWers And other AccompAniments LAid out on A stone pLAte.
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God news for Connoisseurs
It is time for Systembolaget’s fi rst
online auction.
AuctionsThe single bottles auction
has this fall been devided into three smaller online auctions.
The fi rst is to take place on the 3–5 of October at www.stadsauktion.se
PreviewAll objects can be seen on
www.stadsauktion.se one week ahead of time.
For a private viewing please contact our appraisers
+46-8-503 327 54.
Read more about the auctions at www.systembolaget.se and
www.auktionsverket.se
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smorgAsbordTExT & PHOTO CARL WACHTMEISTER/IVAN DA SILVA
there Aren´t mAnY Words in sWedish thAt Are knoWn ALL oVer the WorLd. ombudsmAn is one, but it’s not especi-
ALLY gAstronomicALLY exciting. the Word thAt fits better in the mouth And tAstes decidedLY better is smorgAs-
bord. most sWedes hAVe A VAgue ideA of WhAt it´s ALL About, but Just hoW much do We reALLY knoW? perhAps eVen
the tourists knoW more thAn We do. Let´s tAke A Look At the phenomenon of the smorgAsbord.
The story goes a fairly long way back to the begin-
ning of the 16th century with something called the ‘citizen´s brandy table’. The easiest way to describe it is a kind of starter be-fore the main meal is brought in.It consisted of five ingredients - different kinds of bread with butter, cheese, soused herring or fish, meat in the form of sausa-ges or smoked, and last but not least, two kinds of brandy, often spiked with cumin or dill. Some say that this was a Russian in-fluence though that theory has never been proven. The brandy table was at its peak during the 18th century.
In modern terms the brandy ta-ble might be compared to an ape-ritif. It’s function was to gather people together before the start of dinner. It was often served as a kind of buffet, and sometimes ladies and the gentlemen were
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gathered into different rooms. It’s important to note that this part of the feasting was not held in the same room as the main dinner. The ladies often had sweetened drinks.
The table’s composition varied locally and depending on what time of the year it was. The table was replenished often for several hours before the main dinner began to allow for all the guests to arrive. Travelling by horse and coach took a long time.
It was enjoyed either standing or sitting and even with playing cards.
the stArter becomes A
compLete meAL
During the beginning of the 1800´s the brandy table began to change into the smorgasbord.It expanded with a large number of dishes including the new may-onnaise ones, pickled, conserved fish dishes and omelettes. By the 1900´s the smorgasbord became very popular in train stations’ restaurants before the trains left
the storY goes A fAirLY Long WAY bAck to the beginning of the
16th centurY With something cALLed the ‘citizen´s brAndY tAbLe’.
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for parts unknown. This was be-fore trains were fitted with their own restaurant cars.
In conjunction with the 1912 Olympics, the restaurants took the big step away from only serving smorgasbord as a first course. Those who were inclined could eat only smorgasbord if they wished. Then right up to the 1960´s smorgasbord was served in many restaurants on a daily basis as a first course as well on special occasions in the home.
The smorgasbord became inter-nationally known through the aforementioned Olympic Ga-mes. The next big breakthrough was at the World Exhibition in New York in 1939 where the Swedish Pavilion had a revolving
smorgasbord table in the Three Crowns Restaurant.That was where the smörgåsbord lost its umlauts and became smorgasbord. Today the word is synonymous with buffet service.
in recent times…….
During the second half of the 20th century, the smorgasbord went from being a first course to actually being the main meal in itself.
One of the big reasons for this was an iconic Swedish Master Chef called Tore Wretman who re-introduced the smorgasbord into the prestigious Opera Cell-ar and with that of course mar-keted the concept all around the world. A copy of the Opera Cellar´s smorgasbord appeared
at the World Exhibition in New York, this time in 1964.
It was a great success. During the 60´s it grew and grew until it included a dessert section which it had never had before. Tore Wretman also changed the clas-sic table into five segments. The first is always herring, the second is another fish, perhaps smoked, in the third there is meat such as sausages and brawn, patés ,roasts and salad. The fourth is what he called small warm dishes, and finally the desert. The smorgas-bord is still served at the Opera Cellar in Stockholm, where star cook Stefano Catenacci admi-nisters Tore Wretman´s culinary heritage.
during the second hALf of the 20th centurY, the
smorgAsbord Went from being A first course to ActuALLY
being the mAin meAL in itseLf.
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There are also variations of the smorgasbord depending on the time of the year. Apart from se-asonal produce it is also filled up with modern elements such as dishes with vegetables, pasta, seafood and chicken. Of course the Christmas smorgasbord is the best of all! At Christmas time many restaurants and hotels are filled to the brim with hungry crowds.
In the home a Christmas Yule smorgasbord might contain 20-30 dishes. Some restaurants offer more than a 100 dishes. To that you have to add specially brewed Yule beer and a whole battery of schnapps.
the Art of enJoYing A smorgAsbord
Without doubt, a good smorgasbord is very good. Choose your favourites
in the beginning so you don´t over eat before you get to them. Don´t build
a food mountain on your plate. Go round many times and always with a
clean plate. Start with the herring, traditionally with new potatoes or hard
bread, cheese or sour cream and finely chopped onions. Don´t forget the
concomitant schnapps. The next round consists of more fish, different kinds
of salmon, smoked eel or even smoked flounder. The third plate should
then be loaded with a cold selection of all shapes, tastes and sizes. Take a
walk around and check it out before you start to load up. The fourth round
consists of warm dishes, which vary throughout the seasons. These could
be meat balls, Princes sausages, Janssons Frestelse and often much more.
Finally there´s the opportunity to satisfy the sugar craving.
Dessert can be just about anything - chocolate, candy, ice cream, desserts,
pastries, fruit salads… you name it.
good Luck! And most of ALL enJoY!.
I hope this has given you a little background about the smorgas-bord and its history. I´ll finish with a couple of tips for those of you who are about to enjoy your first smorgasbord.
in conJunction With the 1912 oLYmpics, the restAurAnts
took the big step AWAY from onLY serVing smorgAsbord
As A first course.
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sVensson’s VerAndABY CATARINA OFFE
“do You remember those Long mAcAronis With the hoLes in? mY mother used thAt in the minestrone.” so sAYs
LennArt r sVensson, An Actor much LoVed bY the peopLe, When Asked About his eArLiest food memories. incLu-
ded in those memories Are egg toddY AndJuice soup. noW, hALf A centurY LAter, those Who Are LuckY And Quick
enough, gAin A pLAce on LennArt´s oWn VerAndA to enJoY some fine dining of the VerY highest QuALitY.
the ideA of the VerAndA cAme About After A music festiVAL
in enskede About ten YeArs Ago When he, together With the
orgAnizers, buiLt A temporArY fine dining restAurAnt.
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The idea of the Veranda came about after a music festival
in Enskede about ten years ago when he, together with the organ-izers, built a temporary fine din-ing restaurant. Of course ‘restau-rant’ is a bit exaggerated - there were four tables that seated four, one menu and it was very ex-pensive. But it was such a great success was and it signalled the beginning of Svenssons newly-built veranda at home in his villa in Enskede. Throughout the years there have been 21 verandas, all of them with delicate dishes and matching wines. The main themes varied, but all of them came from Lennarts many travels, environ-ment, flavours from the residence
in Orust, famous chefs (the lat-est was Paul Svensson), and spe-cially composed menus. , Lennart stands in the kitchen with his sons, daughter and friends and cooks one complicated dish after anoth-er. For many people new technol-ogy is very enticing and Lennart carrys out test after test before unleashing his inventions on his
the mAin themes VAried, but
ALL of them cAme from
LennArts mAnY trAVeLs,
enVironment, fLAVours from
the residence in orust, fAmous
chefs (the LAtest WAs pAuL
sVensson), And speciALLY
composed menus.
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guests. His daughter and friends serve the hirty or so guests.
There are usually two menus, with the drinks being carefully chosen, and the atmosphere is informal and friendly. We guests hand over a round sum to cover the cost of the raw produce and any money left over usually goes to a charity. But to be a Fine Dining cook without any formal training isn´t something that happens overnight.At home Lennart always used to help with the dinner.
A habit he has passed on to his own children. At school Lennart was always more practical than academic. Despite this he gained entrance to both High school and Art school and his wise mother said that he should choose that which was most fun.
First it was Fine Art, then adver-tising then finally acting. In 1970 he moved from a little town called Gävle in the middle of Sweden down to Stockholm to study. A friend took him to La Cocarde in downtown Stockholm, and it was here that Lennart ate his first Coer de filét Provencale. This proved to be highly addictive, so Lennart worked extra hours dur-ing his student period and blew all of his money eating fine food in beautiful restaurants.
The big step into the world of Fine Dining came on his fortieth
birthday. Lennart received a day in the French dining-room at the Grand together with Roland Pers-son. It just so happened that there was a football world champion-ship going on at the time so there were only nine people in the res-taurant. He and Roland have been close friends since then. Lennart started his own cooking courses, he was one of the founders of the Soup Theatre, he taught himself at the Restaurant Academy together with Mathias Dahlgren, as teach-er. He became friends with Prof. Steffan Rossner and served the theme ‘The Thin Gourmet’ on the
LennArt stAnds in the kitchen With his sons, dAughter And friends
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Veranda. Lennart used to eat din-ner several times a week at Freds Gatan 12, where he used to sit downstairs, almost in the kitchen, so that he could watch the chefs working. As a result Mathias, Melker and Danyal have become great role models. During the five years that Lennart lived on Orust the “Verandas” were few and far between. We guests have waited many times for opportunities to taste amatuer chef Lennart´s (if we can still call him that) excess-es from behind the stove. Lastly Lennart cleverly enticed his chil-dren to help in the kitchen by buy-ing an ice-cream machine, and making his kids responsible for the desserts!
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The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society for both professionals
and amateurs , with roots that stretch back to the year 1248. The society is represented in
about 70 countries and has more than 25000 members worldwide. From its headquarters
in Paris the organization is headed by President Yam Atallah In 1959 the Balliage de la
Suéde was founded by amongst others Tore Wretman. In Sweden there are 14 associa-
tions, so called Balliage (Bailliwicks) which is individually responsible for its own program
of activities. Coordination, administration and international contacts are taken care by a
national committee under the leadership of Bailli (Grand Bailiff ) Délègue. One of the soci-
ety’s strong points is the international membership which allows them to make use of the
fantastic network and offers possibilities to take part in any event at all, wherever and
whenever over the whole world.
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the good gAme TExT & PHOTO CATARINA OFFE
deep in södermAnLAnd, A rurAL countY south of stockhoLm, Lies eAst mALmA. According to the hunter’s AssociA-
tion it is the densest gAme territorY Around. You cAn enJoY A Weekend With other hunters, continue You trAining
As A hunter And spend some time in the neArbY cAstLe.
Torsten Mörner, the chairman of the Hunter´s Association,
wants to try a new approach to hunting. “We must get this game meat out to the consumers,” he says. And of course we can´t do anything else but agree with him.
About half of the prospective con-sumers think it´s hard to find game in the shops. Hunters are used to filling up their deep freezers and somehow we have to change that.Thathunting is well-established and enjoyed in this country is
proven by its 190,000 members. Four out of ten people know a hunter.The hunters themselves spend 26 days a year out in the forests en-joying fresh air and physical ac-tivity. Because game meat is good
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for you, in the sense that there is less fat, no antibiotics, high ome-ga-3 content, less cancer-inducing substances, and finally a humane killing, it contributes to the great demand. The number of wild boar kills is increasing year on year without any risk of extinction and the meat is very tasty and easy to prepare. There are a number of good recipes available and that is always increasing.
Many of our chefs are also dedi-cated hunters Ander Levén, a well known TV chef, makes his own sausages and smoked delicacies. He is also a member of the newly formed Game Academy together with a number of other famous chefs. The Academy’s mission statement is to spread interest and knowledge about game, as well as to award a prize to the best wild game restaurant of the year. This year it was the Magazine in Fäviken; they have already won many awards. Maybe they´ll get round to awarding a prize for the best game chef of the year.The hunt for geese is on the in-crease too. The sneaky Canada geese can reach an age of 25 years old And a good goose is not to be sniffed at!
“Then we have to able to tell the difference between fallow deer and capital deer,” say Torsten. “There is a difference in the tex-
ture of the meat. The capital deer meat is grainier.” Torsten´s per-sonal favourite is jugged hare. You´ll find a lot of useful things to learn here, so enjoy the fantastic produce that´s to be found in the forest´s pantry.
”“We must get this gAme meAt out to the consumers”
the number of WiLd boAr kiLLs is increAsing YeAr on YeAr Without AnY risk of extinction And the meAt is VerY tAstY And eAsY to prepAre.
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tornViLLAn to be A`LA cArteTExT & PHOTO CATARINA OFFE
tornViLLAn (the toWer ViLLA) in nAckA on the pAstorAL outskirts of stockhoLm is ActuALLY A LoVeLY oLd fortified
cAstLe, With rAmpArts And toWer from 1889 And A perfect exAmpLe of hoW A WeALthY merchAnt couLd LiVe out his
dAYs toWArds the end of the 19th centurY.
Apart from a priceless view over Stockholm’s inlet and
Djurgården, the interior demands attention with it’s magnificently decorated porcelain-clad stoves and chandeliers. Previously the Tower Villa had mostly served as a conference centre but the Club House Restaurant and bar will open on the ground floor next year
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”i Like the speciAL mixture thAt the cross oVer menu offers.”
with outdoor seating overlooking the water.
The exterior of the old castle is a listed building but the interior is not. There have been strong opin-ions about what stays and what goes but much of the original de-cor has been retained with a new-ly-sanded parquet floor and con-temporary wall-paper. There is a definite old world charm to be ex-perienced, but the food has abso-lutely nothing in common with a dated old merchant’s Bill of Fare. It is instead a modern crossover menu developed by Stefano Cat-enacci with dishes from the sea and the land.
some of the neW dishes on the menu Are:
• T-Bone Steak, Blue Cheese Butter,
• Red Snapper Saltimbocca, Saffron Potato Puree, Ratatouille vinaigrette,
• Soft Shell Crab, Brioche Bun, Peanut and Roasted Corn Crème,
• Black Liquorice Woppie Pie, Key Lime Crème, Vanilla Ice Cream and
• Cardamom Crème Brûlé.
The nearby Restaurant J has certain nautical elements and the hotel is clear-ly New England influenced. All three operations are part of the Nobis Group.
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the herb king of ekeröTExT: CATARINA OFFE PHOTOS: DAN BOMAN, AxEL KÅRFORS AND ORTONOVO
i WAs met in the foYer of orto noVo bY per-oVe kÅrfors, the compAnY founder, oWner And md, As WeLL As bY A
shoAL of koi cArp in A beAutifuL mosAic-cLAd pond. the fish Were VerY prettY in their orAnge-tinged AppAreL; theY
must be About 10 YeArs oLd And Worth their Weight in goLd.
orto noVo cuLtiVAtes
sALAds And herbs, is
pArt of sVensk sigiLL
And is cLimAte certified.
But they are only for decora-tion for Per-Ove, his staff
and guests. Orto Novo cultivates salads and herbs, is part of Sven-sk Sigill and is climate certified. From the foyer we walked straight into the sowing room, where 10 million pots are sown every year. Great demands are placed on the seed suppliers, who without ex-ception are foreign and the best
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there are. All of the herbs are sown in pots and take between 3 and 8 weeks to germinate under strict conditions. Per-Ove uses a ‘mineral manure’ - the alternative would be to use twice as much soil, a larger facility and more en-ergy. Its all about striking a bal-ance and being environmentally sensitive and sustainable. In the first green house I´m met by a car-pet of pot salad which represents about half of the production. The former favourite salad has had to give way to crisp salad. They grow the pretty red and green Sa-lonova and Romaine lettuce used in the delicious Caesar salad. The restaurant has access to a a very luxurious virgin salad ,which is very expensive.
Demand changes over time, and when a popular TV chef uses körvel on his program suddenly the demand goes through the roof. When salmonella was discovered in foreign rocket, the demand for the Swedish rucola increased even though it was very much more ex-pensive. After the salad we con-tinue on to the herbs.
Covering an area of some 15,000 square metres we see nothing but pots of basil. Astoundingly this represents about 4 weeks’ sales, and we’re just talking about nor-mal basil. The other five kinds are in another house. Coriander – love it or hate it – it is the most used spice in the world, and has gained a strong foothold in the Swedish kitchen. Looking further we see sage, which should sell more than it does. It is outstand-ingly good with our pork and en-hances butter sauces. Bronze fen-nel looks like dill but tastes like fennel and is also good to use as a garnish. Mexican dragon is easier to handle than the French variety and cheaper too. Here we see sor-rel, red nerve and sawn - all are very good in desserts, something that many cooks have discovered. The ever popular water cress is still selling, but mostly to restau-rants, just like the strange but re-fined dandelion with its glorious bitterness.
After this interesting tour we make our way to what has become the staff dining-room.
demAnd chAnges
oVer time, And
When A popuLAr tV
chef uses körVeL
on his progrAm
suddenLY the
demAnd goes
through the roof.
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Being too large for the 30 or so employees,Per-Ove gave Master Chef Roland Persson the green light to install a fully-equipped restaurant kitchen at the far end. Now Orto Novo offers courses in cooking and exhibition cooking with big-name gourmet cooks, many of whom Per-Ove knows personally.
Back in the 80´s, when restau-rants started to use fresh herbs and spices, the top chefs made their pilgrimage to Orto Novo to learn and be inspired. Nowadays Orto Novosells to all of the very top restaurants. Per-Ove himself got a taste for greenery while working in a park in Stockholm. He taught himself at the Gardening School, but his artistic streak drew him in-
stead towards music and the thea-tre. It was while he was on tour that he met his Italian wife. It was love at first sight and for the next 10 years both of them became growers, without a green house. Per-Ove grew vegetables for Swegro. Back then the Country of Origin stickers had to be stuck onto each individual vegetable. In the 80´s Per-ove was standing on his own two feet but to this day he still thanks Swegro for turning him into a business man.
“I feel more like an artist,” he says. Well, why not? After all those years of hard work growing perfect herbs and vegetable for our kitchens!
bAck in the 80´s, When restAurAnts stArted to use fresh herbs And spices, the top chefs mAde their piLgrimAge to orto noVo to LeArn And be inspired.
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12 nogA utVALdA hoteLL med chArm och kVALitet
Foto
: Jo
hanna B
att
aro
ff
historic hoteLs of sWeden bestÅr AV priVAtägdA hoteLL, herrgÅrdAr, sLott och ett Anrikt kAnALrederi. frÅn norr
tiLL söder erbJuds härLigA WeekendVisteLser, bröLLop och fester där de underbArA miLJöernA och den godA mAten
stÅr i centrum. VArJe hoteLL hAr inte bArA historik utAn äVen sin unikA chArm och Atmosfär.
upptäck historic hoteLs of sWeden och VäLJ bLAnd kuLinAriskA erbJudAnden AV oLikA sLAg.
WWW.hhos.se
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mAckmYrA WhiskY WorLd neWs from sWedenPHOTO: ANNE-MARIE CANEMYR
the first grAVitAtionAL WhiskY distiLLerY in the WorLd is under construction, outside the toWn of gäVLe, to the
north of stockhoLm. bY buiLding the distiLLerY in An eLeVAted position, mAckmYrA sWedish WhiskY is mAking his-
torY bY hArnessing the force of grAVitY in the production of its WhiskY. bY hAVing to hoist the mALt, WAter And
YeAst Just oncethe WhoLe process becomes enVironmentALLY friendLY.
As we approach Mackmyra we come to a gravel path that
leads into the woods. Suddenly a tall building rises up in front of us. “Welcome to Mackmyra Whisky,
, says Susann Svensson, who takes us up to the top of the distill-ery with breath-taking speed. The view is fantastic!
But the Whisky? When will you begin producing it?
The distillery will be online from December 2011. Mackmyra
whisky has a complete governing and control system. The solution encompasses the whole system, from taking in the malt right up to the finished whisky.
What this means is that Mack-myra Swedish whisky can follow every step of the production, right down to the last 30 litre cask. Eve-rything from production times, totemperature, to dosage - the sys-tem is so designed that Mackmyra can actually display parts of its fa-cility to its international custom-ers via interface. We walked back down the seven floors to ground
level, which will house an exhibi-tion room and storage facility To get an idea of how they achieve the different flavours we have to take a walk out into the woods again where they are smoking ju-niper and peat to create their very own whisky flavour.Even further into the woods we come to the storage facility for the casks which reminds me of a bun-ker. And this is where the Swed-ish spirit regulations take over! If you´d like to know more then go to www.mackmyra.se
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At home With Jennie And peoPHOTO & TExT CATARINA OFFE
“imAgine if We couLd get our oWn pLAce?” this Question WAs often rAised in the bAnd bus As peo toured end-
LessLY Around sWeden. peo, Whose nAme is ActuALLY per-oLA Jönis, WAs A freeLAnce musiciAn Who toured for mAnY
YeArs With some of sWeden’s top Acts Like boogie Woogie king chArLie normAn. WeLL, his friends hAVe ALL depAr-
ted this WorLd And peo stood At A crossroAds in his Life so he decided to turn the opening phrAse into reALitY.
In his quest he met Jennie, who has a history as both chef and
interior designer and was looking for exactly the same thing he was. They scoured the country together looking at many different proper-ties, and in the end decided on a mansion in Torpshammar, which was beautifully situated on the shores of Lake Ljungan in Medelpad.“Here’s where I want to live!” they both said and without further ado they moved into the mansion.Its history is similar to that of many Swedish mansions - initial-ly the home of the local squire or landlord followed by a conference centre, until finally they are cared for by private owners with high ambitions. But not all of them of-fer accommodation in their house. After it was refurbished, Jennie looked around for contemporary furniture for the impressive draw-
“here’s Where i WAnt to LiVe!” theY
both sAid And Without further Ado
theY moVed into the mAnsion.
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ing room and after that the doors were opened to welcome guests. “Where’s the reception?” is the usual question. “That would be me,” says Jennie. Very young guests, who are told that they are going to stay in a hotel are often a little confused and ask if they should take off their shoes, feel-ing that they have entered some-one’s home. They might do that at home, but not at a hotel.
The division of labour is quite clear - Jennie’s in command of the kitchen and Peo takes care of eve-rything else. In the five years that the couple have owned Torpsham-mar it has gained a fine reputation as a conference facility, but also as a wedding reception venue for re-patriated Swedes. All guests trav-el here and stay for at least three days. “The estate is just as attrac-tive during winter-time thanks to the Christmas table,” says Jennie. All of the guests eat together, and the main courses are not served until everyone is finished with their starters. Later, when the Christmas feast is finished they open the doors to the Blue Room where desserts are served. The food is classic but with surprising accompaniments.
That’s how the salmon came to be keeping company with saffron-marinated sultanas. The rest of the menu has a similar style. “We cook country house food,” says Jennie. They source local pro-duce as much as possible; one of the specialities, for instance, is cured reindeer meat from Sjaun-ja is. Sjaunja itself, has the most
theY source LocAL produce As much As pos-sibLe; one of the speciALities, for instAnce, is cured reindeer meAt from sJAunJA.
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mosquitoes in the country and the meat used to be buried in the moss to preserve it. Of course with modern technology that is no longer necessary, but the taste is just as exquisite as it used to be!Northern Pizza is another spe-ciality, made from a soft Nan type bread that is baked locally in Ljungandalan and served with northern toppings. When it comes to wine, Jenny likes to match the food with wine, and in combina-tions that they probably wouldn’t think of themselves. One of her current favourites is lavender-
glazed fillet of veal with blue potato salad together with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. “It’s a combo with built in giggles,” says Jenny. “Everyone starts to giggle when they taste it!” - a fact con-firmed by one of the guests I spoke to. When Jenny’s finished in the kitchen she changes into casual clothes and chats to every guest, giving a little anecdote about the food they’ve just eaten. Peo gets behind the piano and tickles the ivories a bit.
“Actually I’m a bass player, but here at home I don’t have to prove anything! I play as well as I can.”Working as he did for many years in the music business, he has many friends that just ’pop in’. It’s a bit of a celebrity watering-hole as well. When they are not too busy, Peo and Jenny eat together with the guests. “When it’s completely
“We cook countrY house food,” sAYs Jennie.
empty we just crash on the sofa with a bag of crisps just like any other couple. Sometimes guests just pour in and almost cause cha-os. “Of course that’s what it’s all about, that’s the dream situation!” says Peo, who is a true hotelier and entrepreneur.
In the surrounding park outside Peo has allowed eight birch trees to be chopped down and commis-sioned the artist Thorbjorn Lin-dren to transform the trunks into unique wooden sculptures.
Last year the purchase of the beau-tiful ’Maiden’, a stylish ex-steam-boat from 1865, has allowed them to serve food from the Mansion onboard the lovingly refurbished vessel. It’s plain see that Peo and Jenny, not to mention their guests, are happy with the outcome of their labours.
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fine dining
stenbro sALonger – fine dining in nYköpingPHOTO ANNE-MARIE CANEMYR
We heAr the crunch of grAVeL As We sWing into the driVeWAY of the VicArAge in nYköping A smALL toWn to the
south of stockhoLm. here, it seems thAt time hAs stood stiLL for mAnY YeArs, eVen though inside And outside is
A hiVe of ActiVitY.
The old vicarage has undergone a complete metamorphosis
as we were about to learn when we were greeted on the steps by Fredrik Ballago and Helene Cron-quist to show us around the Sten-bro Salinger (Stone Bridge Salon)As mentioned the house did ser-vice as a vicarage up to the 1920´s and many well known Nyköping clerics have lived here. SAAB -ANA have used it for Directors’accommodation, as well as the Sachs Family (owners of Swe-den’s equivalent to Selfridges). We are introduced to all four of the children and Grandma who together run this big house which seems to contain so much warmth and which has just thrown open its doors to Fine Dining to show us what they have to offer here in Nyköping.
Though Stenbro Salonger is open for both large and small parties, weddings, reunions and dining, Frederik has many years of ex-perience as an inn-keeper behind him. His maternal grandfather Börje Attoff owned, amongst other things, Stora Hotellet in Nyköping, and his Uncle Rolf At-toff owned The Strand in Borg-holm and Selma Lagerlöf SPAwith Helene, Together they make an exciting team.
the oLd VicArAge hAs undergone A compLete me-tAmorphosis As We Were About to LeArn When We Were greeted on the steps bY fredrik bALLAgo And heLene cronQuist to shoW us Around the stenbro sALinger
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fine dining
By having Grandma on board, who by the way met her husband in Budapest many years ago, The Stenbro Salonger of today offers a broad range of experience, knowl-edge and creativity.
Sit in front of the open fire on the refurbished plum-coloured sofa from the 1930´s in the Grand Salon which has been recreated in it’s original Art Noveau style. This definitely offers a different kind of restaurant atmosphere, somehow reminiscent of grand pianos, singing and old film stars! We didn’t actually meet any film stars , but we did see a completely renovated kitchen, full of local produce. Amongst which were os-trich from Sigtuna Struts. We also discover a secret passage down to
the cellars that dates back to the 16th century and which eventu-ally will be available for guests to enjoy cheese and wine tasting amongst other things.
This evening’s menu is based upon Swedish traditional home cooking and includes a good se-lection of wines, well-presented by one of the sommeliers.Music from the white grand piano, so beautifully played throughout the whole evening, was still ring-ing in our ears, and we felt like film stars ourselves as we wan-dered home into the Nyköping night.
If you wish to know more, then read it on www.stenbrosalonger.se
this eVening’s menu is bAsed upon sWedish trAditionAL home cooking And incLudes
A good seLection of Wines, WeLL-presented bY one of the sommeLiers.
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fine dining
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4 numbers of Fine Wine.
I n s p I r a t I o n a l w I n e k n o w l e d g e a n d t h e p e o p l e b e h I n d t h e d r I n k
September
2011I N T E R N A T I O N A L
TasTy Red fRom sunny andalusia
page 5
Drinking Vibrations sId 37
georgia on my minD
page 18
siD 5 TasTy Red fRom sunny andalusia siD 12 TRenTino-BuBBly and BeRgen´s landscape
siD 18 geoRgia on my mind siD 25 The sysTemBolageT inTeRneT aucTion siD 27 fine Wine TasTing 2011
siD 33 haRvesT Time in champagne siD 37 dRinking viBRaTions siD 42 impacT analysis siD 44 Wine TRavelling