Creative Gastronomy 2015

OUTDOOR EDITION

MOUNTAIN MADNESS adventurous nutrition LOCAL LIVING shareholder cultivation MUSHROOMS searching for hidden treasure ICE FISHING catching your lunch FORAGING a cocktail success HUNTING food & wellbeing

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We love local Jämtland is a fantastic culinary region, where a love of real food has resulted in world-class products. We want this to be obvious in our stores as well, which is why we work with local suppliers from around the county – so that you can enjoy top quality ingredients and genuine artisan foods.

And there’s another advantage: when you buy our local products you’re supporting food production that is conducted with care and respect.

Welcome to our stores!

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Strömsund 8

11

ÅÅAre

Järpen

Krokom

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7

Östersund/Frösön

12 3 14 13 1 Brunflo 2 10

Svenstavik

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Funäsdalen 1. Ica Supermarket Brunflo

5

Hede

4

Hammarstrand

Bräcke ÅÀnge

16

Sveg 9

Centrumvägen 15, BRUNFLO Tel. +46 63-77 80 80

2. Ica Supermarket Bräcke Torpgatan 2, BRÄCKE Tel. +46 693-108 00

12. Ica Supermarket Matmästaren

3. Ica Supermarket Vallhalla

Samuel Permans G 26, ÖSTERSUND Tel. +46 63-51 65 00

Valla Centrum, FRÖSÖN Tel. +46 63-19 38 30

4. Ica Supermarket Hammarn

8. Ica Supermarket Simonssons

13. Ica Supermarket Blå Center

5. Ica Supermarket Hede

9. Ica Supermarket Sveg

14. Ica Supermarket Traktören

6. Ica Supermarket Järpen

10. Ica Supermarket Svenstavik Tingshusvägen 1, SVENSTAVIK Tel. +46 687-58 10 80

15. Ica Supermarket Enqvist

Strandvägen 10, JÄRPEN Tel. +46 647-100 13

7. Ica Supermarket Krokom

11. Ica Supermarket Åre

16. Ica Supermarket Ånge

Centralgatan 20, HAMMARSTRAND Tel. +46 696-100 78

Storgatan 16, HEDE Tel. +46 684-107 33

Genvägen 4, KROKOM Tel. +46 640-68 17 17

Vattudalstorget 1, STRÖMSUND Tel. +46 670-171 70

Ljusnegatan 3, SVEG Tel. +46 680-71 88 50

Sankt Olavs Väg 33, ÅRE Tel. +46 647-145 40

Tegelbruksvägen 10, ÖSTERSUND Tel. +46 63-19 45 55

Kyrkgatan 46, ÖSTERSUND Tel. +46 63-12 00 50

Rörosvägen 13, FUNÄSDALEN Tel. +46 684-210 07

Norra Borgsjövägen 24, ÅNGE Tel. +46 690-125 30

JÄMTLAND HÄRJEDALEN

Like home, but better! www.skoogskrog.se 0684-21550

TRULY LOCAL GELATO MADE DAILY IN ÅRE

On the slopes of Såå, Jämtland, the cows graze, breathing fresh air and living in their natural environment.

På sluttningarna i jämtländska Såå betar kor som andas frisk luft och vistas i sin naturliga miljö.

At Grädda we make Italian-style ice cream – milk-based with natural flavouring that we vary with the season

På Grädda gör vi den Italienska typen av glass – mjölkbaserad med naturliga smaker som vi varierar efter säsong

and mood. It has less air in it than industrial ice cream, which is why we sell it by weight. och känsla. Glassen har mindre luft i sig än den industriella – därför säljs den på vikt.

GRÄDDA.SE

Produced by:

juniorosd.se

fotograftina.se

Cover photo: Tina Stafrén

for:

Cover picture taken at the foot of Storsnasen in the Snasahögarna massif. The pan contains barley from Ångsta kvarn, vegetables from Ås trädgård and cheese from Oviken Ost. The model wears a jacket from Klättermusen and an apron in cow leather from Winterlife.

creativegastronomy.com

Model: Ragna Lindgren

Visit our Facebook page. Search for Gastronomy Jämtland Härjedalen.

Read more and book your culinary adventures at www.jamtland.se

Editorial staff Mårten Wikner Editor-in-chief marten.wikner@jht.se

Tina Stafrén Photographer/photo editor tina@fotograftina.se

Johan Hallström AD / Designer johan@juniorosd.se

Janna Thalén Writer janna@thalenproduktion.se

Marit Sigurdson Writer marit@formulera.nu

Clare Barnes Translator clare@aretranslation.com

Photographers: Tina Stafrén Sandra Lee Pettersson Mårten Wikner Jonas Kullman Ivar Iversen Johan Ranbrandt

The magazine is financed via the Kreativ Matregion Jämtland project.

This is a collaboration between LRF, JHT, Torsta, Regionförbundet Jämtland and Eldrimner.

Print: Trydells Tryckeri

LJÖMÄRKT MI

Ad sales: RIME - rime.se 341 091

Culinary innovation and an outdoor lifestyle As if the landscape wasn’t enough: the ancient mountains, towering over the Scandinavian tundra with its hundreds of lakes and crystal clear air. Jämtland and Härjedalen’s beautiful scenery might be something from a fairy tale, but it is still just one dimension of what our region’s guests and residents can experience. Another comprises the flavours, aromas and textures of the culinary artisanship that combines traditional knowledge and inspired innovation to make our region a global centre for gastronomy.

This means that you can sit at Blåhammaren mountain station and enjoy the spring sunshine, while your taste buds explore the delicacies of Lake Rogen. That you can sit in a hunting tower and watch as the morning mists lift from the marshes, while the unleavened bread wrap you are eating brings you closer to the traditional culinary crafts of the shieling. That you can sit and watch children play on snow castles in the Winter Park while your other senses are stroked by the winds of Sápmi’s untamed wilderness.

The combination of sensory pleasures is infinite, all characterised by a culture that has always lived in and with the natural world, in continual cyclic harmony with the seasons. From the spring sowing, to the light, intense summers, through autumn harvests and finally midwinter’s time for contemplation, when new ideas for the coming year take shape.

While the region has been transformed in recent decades, from traditional farming villages and Sami camps to an innovative knowledge hub for Swedish tourism, the intimacy of the relationship with nature has not simply survived, quite the opposite; it has developed to become the core of what modern life in Jämtland and Härjedalen is all about. Today it is this high-quality outdoor lifestyle that attracts people from around the world to our region, whether they are looking for adventure, relaxation or a stimulating and secure environment in which their children can grow up.

In this edition of Gastronomy you will accompany local enthusiasts out in the forests and up mountains, where they describe how they find the best and most interesting ingredients and how they use them, often in the open air. Last year’s Swedish adventurer, Christine Hägglund, takes you on a sweaty mountain run. Enjoy a pleasant cycle tour of cafés in the villages around Lake Storsjön, as well as meeting hunting guide Evelina Åslund, who talks about life in the forest and what it can do for the modern person’s spiritual wellbeing.

These people, and all the others featured in this edition, are excellent examples of the philosophy, the lifestyle and the opportunities that are distinctive of Jämtland and Härjedalen… excellent examples of the calm and the creative presence that are so easily lost in an urban age, when stress and the constantly changing demands of the outside world often force people to prioritise things other than their own wellbeing.

Jämtland–Härjedalen

Mårten Wikner Editor in chief - Gastronomy Jämtland Härjedalen.

Tourism developer for culinary travel.

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Contents 8 WILDERNESS ON A PLATTER – ambitious Sami cuisine

18 IN THE LAND OF THE MUSKOXEN – fly fishing with a loving hand

27 FJÄLLBÄCKEN LODGE – food and adventure at a high level

46 ON A HUNT FOR WELLBEING – shooting, cooking and eating ptarmigan

58 A MYCOLOGIST’S DREAM – discover Storlien’s mushy treasures

76 HANDMADE AND DURABLE – food and clothing with a genuine feel

100 KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES – lifestyle choices in Jämtland-Härjedalen

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TASTES FROM THE MOUNTAINS In the little village of Glen, we meet ambitious restaurateur Elaine Asp, whose down to earth philosophy is creating new opportunities for traditional Sami foods. In the forest of mountain birch above her fine dining restaurant, H채vvi, she lights a fire and offers us an al fresco lunch.

BY: M A R I T S I GU R D S O N P H OTO : S A N D R A L E E P ET T E R S S O N

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he forest is opening up onto colourful marshes when a few reindeer appear from behind a hill. We slow down and they jog ahead of us a short way, before turning off and jumping over the ditch. Past the marshes we can start to see the southernmost slopes of Oviksfjällen. Driving past shielings and undulating forests is an experience in itself, but a visit to restaurateur Elaine Asp is the real reason for the 110 km journey from Östersund.

Glen is a tiny village that is part of Tåssåsen’s Sami village. It is here that Elaine runs a high class restaurant along with her husband, Thomas Johansson, who is a Sami and reindeer herder. In the Sami culture there is a natural link between food and the environment; perhaps this is why Elaine has chosen to name her restaurant Hävvi, which means ‘naturally’ or ‘of course’ in South Sami. The menu changes continually and varies according to the availability of the mountains’ finest ingredients: reindeer, elk, fish, mushrooms, herbs and berries.

There are few restaurants in Sweden that serve solely Sami cuisine, and the guests that come here are often culinary enthusiasts and interested in tasting something new. For those guests that arrive without any expectations, the experience of a high class restaurant “in the middle of nowhere” is a surprise.

“I also have many regular guests who keep coming back because they really enjoy the tastes and flavours,” says Elaine.

Today we are going to be treated to lunch in the outdoors, and she guides us up a hill from where the mountain valley is even more visible. We settle onto some reindeer hides as Elaine takes out the ingredients for the meal and lights the fire. Behind the forest of mountain birch, the highest peak in Oviksfjällen, Hundshögen, can be seen in its autumnal colours.

Elaine’s four-legged friend, a Swedish elkhound called Zita, noses around on the hill and now and then dives into the high grass after voles. Smoke from the fire is soon rising into the blue sky.

An unlimited larder Living in Glen provides plenty of opportunities for creating interesting meals. The flavours are all there and the larder is unlimited, says Elaine, but you need to make use of what’s available when it’s available.

As regards meat, Elaine takes part in the most labour-intensive elements of reindeer husbandry: reindeer corralling, calf marking and slaughter. She also knows where the fish is caught and the elk is shot,

and is thus able to guarantee the quality of the entire chain, from living animal to finished dish in the restaurant. Plants and herbs are gathered and used during the short growing season. Berries and mushrooms are picked during the summer and autumn, but most plants are harvested before Midsummer and then dried, condensed or candied.

“There is a great deal of planning. It is one thing to plan for your own household, but it takes a bit more to do it for a restaurant,” Elaine states, and we wonder how she has time for everything.

“Yes, there’s that... You have to be a little nuts, enjoy cooking and love your ingredients. Then you have to be patient too, because gathering, hunting and fishing take time.”

Beloved angelica One of Elaine’s favourite plants is angelica, and it is included in the starter she has served us. This is a salad with salted brown trout, where the cool saltiness of the fish is softened by an emulsion of finely chopped angelica. Along with cloudberries and a mature cow’s milk cheese, the composition is fascinating and we chew slowly and carefully so that we have time to experience the flavours.

“Angelica has long been the Sami people’s most important source of vitamin C. Berries could mostly be eaten during the summer and autumn, but angelica can be dried so it was easy to carry when moving the reindeer. It was added to both meat and fish dishes.”

Elaine uses angelica in everything she can, from the spring’s delicate leaves and stalks to the seeds that are collected in the autumn. Apart from the traditional Sami dish of gompa, which is a kind of fermented porridge made from angelica, Alpine sow-thistle and mountain sorrel, she has found new ways to use the plant, making soups, sauces, sorbets and mojito!

Down-to-earth culinary philosophy Elaine grew up in an agricultural community a couple of hours’ drive to the east. The food on which she was raised is, like the Sami’s, strongly rooted in a household that is close to the land.

“My cooking primarily comes from my grandmother. She lived on a mountain, at the top, with no electricity, no water and no road. I often stayed with her as a child. We were outside a lot, fishing and hunting, making use of what there was when it was available. I learned so much from her. We didn’t cook with reindeer, but we used elk, beef and pork in

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a manner that is similar to that of the Sami in many ways. So it’s not been too big a step.”

But starting a Sami restaurant in the highly traditional Sami community was far from an obvious choice. Her legitimacy was questioned by other Sami, although she is married to and has two children with a reindeer herder. She says that it was toughest in the beginning.

“I’ve had many people watching me, which wasn’t so much fun, but I have always been careful about explaining who I am and have never pretended to be something I’m not. And the biggest critics have quietened down now.”

For Elaine, it’s all about being able to cook in ways she believes in and thinks are challenging. Long ago, when she trained as a chef, this was just how she wanted to conduct her profession: with pride in the ingredients and complete insight into what’s being served.

“At Hävvi I’ve found what feels genuine and honest.” She has learned many typical Sami dishes from her husband, Thomas, and even though she uses many traditional methods of food preparation and Sami flavours, she has never wanted to set limits.

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“Thinking in new ways and creating new things, that’s my passion. I want my guests to eat food that they can’t get anywhere else. You eat every day, but some dishes or places stay with you forever. And that’s what I want, for a visit here to be a life-long memory.

Outdoor food The Muurikka is on the fire and Elaine has greased it with butter. She’s going to make an entrecote of reindeer and starts by browning the meat at a high temperature. The seasoning is uncomplicated.

“I really only use salt and white pepper with reindeer. I think that black pepper takes over too easily.

And, personally, I think that white pepper tastes better,” she says, turning the meat.

The entrecote comes from a bull reindeer that was slaughtered a few weeks ago, and which was then hung for 13 days before being butchered.

“Entrecote from reindeer can be a little too lean, but from older and plumper animals it’s delicious,” says Elaine.

In running the restaurant, Elaine cooks a lot of food outside the kitchen. Many of her commissions

“At Hävvi I’ve found what feels genuine and honest.”

are for al fresco catering around Sweden, for groups or events. The variety is the most enjoyable thing in her job, Elaine says.

“One day there’s slaughtering to do and the next day the restaurant is full and you’re doing a ninecourse tasting menu. Then there’s catering in the mountains or an outdoor event.”

When the meat is properly browned she wraps it in double layers of aluminium foil and places it below the Muurikka, straight in the fire, and starts preparing the potatoes. We agree that eating outside is pleasant, particularly when the sun is shining and the winds are lazy. But’s what’s it really like, cooking outside?

“Well, the first thing is that I should never think it’ll all turn out as I’ve planned, because it never does.

But the benefit is working in different places with entirely different conditions. That’s very good for me, as a chef. And I enjoy cooking in the outdoors. You don’t need to make things unnecessarily complicated if you know you have good ingredients.”

But I ask them to try it, and when they do they change their minds. That’s fun.”

At home in Elaine’s own kitchen, reindeer meat is an everyday food and all the edible parts of the animal are used.

“My favourites are reindeer heart and tongue. A meal of reindeer tongue with bouillon, blood dumplings and root vegetables is delicious in the autumn.”

Later, when we look at Hävvi’s menu for this autumn, it’s the meat and fish dishes that catch our eye, although there are vegetarian options. We find variations on Elaine’s favourites: braised reindeer calf heart and salted, boiled reindeer tongue. But there are also other interesting items, like toasted blood bread, oven-baked marrowbone, fried char skin and crunchy elk muzzle.

This winter Elaine will be running an additional restaurant, Wärdshuset in Bydalen, where Hävvi’s concept will be adapted for families and people on skiing holidays. There will be plenty of game with a Sami touch, but not so “hard core,” she says.

“If you’re hesitant about Sami food you can try the food in Bydalen, and then get bolder and come to Glen.” —

Mountain favourites Over the years she’s found many safe bets for delicious meals outdoors. Suovas (salted, smoked and cured reindeer meat) is always good, she says, and easy to carry.

“Trollkorv (reindeer sausage) is tasty and simple.

And when we’re in the mountains we often make sashimi from freshly caught fish.”

Her beloved angelica reappears in the main course: potatoes are sliced and fried in a butter flavoured with angelica pesto. On top she adds a generous layer of funnel chanterelles and then slices the meat. When everything is done the dish is beautifully arranged and decorated with pickled red and white onions.

The conversation stops for a while as we dig in and enjoy the first few bites. The reindeer meat is fantastically tender and has a surprisingly mild taste.

“Many people come here and say that they don’t eat reindeer meat because they think it’s too gamey.

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HÄVVI IN GLEN Hävvi is open for bookings in January. From 5 February to 19 April the restaurant is open Thu – Sun, and daily from 23 February to 8 March as well as Easter week. Open for bookings in May – June. From early July to mid-August: open Mon, Wed and Sat from 12 – 21, other days 12 – 17. Open for bookings from mid-August to the end of September. Closed in October. Open for bookings and Christmas buffets in November and December. www.havviiglen.se

MAKING WAVES We have heard about two men who are supposed to be very special, who both live and work in Härjedalen’s wilderness – in different places but with the same love of the outdoors and untamed nature. We travel through bear-rich forests and around icy-cold mountain lakes to get to Rogen Nature Reserve, where we will meet the first of these men of the wild, Michael Ärfström.

T E X T & P H O T O : T I N A S TA F R È N

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Thymallus thymallus

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he plan is to meet Michael at Tännäs Fiskecentrum. When we step out of the warm car we quickly decide to buy some warmer clothing, as although it’s almost the middle of June the winds are freezing. A pair of woolly socks later, Michael appears in his Jeep, packs us in among his fishing equipment and put a snus under his lip.

“You should have been here last night,” he says. “I caught a beautiful brown trout, just three casts and there it was. There’ll be a film of it on Youtube this evening.”

Yes, we’re also regretting the choice of day. Yesterday Härjedalen offered up its most beautiful early summer weather: a windless landscape with a gentle sun that shone half the night, shimmering water with insects dancing freely, like a dream for fly fishermen.

Instead, we’re now sitting here, on a bumpy and stony road in drizzle and icy winds on the way to Lake Käringsjön, situated at the road’s end just north of Lake Rogensjön. This large lake is 750 metres above sea level and is at the heart of the labyrinthine waterways and small lakes that characterise Rogen Nature Reserve. They were created at the end of the last ice age, around 10,000 years ago, as the 3 km-deep ice sheet melted. Rogen is a hidden gem in the wilderness, with some of Scandinavia’s best mountain fishing; somewhere you can canoe for days without coming across a road or felled area. It is a protected part of the world, one where Michael Ärfström has found his place, and which he’s now going to share with us. The landscape is barren and harsh and it feels like a place that you must know to love, because this barrenness is not welcoming – it is a challenge.

“We’ll go to Per-Roger’s and see if he’s got some coffee on the go,” says Michael. Per-Roger Wiberg is a ranger and his family have lived in this outpost for four generations. Per-Roger’s family battled for 50 years to get mains electricity to the farm, and this year marks 13 years of being able to boil coffee on an electric stove. The red wooden house stands stubbornly in the bitter wind, next to Lake Käringsjön, which today has white horses on its surface. “Hmm, I’m not sure you’ll want to be in a canoe today,” says Michael. “I think we’ll borrow a couple of boats from Per-Roger instead.”

The coffee is ready at Per-Roger’s. Maps of the area are lying on the kitchen table, along with books about fishing. He’s brought out the maps for our benefit, and made extra coffee.

“It’s a northerly wind today, not great for fishing,” he says. “No, it’s something else on a fine day, sitting here at the table and looking out over the lake.”

He leans forward and it feels as if he’s telling us a secret. “When there’s a gentle breeze along the southern shore and half the lake is mirror calm. Rocken [the local name for large mayflies in general, and in Rogen this often means the drake mackerel mayfly] starts hatching and the grayling starts leaping… there’s no damn way I’m not going to be out there.

But today, nah, I’m not going out in this,” he grunts.

But we are going out today. Rogen Nature Reserve covers almost 900 sq. km. and we will only have time to discover a tiny piece of it. “There are as many lakes as the year has days, and you know more or less how many that is, don’t you,” jests Per-Roger. Michael is sitting and considering the day’s activities while PerRoger talks about bad fishing, dream fishing and the important of not boasting about your fishing waters in order to keep them healthy. “There-over or hereover?” asks Michael suddenly. “There-over!” answers Per-Roger. We understand that they’ve decided on our route. We head out into the bitter weather again and trudge over plankways, collect life vests from an old barn (which has a road sign showing that it’s 731 km to Gothenburg) and continue to the shore where Per-Roger’s boats are waiting.

“You can row so I have time to eat some breakfast,” commands Michael and shows us a promontory we need to get round to find somewhat calmer waters in the wind. It’s slow work. Two strokes of the oars result in 20 or 30 cm of forward motion and 10 cm backward. At least the headwind means that I’m warm everywhere except my feet. We battle on towards a small bay while Michael tells us about his choice to live off his fishing. “There are several hundred lakes in this area. I’ve fished here for seven years and have landed some good ones, but to fish everywhere around here would take a lifetime,” he says.

Michael is originally from Hälsingland, but spent a lot of time in the mountains of Jämtland with his maternal grandparents. After finishing his studies in sport fishing tourism, he felt that he “just had to go to the mountains”. And so it was, initially as seasonal staff at Top Sport in Funäsdalen during the winter, but after spending his first summer in the area he fell in love and decided to stay.

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“I was sure that there was a demand for the type of fishing we can offer here, and I started my company, Two Little Feet, in 2011. Having your own business is good thing out here where it’s so rural, you can do different jobs all over the place. A year ago I had my first really busy season, and it’s lasted,” he continues. “This year it’s only fishing, but before I worked a little in the muskox enclosure and with a range of fishing projects. We cooperate a lot in this region, you have to in this business.”

Yes, muskoxen. This area of Härjedalen is one of few areas in the world that is home to the last living members of a line of prehistoric animals that evolved in central Asia. Muskoxen can be dangerous to humans, so if you meet one in the mountains you shouldn’t go any closer than 200 metres.

“Some friends and I were surprised by six animals when we walked over a peak in the mountains; they were standing just 40 metres away so we backed off slowly,” says Michael. “They don’t run if they’re threatened, instead they gang up and run really bloody fast, even though they look so cumbersome. They’re not mean-natured in any way, but they stand up for themselves and then you don’t want to be near them,” he concludes, just as he finishes trying the line on a small grey mayfly, elegantly casting the line straight through the headwind. “There,” he says.

And so it is. Despite the wind we have a period of around 20 minutes where we see some rises. A lovely half-kilo grayling breaks the surface with its stately fin on a slow journey towards the boat. Michael lands it gently with the net and protests a little when we want to take a picture. “I don’t like photographing dead fish. A live grayling shimmers in all the colours of the rainbow, and when it’s dead it looks as if its soul has drained away, the colours go dull. There’s something about it that doesn’t feel respectful,” he says firmly.

Michael has a strong respect for the natural world in which he works, which permeates everything he says and does. He wants to offer genuine fishing experiences with as little environmental impact as possible. Two Little Feet, in the meaning of leaving a small environmental footprint, is also the company’s motto, even if the guests can take fish for food, as we’ve just done: a fine grayling, Härjedalen’s provincial fish – and delicious. This is particularly true of the way we’re going to do it, straight from the lake and onto a bed of embers. We only need one fish, so we have done enough on the windy lake in the drizzling rain, “there-over” as Per-Roger said. Mi-

chael takes the oars for the journey back, and we’ll be moving on to cook the food that is shining like silver in the bottom of the boat. It’s so cold that everyone needs to pee, so we borrow both Per-Roger’s bathroom and some dry wood to cook with before heading to Käringsjövallen, where we’ll light a campfire and warm ourselves and our stomachs.

The walk from the road to the site Michael has chosen for us is beautiful and there’s already a group there with a good fire going. Michael guts the catch in clear water, seasoning it and grilling it on the fire. Along with the fish we make a hearty package of potatoes in the embers, using almond potatoes, huge slabs of butter, spruce shoot salt from Skogens Sköna Gröna, chives and a cheese named Flyttost, from Ovikensost. The cheese and the generous slabs of butter turn into a sauce that we drizzle over the fish when its cooked. The rain has stopped and we sit on the moss and eat with our hands, everything together from the same package and, as a dedicated fly fisherman, there are a number of reasons that I’m glad that we fished with a fly and not with worms.

With grayling in our stomachs and a mug of strong coffee, we are happy to spend a long time with Michael on the lakeshore. He’s a young man with a great deal of enthusiasm and so much knowledge about this magical fishing that it’s hard to say goodbye. We talk about the secret places, the challenges and the joy to be found in small things. “The Rogen area has many fine grayling waters, but Tandsjön is best,” says Michael. “Permission has never been given for public fishing, but last summer I got to take a few groups there for the first time. It’s an exclusive experience, with fishing for really big grayling, of course, but personally my passion is for the shy brown trout in becks and streams,” he continues. “It’s the difficult fish that pull me in. If it’s a tricky place, fine water, then I can be so satisfied and happy even if the fish just weighs 300 grams. That’s the greatest feeling of satisfaction,” he continues. “Much of it deals with personal satisfaction, as finding the right water for all types of customers is a challenge and the mark of a good fishing guide. Beginners and experienced fishermen are looking for different things. It’s my job to get that right.” Michael thinks that people have slightly warped view of fishing due to the put and take business. “There they fill up with loads of big fish, and it’s a bit like everyone wins all the time.

When you fish here, you should be happy to catch one! Halford said in the 1800s that a fisherman has three cycles,” continues Michael. “First you want to

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catch lots of fish, then you want to catch big ones, and finally you want to catch difficult ones.” And that’s where Michael is now. “I love talking about fish psychology,” he laughs. “If the concept even exists,” he grins before we start packing up.

We wish that we’d arrived a day earlier so that we had been there for the previous night’s amazing fishing, but we still wouldn’t swap this cold and rainy experience for anything. We leave the Rogen area behind us, along with a piece of our hearts that we’ll have to return to collect sometime, along with a cup of coffee at Per-Roger’s house by Lake Käringsjön.

e drive through Tännäs again, on the way to Bruksvallarna which is 40 minutes’ drive to the north-west. In Bruksvallarna we’re going to stay with Jon and Mia Wagenius at Fjällbäcken Lodge in rustic buildings at 800 m, just at the treeline. Bruksvallarna has Sweden’s most certain snow and, in a normal winter, it falls to a depth of five metres, so that skis, snowcat or snowmobile are necessary to get to this beautiful building. A fire crackles in the dining room and the views across the valley are stunning. The sauna is being renovated, so instead there’s a welcoming, warming shower and a cold beer to round off the day.

The next morning it is the smell of coffee that brings us out from under the cosy bedcovers. It is so peaceful halfway up the mountain, with the familiar smatter of the rain on the windows as the only noise.

The rustic timbered buildings of Fjällbäcken Lodge lie sheltered in the forest of mountain birch, with the main building taking pride of place and having a generous veranda on which you seem to float above the mountains. A little way into the forest is a timber construction that feels as if it is from olden times, a timber kåta. The only source of heat is a large fire in the centre, the light comes from candles, and thin strips of light dance over heavy wooden tables and benches. Groups can come here and escape from every modernity, gather around the fire in the middle of a bitingly cold winter and savour delicacies that have walked, run, flown, swum and grown in the forests around us.

We are in a mystical and beautiful place, where today we’ll be cooking with the man of the house, perhaps the area’s most active businessman and entrepreneur, Jon Wagenius. Jon was born and raised in Funäsdalen. Where Fjällbäcken Lodge now lies, Jon’s maternal grandparents had summer grazing for

their cattle from when the first green shoots appeared until the first snow. Farming in mountain communities was no easy thing, making it important to use all the available grazing and save the village meadows for winter feed; the place that now provides Jon’s living has been important to the Ohlsson family for generations.

Growing up in the mountains frequently means that you need to move to get an education. Jon trained as a chef from an early age, and at the age of 16 he started a catering firm, Jons Gourmet Mat. His first business was a trailer where he sold baked potatoes. “It was mostly enjoyable. I was in places where people were happy most of the time, like Hede Folk Park. I remember dad once smuggled some liquor in the trailer, so he was The King,” laughs Jon. “As soon as I had any type of leave during my military service I was out with the baked potato trailer. I remember the officers joking about it,” he continues. In his twenties Jon moved around between different jobs; Sandhamn and Trosa in the Stockholm archipelago, Hemsedal in Norge.

At the end of the 1990s Jon took a guide course in Storuman. He had been born in the mountains and could feel the pull of them in his blood, and his sense of adventure had developed at an early age. “I think that the basis for Strapatser [adventures], as my company’s called, came from all the outings I made in a rucksack on my father’s back. That was where I sat when I was too tired to walk home after our fishing trips. Fishing and spending time in the mountains became interests that took more and more time and are now part of how I make a living.”

Jon was homesick and wanted to go back to the mountain where he was born, so in 1998 he moved home, started Strapatser and has stayed put. Well, stayed and stayed, there’s not a lot that remains still in the Strapatser business, nor at Fjällbäcken Lodge.

As a guest you can experience everything there is to do on a mountain or in the wilderness. In the winters they offer everything from meditative cross-country skiing to summit trips, ice climbing and heli-skiing.

The summer’s range of activities is just as wide, from tranquil fishing trips to hunting, climbing and mountain biking. Over his lifetime, Jon has dedicated years to adventures and extreme sports, activities that generate far more adrenaline than the wonderful feeling of waking up at Fjällbäcken Lodge. Perhaps it is this combination that makes Fjällbäcken and Strapatser so interesting and attractive, and so special in combination with the genuine love of good food

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found in the hosts, Jon and Mia. We are going to be given a gourmet experience taster á la Strapatser on the shore of Ljusnan, a stone’s throw from where we’re staying. Jon drives ahead of us to an electric fence, lets us into a pasture and tells us to drive carefully because cows are grazing. We crawl forward over cowpats on something that might be called a road, if you had a jeep, and leave the car in the middle of the pasture. A few of the cows lift their heads but chew lackadaisically on, as we are much less interesting than the fresh spring grass that is bright green and full of new chlorophyll.

“If you bring a canoe, I’ll carry the food,” Jon calls over his shoulder as he carries a large Muurikka over the top of the hill. Ljusnan flows gently past the sandbank we’ve come to. The river is wide and shallow, but you can feel the current seize hold of your ankles when you take a few steps in. Jon has started a fire and is unpacking what will be the day’s lunch.

There are well-organised containers with ingredients and equipment. He’s done this many times.

“The first tour I did was a gourmet fishing tour.

Now, years later, I understand how important food has been to the business, as without the food it would never have worked,” says Jon. “I guide many groups during the winter and spring, and I take along the Muurikka and cook food for the guests wherever we are.” The pan hisses and spits as Jon starts browning

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the reindeer and elk meat. “It would have been just as tasty with beef from one of the local farmers,” says Jon. “The cows in this area are free-range too. The fat composition is perfect, and the levels of amino acids and vitamins are much higher than in the meat that comes from factory farms,” he comments. Jon continues to feed the fire below the Muurikka with wood and brings out delicacies like reindeer sausage, handpicked chanterelles and rice that he adds to the pan.

“I’ve thought a great deal about food, how important it is to the experience,” he continues, as he pokes the embers to get the temperature he wants. “When I travel, food is something I prioritise. With most other things I can lower my standards, but not food.”

The aroma of the cooking food wafts over the sandbank, the rain has stopped and, on the other side of the river, some cattle wanders by, but they aren’t particularly interested in us either.

“Ah, there they are!” exclaims Jon. “It was their friends we would have been eating today,” he says, and points at the animals that are grazing calmly with the mountains as a backdrop – Black Angus and Swedish mountain cattle. Today’s ingredients are from the local area: the reindeer and some of the fish come from local Sami reindeer herders, Blindh and Thomasson, who work the mountains that surround us. The small community has its own dairy, Bruksvallarna Fjellost. “They have such a high turno-

ver of cheese that they never last long enough to be specially matured,” laughs Jon. One of the farmers, or shieling farmers, who run the dairy is called Alf Wagenius and is 82 years old. Another Wagenius?

“Yes, we’re distant relatives, but they are ‘Wagenius from Flon’ and we are ‘Wagenius from Messlingen’” laughs Jon, and starts to serve the piping hot food.

Jon works alongside his wife, Mia, who is now mainly responsible for the kitchen, even if Jon is around to taste things. “She won’t be too happy if I say that she cooks genuinely housewifely food,” smiles Jon. “But that’s what it is, well-prepared, real food that mostly comes from the local area.”

It’s time for coffee after our meal, so some of Ljusnan is boiled over the fire to give us a bit more of a kick, in addition to the fresh mountain air that is not making the slightest effort to let us know that Midsummer is fast approaching. We are still grateful for the woolly socks from Tännäs Fiskecentrum and, with steaming hot coffee from Jon’s faithful coffeepot we are, somewhat reluctantly, ready to leave Bruksvallarna.

Someone who isn’t ready to leave is Jon Wagenius.

He says that they have had a couple of tough years, battling for guests, and Jon and Mia and chosen to invest to bring success. An expansion of Fjällbäcken Lodge will start during the summer, a multi-million project that will make it even more attractive and exclusive. And it is exclusive, in a very special way. It is genuine and rustic, solid and refined, with a style that makes Fjällbäcken stand out. The scent of the fire, the flavours of forests, lakes and mountains, hosts who know who raised the meat or where the fish swam, this is exclusiveness you can’t find in many places in the world. But you can find it here, with Jon and Mia Wagenius. The luxuries are handpicked, berries and mushrooms, and if there are hunting guests it could be that day’s meat being served.

Jon and Mia have found a way to interact with nature, to cooperate with other local businesses and to create their own paradise to which many people return. Nature sets the rules where they work in in Funäsfjällen, with its magnificent snowfalls in the winters and the sometimes bitter summers. Experiencing what is served up by Jon Wagenius is both exotic and breath-taking.

“Yup, something really drastic would have to happen to get us to leave here,” says Jon with a broad grin, waving us off and reminding us to tread carefully on our way back through the pasture. —

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STIR-FRIED GAME i n g redients: rei n deer meat, suovas /mince/s lice s m i n ced elk, count on at le as t 15 0 g meat per person, as mountain air mak e s yo u hu n g ry. a ddi ng bacon to the mix is never w ro ng ! vegetables: pep pers, carrots, courg et t es , o nio n, le e k , ha r icots verts, wh it e cabbag e, bro cco li, cau l i f lower or wh at ever yo u f ind in t h e f r i d g e o r f re e z e r. t h e re s h o u l d a l s o be s o me kind of mush ro o m in t h e s t ir f ry: cha n terelles, boletes , to ot h f ung i o r m o rels. n o s hiitake as the mu s h ro o ms s h o uld be s wedish. u s e m ore vegetables t h an me at and reme mber to h ave a good m ix o f co lo urs , as yo u eat with your eyes as we ll.

P R E PA R AT I O N THE NIGHT BEFORE: If you are using sliced meat, marinate it in a mixture of garlic, oil, soya, thyme and coarsely ground black pepper.

If you bought a whole piece of elk or reindeer, cut it into slices. The marinade should just add flavour to the meat, not drown it. Place it in a suitable container in the fridge.

Chop the vegetables and mushrooms and put them in a glass container in the fridge; it is best to keep the mushrooms separately as it is better if they are fried on their own.

Chop some garlic and wrap it in clingfilm.

ON THE HIKE: Light a fire.

Put the muurikka or frying pan over the fire. Start by frying the bacon (in a little oil) if you are including it. Add the garlic after the bacon has browned slightly. Put them to one side of the pan.

Add the meat and fry until it is almost cooked. Combine the meat and the bacon at the side of the muurikka/frying pan. Fry the vegetables. Season the meat and vegetables.

Combine the meat and vegetables in the pan when they are perfectly cooked.

Fry the mushrooms, using more oil if necessary. They should never dry fry, so add oil if you see this starting to happen. Fry the mushrooms on their own side of the pan so they cook well.

Food tastes best after a bit of an adventure. This meal is excellent when accompanied by Fjällbäcken’s mustard aioli or tomato jam. In the worst case, you can make your own garlic dressing! And don’t forget that physical activity is an important seasoning.

DRINK: Water from a mountain stream with fresh berries.

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MOUNTAIN MADNESS

She’s run 1300 km in 39 days, swum from Åre to Östersund and, with her family, driven a VW camper through 24 countries.

Equipped with more than average energy levels, Christine Hägglund is discovering Jämtland in new ways.

B Y : J A N N A T H A L É N P H O T O : T I N A S TA F R É N

t looks so easy. Quick, confident strides along plankways and stony mountainsides. Christine Hägglund laughs as she patiently runs along the path below us for the millionth time; one photographer is almost lying down among the crowberry bushes, another is higher up with a film camera, calling out instructions. Christine’s light, comfortable jacket and ingenious running skirt with integral shorts are bright blue against the mountainside. Finally, we are all satisfied and stroll back to where we left our rucksacks and camera equipment.

We are in Storhogna, north-west Härjedalen, 470 km from Stockholm, on an ordinary Monday in September. The ground is covered with lingonberry and crowberry bushes, flaming in the colours of autumn.

A few walkers pass us on the trail next to where we’re eating lunch. The sun doesn’t really want to come out, but the air is pleasantly warm. We build a simple hearth where we can and Christine brings out a well-used kolbulle pan from her rucksack. Ordinarily every gram counts when packing for the mountains, and a cast iron pan is hardly standard equipment for a mountain runner, but when the opportunity arises kolbulle are what Christine prefers to cook when she’s out there with the children or on her own in a tent.

She brought along the batter, but the pork and preserved lingonberries got left behind in her kitchen.

“I’ve had a logistics failure, what with three children going in different directions this morning,” she says in a subdued voice.

Christine Hägglund is a civil engineer with an unusual amount of get-up-and-go. In her ordinary life she is a project manager at the Mid Sweden Science Park’s Incubator, but last year, after running the entire Swedish mountain range in 39 days, more than 1300 km from Treriksröset in the north to Grövelsjön in the south, she won the Adventurer of the Year award. This summer, she and a friend, Mari Rutgers-

son, swam all the way from Åre to Östersund, a little trip of 100 km on land. She does those things that we others wouldn’t even think of doing, let alone complete. She summarises the urge to challenge herself as a way of discovering her limitations – and potential.

“I used to be scared of water and couldn’t swim particularly well. My motivation was to face my fears and learn to crawl properly. I remember when we slid into the twenty-degree water in Hallen, it was like a mirror. What a feeling – that moment will be with me forever,” she says thoughtfully.

Rooted in Jämtland’s soil for generations, she has always held the mountains dear. Her heart has a home in Berge, outside Tandsbyn, where her parents now live. After a degree in industrial economics at Luleå University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, she spent a few years in Stockholm and a total of eleven years in Gävle in different positions with the Sandvik Group. She had met her husband, Pär, in Stockholm many years previously, and he also longed to get closer to nature. An Easter weekend in Storulvån was the deciding factor and three years ago they made the move to Östersund.

“I’d missed the clear air, the perspectives and the sense of space. Now that I’ve moved home I’m rediscovering Jämtland, and it’s like falling in love,” she says with a smile.

She remembers outings to the forests and mountains with her father. A loaf of bread and a packet of butter, salted meat, smoked elk heart and a thermos of coffee. Her mother made herring salad and sneaked in a sweet bun, a little treat. Nana took along a glass bottle of milk and some unleavened bread.

“Being in the outdoors and eating in the open air has always been an important part of my life and is something I want to pass on to my children,” she explains.

A quick call to the kitchen at Storhogna solves the problem of the forgotten ingredients. A little

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KOLBULLEN this recipe make s a bat ter for approximately 4 kolbullen 400 g americ an po rk , salted pork or baco n.

600 ml water 400 ml flour 1 tsp salt serve with lingonberry jam.

while later we get a jar of preserved lingonberries and a piece of pork delivered to our little patch of the mountain. Christine crouches by the fire and fries large pieces of salted pork, which sizzle in the hot pan. She shakes the bottle of kolbulle batter made with flour from Ångsta Kvarn, water and salt, and pours 200 ml into the hot fat. The thick pancake grows crispy around the edges and the pieces of pork rise up like little islands in the batter. A gentle breeze is blowing and Christine avoids the smoke from the fire in a practised manner. The sides of the pan are a little steep, but she turns the kolbulle with a steady hand to fry it on the other side.

“Nicely done,” she says, satisfied. Kolbulle is an old Nordic dish that was common among navvies, log drivers and lumberjacks, people who worked hard in primitive conditions and who couldn’t store perishabes like eggs and milk. At that time they fried kolbulle in lard, pure animal fat, but now people use oil or butter. The stodgy kolbulle provided energy for labourers who worked hard and are also great for hungry mountain walkers.

Christine takes the pan off the fire and places a few generous spoonfuls of preserved lingonberries on top of the kolbulle, which tastes of fat and salt. The tangy lingonberries provide a welcome tartness. We

eat with our fingers, straight out of the pan, and the warmth spreads through our bodies. Remarkably, it feels absolutely right, far from vitamin-rich vegetables and modern, low-fat foods. We need the energy in the kolbulle and the walk back over the mountain no longer feels like much of an effort.

I can’t stop myself from asking what motivates her.

Christine answers, “A hunger for knowledge, learning new things and experiencing new places”. The world and all there is to discover has always exerted an attraction. When Christine was six she took the train to Örnsköldsvik on her own; her mother gave her a lift to Bräcke “because then there were only two changes” and Christine happily waved goodbye to her mum and got on with some crocheting.

“Nowadays it would be unthinkable, but when I grew up in the 1970s nobody raised an eyebrow.

I don’t think I’ve ever been really scared, I’ve always been much more inquisitive.”

A little jokingly, she describes herself as “someone with a lack of impulse control” and “a demon at powernaps”. Even though you might think so, she doesn’t have more time than other people; instead it’s all about priorities – and being brave enough to choose not to do things.

“It’s never tidy at home, but that’s easier to handle.

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“We eat with our fingers, straight out of the pan.”

If I’m to feel good, truly, then I need to be out doing things. It means that I have more energy. The family just have to grin and bear it,” she says laconically and explains that they share her love of the outdoors and they spend a lot of time there together.

The run along the Swedish mountain range was a clearly shared priority, as her husband, Pär, encouraged her to take the chance to do something that had never been done before – to run the entire way. Some people thought she was mad, others wondered if she was scared of bears and whether she would be brave enough to do it alone. She felt that she needed time on her own.

“The first few days I ran and thought about work and normal life. After two weeks I didn’t think at all, I lost time and space. It was like a deep meditation,” she explains.

Along the way she met people who gave her encouragement, who opened up their homes and helped her. There were powerful, memorable encounters. And the entire time she visualised finishing, how when she arrived in Grövelsjön she would drink a cold Jämtland’s IPA and eat a four-course dinner. And so it was, despite a nasty fall that almost brought the journey to a halt.

“After just a couple of days I fell so badly that I cut open my knee and it needed stitches. I don’t like giving up, but it’s okay to take a break, and I got to have a rest over the weekend before going back and carrying on,” she says.

Christine often returns to how the body is made for movement. The senses become heightened and impressions are stronger.

“When I’m out in the mountains I feel that this is where I should be. I’m strong and the further I run

the simpler the problems become. I can think clearly, it’s like decluttering the hard drive.”

We share a little unleavened bread and goat’s whey cheese from Skärvången. The fire has gained strength from some birch logs we brought along. Christine brings out organic beef sausages from Hallqvist in Fåker and puts them in the kolbulle pan. They heat up quickly and we each make a classic wrap with a new twist. The sausages are spicy and full of flavour, one hundred per cent meat with no additives. They feel genuine and absolutely right among the twisted mountain birches and lignonberry bushes.

Christine’s mobile phone suddenly pings and she walks away to take a call. Once she’s back I realise that there are more people in the family who like making dreams come true.

“That was Pär on the phone. We impulse bought a kayak on the internet the day before yesterday and now he wanted to say that he’s collected it,” she says happily.

Homeward bound, we help to load the equipment into the green jeep, a trusty steed that is always packed with a tent, sleeping mats, stove, plates and cutlery – ready to rock. Everyday adventure is never far away, regardless of whether it’s picking lingonberries in the afternoon or a longer trip to Storulvån, Vålådalen, or a new passion – Skäckerfjällen.

“There are things to discover everywhere, mountains to experience. It doesn’t matter whether I’ve been there before, as the experience is so different when I return to a place. Nature is cyclical, it’s just as important to see something again as it is to make new paths,” she says, and steps up into the jeep that has flowers painted on the side. As vibrant and colourful as Christine herself. —

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ARE THERE GREEN SHEEP? The answer’s both yes and no, at least if you ask us here at Woolpower in Östersund. The wool in our clothes comes from merino sheep in Uruguay and Argentina’s part of Patagonia. Their soft, thick wool is usually light grey, sometimes almost white, but never green. We know, because we visit the sheep farmers we work with to make sure that the sheep are treated well.

But of course green can also mean

environmentally friendly. The sheep in South America help keep the countryside alive. And when our wool gets washed and coloured, no harmful substances are allowed to be released in the water. Then here in Östersund, where we knit the fabric and sew the clothes, we do our best to work in an environmentally caring manner. So that’s how our woollen clothes can be green - in two ways.

Warmth from Jämtland since 1972. All manufacturing takes place in our textile factory in Östersund.

The fabrics are knitted and cut, and then our seamstresses take over.

woolpower.se

24 culinary experiences

Food g and dinin Your guide to the best restaurants, cafes and farm shops in Vemdalen

se

vemdalen.

Harvest Weekend 18-19 september Top Class Artisan Food & Dining.

vemdalen.se

HUNTING SERENITY Life is to be enjoyed! The words are Evelina Åslund’s, the entrepreneur behind Joy Event, a company that offers hunting combined with health and wellbeing. Hunting in the morning, yoga after lunch – a whole-body experience that is out of the ordinary.

BY: JA N NA T H A L É N P H OTO : S A N D R A L E E P ET T E R S S O N

G A S T R O N O M Y J채mtland & H채rjedalen

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small, lithe English setter dances ahead of my feet; wearing an orange vest and a GPS around her neck, Minerva eagerly searches the area nose length by nose length. Today her friend Odessa has had to stay in the car, and instead Shiva, a slightly older, more sensible Irish setter bitch, is her companion. We’re at the Viggesågen camp in the forests 30 km northwest of Svenstavik in Jämtland, to hunt forest birds and ptarmigan along with Evelina Åslund and her dogs.

A light mist cloaks the marsh, which is dressed in warm colours and edged with small, knotted mountain birches and twisted pines. The tussocks are stiff with frost and easy to walk on. In the forest there are still patches of green, with high trees and thick lingonberry and bilberry underbrush that has darkened in colour after the first cold nights. It’s exciting to watch the dogs working. The uncertainty of whether or not we will flush out a bird tickles inside, while the weapon on Evelina’s shoulder, a Beretta Ultra Light, is a reminder that we will shoot the birds we find. Hunting is not a simple thing. It is easy for the uninitiated to focus on when the shot is fired, but very little in hunting is about the actual kill, says Evelina. Instead, she highlights the soul of the hunt, the sense of presence and the interaction with nature – as well as the satisfaction of bringing home food to the family.

“It is hard to put a finger on what it is that creates such a strong experience, but you have to be extremely alert and focused at the right time. And it is fun to be able to cook using things you brought home from the forest,” she adds.

Minerva is quartering, moving in large zigzags in front of us, covering the area. Evelina and I are talking to each other and are a little distracted, with Shiva walking on a lead beside us. Minerva wonders what’s going on and makes a pass back. “Bella ragazza”, says Evelina to her softly, rubbing her behind the ears.

“You see, she was raised in Italy and only speaks Italian. I have to call ‘ferma’ to her to get her to stop.”

Evelina laughs.

After a day’s hunting, the hunter may have walked 15 km while the dog has run three times as far, which makes great demands on stamina and obedience. An experienced dog can cost up to SEK 80,000 and is difficult to find. Both Minerva and Odessa are staying with Evelina on trial, and she will get to keep one of them as a present from Italian friends.

“Hunting dogs always live outside the house

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in Italy, while I value having my dogs inside. The first time Minerva came into the hall of the cabin in Ljungdalen she tried to jump out through a closed window,” says Evelina.

Today Viggesågen is also hosting students from Forshaga hunting college. Evelina rents out the camp and land to the college as part of her business, but most of the time she works as a guide on her own lands in Ljungdalen. For the last six years she has run Joy Event Hunt & Health, and her hobby has become a profession. Her dream grew slowly, that of highlighting the soft values found in hunting and attracting more women to it.

“Hunting has traditionally been a male area, but I want to convey how the hunting experience can be something entirely different to old men hunting elk,” she says with a smile.

Because far more men hunt than women, it is still mostly men who book hunts and, even if they are curious, they don’t really dare try out the combination of hunting and yoga. However, dream customers did recently appear, a group of women from Stockholm who loved the idea of combining ptarmigan hunting with yoga, stretching and relaxation.

“The cabin in Ljungdalen is 3 km up the mountain in roadless land. We started by walking to the camp in silence, which was an incredibly powerful experience for all of us,” recalls Evelina.

Whatever can be hunted can also be cooked. A cook often goes along on the trips to Ljungdalen, and sometimes it’s Evelina who prepares the food over an open fire with a view of the lake.

“After a whole day on the mountain it’s an experience to eat a three-course game dinner cooked on site, using ingredients we gathered ourselves.”

Perhaps it is just this reflectiveness, the close-tonature experience and the reclaiming of the self that is the point of the hunt. Evelina often returns to the idea of gazing inwards and thinking “long” thoughts when sitting out on a hunt, spending time with yourself in partnership with nature and the dogs.

The closeness to the origin of your food. Everything becomes clear, scents and sounds appear. It’s about pleasure and something that we all carry with us – the desire for freedom.

Hunting has always been a big part of Evelina’s life, taking her hunting certificate as a seventeen-yearold after accompanying her father on elk hunts.

During her youth in Åsarna, her interest in hunting went alongside serious training in cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Her biathlon rifle has been used as a hunting rifle since she stopped competing, and now she mostly skis in the winter when hunting the slightly smaller rock ptarmigan in the mountains.

“I quickly discovered the freedom that bird hunting allows, as it doesn’t require a great deal of organisation. Forest birds and rock ptarmigan are also delicious and easy to cook,” she says.

Hunting ptarmigan is a social activity. The lands around Viggesågen are ideal for forest birds such as black grouse and capercaillie, but the relatively high altitude, 510 m, means that it’s also possible to find willow ptarmigan.

“There’s no rush if the dog marks a ptarmigan,” explains Evelina. “The dog can stand for ten to fifteen minutes, so we have plenty of time. If it had been a forest bird it would have been different, as they will run so you need to be much quieter and creep up on them.”

Now it’s Shiva’s turn to search for birds. Minerva is shivering with excitement, and she pulls her narrow head out of the collar and goes after Shiva. Evelina calls her back and she creeps disappointedly into Evelina’s arms, unable to get enough of “beautiful girl” whispered in her ear in Italian.

The afternoon is drawing to a close and we haven’t yet come across any birds. Thank goodness for the students from the hunting college. Some of yesterday’s ptarmigan are hanging in a bunch against the cabin wall and, along with a frozen ptarmigan, we have enough for lunch, as there is not a lot of meat on a ptarmigan breast. Evelina kneels down and puts the ptarmigan on a stump, carefully pulling off its ‘suit’; its skin is loose and it’s easy to expose the breast. She removes the breast with a sharp knife and then takes out the even tenderer inner fillet. We can’t resist carefully opening the stomach, which is full of what the mountain has to offer: lingonberries, bilberries, birch shoots and buds. It’s fascinating. Evelina places the pieces we are going to cook on a chopping board and then puts the rest of the bird under a tree so a wild animal can take what’s left. You can’t get closer to nature than this.

Evelina sets up a Trangia stove next to the stump, where we’re reclining in the grass. The sound of the burner is pleasantly comforting. She fries the chunks of meat quickly, using plenty of butter, so they are just browned on the outside and almost raw in the middle.

“Ptarmigan is easy to cook. It doesn’t need hanging to make it tender and tasty and, like all game, it

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should be eaten rare to retain its flavour. If you think the taste of game is too noticeable, the meat can be soaked in milk for a while,” she explains.

She moves the meat to one side and fries finelychopped onion and chanterelles picked by her daughter, Ronja, and her mother on Dunsjöfjället in Ljungdalen. The aromas are exquisite in their simplicity. After adding a generous dash of cream and seasoning it with salt and black and white pepper, Evelina replaces the meat in the sauce and serves us a large portion in a folded piece of flatbread.

Some culinary experiences are more memorable than others. We aren’t sitting anywhere special, it’s more practical than anything. And we are eating with our hands, with no attractive wooden mugs or smart cutlery, but yet the food tastes more and better than anything I have eaten in a long time. It is both smooth and a little rough at the same time. The creamy sauce contrasts with the ptarmigan breast’s clearly gamey flavour and the mild sweetness of the chanterelles. I am hungry after a day in the forest and, as so often with meals outdoors, it tastes divine.

Eventually, we pack up our equipment. It is late in the afternoon and the camp is starting to fill with people who’ve been out hunting during the day. Evelina talks to the other hunters, while tired dogs stretch out on the ground. It’s obvious that she’s in her element. Confidently and knowledgably she explains how things are, provides advice and suggestions.

Evelina Åslund has made a life out of her dream.

It’s not entirely easy. Running a micro-business in the inland of northern Sweden demands stamina and inventiveness, but it’s undoubtedly worth all the hard work for Evelina, who thinks that life is simpler now.

“I’m in charge of my own time and I get energy from being outside so much, it makes me feel wonderful – which means that I can work a lot. And I get to enjoy incredible companionship. During the hunt we are all equals, status and money are irrelevant.

Hunting is health,” she says convincingly.

Before we part ways, I rub Minerva a little extra behind her ears. My pulse is pleasantly low, I feel relaxed. Evelina stays at the camp to look after her guests while I return to Östersund – an experience and an encounter the richer. —

ADVENTURE WITH ADDED COMFORT P H O T O : I VA R I V E R S E N

Bear’s Den in Lofsdalen is one of the many places in our region that you can experience our nature and wildlife at close range – and this is where game watching is combined with traditional gastronomy à la shieling.

The cabin is deep in the forest, and the last few kilometres are done on foot, across logs and stones. Once there, the bear adventure begins. There is a guide on site to provide information about the night-time rules, as well as about the Scandinavian brown bear and other wild animals you may encounter during the night, after which you are left alone to await an extraordinary experience. This is when the adventure starts in Lofsdalen’s Bear’s Den, and it is an adventure with added comfort. The cabin is of a high standard, with 6 beds, kitchen, dining table and separationtoilet. In the front of the cabin the windows face the feeding area on the marsh. There are specially-designed camera spyholes and comfortable seats. During the evening and night there are snacks to enjoy, if you can bring yourself to leave the view.

After the night’s experiences, the new day starts with an outing to Uppvallen shieling for a wonderful, traditional shieling breakfast. This is prepared outdoors on the hot range, the coffee is boiled over an open fire, there is fresh unleavened bread, homemade sausage, shieling butter and much more besides.

in our region. Vast mountains, babbling streams, clear lakes, huge forests and northern Europe’s big five: bear, elk, lynx, beaver and ptarmigan. In our magical forests you can experience everything from the gracious mating dances of the capercaillie (one of our magnificent forest birds) to elk, lynx, wolverine, Arctic fox, wolf and brown bear. The elk is pretty much Sweden’s national animal, Jämtland’s provincial animal, and has a large population in our region. It has been an important part of our diet since ancient times, and is an incredible animal to view in its natural environment. The bear is Härjedalen’s provincial animal and more are found around Sonfjället than anywhere else in Sweden. Sonfjället is also home to Old Rasmus, a spruce tree that is at least 9,500 years old, making it one of the world’s oldest trees.

Game watching is a thrilling way of experiencing the natural world and there are numerous companies to show you the way to the wildest wilderness; there are easy or more demanding excursions. Sometimes you stay in a camouflaged hide or a cabin with spyholes for observing and taking photos, such as when watching bears. To come into close contact with elk, it’s common for the animal’s mating call to be used. —

The world’s best game watching?

Jämtland Härjedalen has a rich fauna. Regardless of whether you are a game watcher, ornithologist, For more information about the wild animals and to nature-lover or hunter, there is something for you contact the organisers, please visit grandfive.com 54

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MAKING THE MOST OF A GREY DAY –“Grilla” with star chef Niklas Ekstedt BY: S US I E M E S U R E P H OTO : J O NA S KU L L M A N

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bove the ice, all is quiet; mountain mist muffling my every move. I step onto the lake, snow covering my boots as I pad out, drill in hand, to find a spot to fish. It’s barely lunchtime, but already time is getting tight if we want to eat in what passes for light on this mid-January day in Jämtland. Gripping tight, I wind the handle: harder, harder, and harder, until, success! It breaks through with an icy splash into the murky world below.

I let out my line, watching the flashing green light on the maggoty hook disappear through my perfect circle. And how quickly, there it is! A bite! More winding, the other way this time, to reveal a silvery Arctic char, otherwise known as lunch. We’d need a few more to feed our party of four, but our host came pre-prepared to be safe. Someone must have told him I’d never ice fished, or perhaps Michelin-starred chefs don’t like to take chances.

It’s a day of firsts: I’ve travelled here, from the UK via Stockholm, to try something that’s second-nature to a Swede but seems madness to this Londoner, who was raised in the tropics of south-east Asia: yes, it’s barbecue time and never mind the tumbling temperatures. Swedes take their outdoor living seriously, which means the right to grilla (barbecue) is almost constitutionally enshrined along with the right to roam – allemansrätten – which sees them strike forth across their vast, largely uninhabited country no

matter the weather. All those forests mean firewood on tap and even the coldest days will see them bundle up to make the most of their few hours of daylight, plus who wants to eat a sandwich in mid-winter?

I’m toasty warm anyway: as the adage goes, you don’t need warm weather, only warm clothes, and that’s something Jämtland has covered, from my local Lundhags jacket and trousers, designed in nearby Järpen, down to my Woolpower jumper from Östersund. Plus Rickard Fredriksson, who runs a travel company called Explore Åre, made an early trip up to the lake to erect a barbecue made of half an oil drum.

Järpen-born Niklas Ekstedt, who now runs two restaurants in Stockholm, has been busy: the logs, a mix of easy-to-light birch, and pine, are roaring. He has brought me here to demonstrate his passion, cooking over open flames. And where better than a lake - one of the region’s 17,000 - at the edge of Sweden’s famous Åre ski resort? For him, the days spent grilling anything from reindeer to potatoes under a “crisp, clear Scandinavian open sky” were the most memorable of his youth. “Fire is magical for us in the winter because of the darkness,” he adds, alluringly.

The flames are a welcome relief today, the oranges and reds a vivid contrast against the snowy firs, which melt into the mist shielding the mountains. A few metres away, another fire dances away, this time in a pit dug deep into the snow. This is to show me how

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we’d have coped if we’d been on foot, or snowshoe, to be precise. (To save time and our energy lugging the heavy pans we had a lift on a snow quad). Ekstedt squats to examine a piece of steak to see if it’s done.

The meat, which was pre-seared in a cast-iron pan, is suspended from some nails on a specially fashioned wooden board that is balanced next to the flames so the steak can cook gently. It’s merely -11C or so today, so this slow burn is fine, but Ekstedt remembers much colder days when he was younger. “At -26C you don’t really have time to wait for a piece of steak to be done. You need small pieces: we fried thinly sliced meat with onions and cream.”

I’m glad the meat is beef, not reindeer as proposed, but less sentimental visitors could take their pick from snowy staples including elk: up here, where people buy an extra freezer to store the local favourite, elk, there are no vegetarians. Our first course is haysmoked trout, cooked first, in the trusty pan, over the fire, then placed over some smouldering hay. Ekstedt pulls the flesh apart, interspersing chunks scattered on a giant crispbread with roe, some fried to a gentle pink, the rest lightly salted; and some pickled mushrooms, preserved to last the long winter months when little grows. We eat, curled up on a reindeer skin which is as vital for winter picnics as the logs to cook over.

Before pudding, which is a sourdough waffle with booze-steeped cloudberries – so called because they look like baby cumulus clouds – I’m tasked with making a kolbulle, a salty, oily, bacon pancake that Jämtlanders have eaten through the ages. It’s taken seriously in these parts: the next day at Ekstedt’s old family home, where his parents’ friends still live, I pick out the odd word from a heated discussion about exactly how salty the meat should be. My biggest thrill comes from flipping it higher than Niklas himself; all those years practising with pancakes in the kitchen finally paying off. It’s eaten, like so many Swedish dishes, with lingonberries. Coffee brewed in a kettle on the fire washes it all down.

What’s funny is how odd Swedes think I am for making so much of something that’s so commonplace for them. Later, over a drink in our home for the night, a waffle-house-turned-hotel called Buustamons Fjällgard, up yet another snowy track in Åre, Ekstedt says simply: “Outdoor cooking for us Scandinavians is so basic because we’ve always done it, in any weather!” Even his kids, aged nearly five and nearly two, eat lunch outside every day at their Stockholm kindergarten. Except when it’s really cold – “Like below -17C.” Admittedly, most locals would have waited for a slightly sunnier day to fish over the ice – the best coming from March through to May, which Jämtlanders view as a fifth season. But there’s nothing like making the most of a grey day, especially when daylight is so strictly rationed. It’s snowing heavily the next day as we drive back through Jämtland’s capital, Östersund, to catch our plane, so the big lake there, Storsjön, is deserted. But on a typical weekend it would be packed with people ice skating, Nordic skiing, pushing babies all snuggly in well-padded buggies, and, yes, eating. Tables on the edge of the lake have mini grills built in for people to bring their own food to cook, which is a genius idea and puts most London parks, where you’re banned even from bringing a disposable barbecue, to shame.

It’s been immensely fun, and I leave resolving to fire up the coals and dig out the family picnic rug as soon as I’m back in London. Not to mention book some more flights back here in April in the hope of glimpsing those mountains. —

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LENA AND FREEDOM Lena Flaten from Flamman restaurant in Storlien brings the forest to the plate. She gathers herbs and picks mushrooms and prepares them in new ways. Making the most of what the mountains can offer is a lifestyle – and a business idea.

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y heart is beating faster, my steps are more rapid. “There,” I call. “A cep!”

I fall to my knees, placing my basket of mushrooms carefully in the grass beside it. And yes, the rounded, dark brown cap is hiding a chubby stem, soft and inviting. I gently free it from the surrounding moss. Using the mushroom knife I remove the lower part of the stem and halve the mushroom lengthways, as I just learned to do.

No insects or larvae. As I lie the beautiful mushroom beside the others in the basket it feels as if I’ve just won first prize.

There is mushroom fever in Storlien, a small village close to the Norwegian border in the mountains of Jämtland. Lena Flaten, who runs the Flamman restaurant in Storlien, covers her mushrooming grounds as often as she can. This particular week there are many mushroom courses and, along with Pelle and Ingrid Holmberg, Sweden’s foremost mushroom experts, she has helped hundreds of mushroom gatherers upgrade themselves from nervous chanterelle pickers to knowledgeable mushroom experts. This year’s mushroom season is one of the better ones and as I follow Lena along plankways and soft mountain paths, I can feel my heartbeats. Lena quickly fills her basket with shrimp mushrooms, gypsy mushrooms, Boletes, and the king of mushrooms – the cep. When asked what awakened her interest in mushrooms, she throws an amused glance over her shoulder at Pelle Holmberg who’s just disappeared behind a tree in the search for more of them.

“I was working as a chef in Storvallen at the end of the 1980s, when Pelle was holding his mushroom courses. He could describe a mushroom’s flavour in the same descriptive terms that a wine connoisseur uses about wine, so as a chef it was easy for me to get enthusiastic,” she explains.

The sun warms the mountainside and we have arrived at a small area of trees, with mountain birch and some spruce. Even though groups of mushroom enthusiasts have recently been through the area, Lena

and Pelle find a number of tasty edible mushrooms.

For Lena, mushrooms are one of the most important ingredients in the autumn kitchen, but when she presented the idea of using mushrooms in desserts Pelle just shook his head. This made Lena even more motivated, and she now serves candied black chanterelle flavoured with granulated liquorice, lemon and salt flakes at her restaurant. Funnel chanterelle ice cream in a wafer made from angelica and funnel chanterelle flour is also found among the “new-fangled items” that now and then appear on the a la carte menu and, of course, at the annual mushroom dinners.

Much of her inspiration has come from Pelle Holmberg and his wife, Ingrid, who, ever since that time in Storvallen, and many books later, make sure they visit Lena in Storlien every year. Meadowsweet, angelica, rosebay willowherb, spruce and birch shoots, ramsons and Alpine bistort are a few of the plants that are found on the plates and in the ice cream at Flamman. For Lena, gathering them is all about using what’s available. A way of slowing down and having a good think.

“Nature is all around us and it feels important to be able to influence it in the right way, so that animals and nature can thrive. I enjoy gathering the items that can’t be bought and doing things in new ways, experimenting and comparing them to other ingredients.”

She holds out a glass jar of roasted Alpine bistort seeds. They are small and almost black. The nutty taste is somewhat reminiscent of sesame seeds. Another jar contains candied angelica flowers, which are both sweet and a little bitter at the same time. Her love of organic, locally-produced goods is visible in the menus, where she is proud to highlight culinary artisans and producers from the village.

There is something straightforward about Lena Flaten; perhaps it’s her sparkling eyes and soft Norwegian accent – or the fact that she has a peculiar combination of thoughtfulness and drive, both qualities which are absolutely necessary in building a life

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in a village with 75 permanent residents. For Lena there is no other option. The freedom, the mountains, the quiet and the clear starry nights are not something that can be left behind.

“This is a lifestyle. If I want to live and work in Storlien I have to be able to support myself. And I’m able to, along with the fantastic people in the village and my wonderful co-workers, but it takes a lot of work. And an understanding family,” she adds with a laugh.

Her roots are just a few kilometres further west, on the other side of the Norwegian border, where she was born on a farm in Teveldalen and has walked in the mountains since she was a child. Her grandmother was her main role model, making sure that cloudberries, lingonberries and other berries were made use of. There was never any question that Lena would be anything other than a chef, and after finishing her training she started working in the mountains in the winters and further south in the summers.

Now she lives in a village where they need to join forces to find solutions that make everyday life possible. When the rent for the old timber building that housed the pre-school got more expensive and municipal resources for running it shrank, the only thing to do was to think in a new way. The villagers joined forces and local businesspeople contributed gravel and timber for building a new pre-school in the parish hall. And Lena saw an opportunity to use the old building to run a business; eleven years ago she opened the doors of Flamman and, finally, could make her own decisions.

“I’ve always wanted to run something using my ideas and try to make them work. I can do that now, even if there’s a real world that I have to adapt them to.”

She waves her hand towards the large, attractive wood-fired oven in a corner of the premises.

“I longed to make food in a wood oven, baking crispbread and crockpots, but how could I finance that investment? The solution was pizzas baked in a wood oven,” she says with a smile.

After learning from the visiting Italian pizza baker and pasta chef, Alex, she now serves stone oven baked pizza with Jämtlandic toppings – yet another example of Lena’s irrepressible determination to do things her way.

Skurdalsporten, a coffee cabin that is 7 km up the mountain – and 28 metres over the Norwegian border – is also a testament to Lena’s energy. The cabin was built by Lena’s grandparents just after the war, and four years ago Lena and her partner bought it

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M U U R I K K A PA N C A K E S WITH ANGELICA, OV I K E N YO G H U RT A N D H O N E Y F RO M J O N A S S O N I N S T RÖ M S U N D ing re d i e n ts: 300 ml wholemeal flour from ångsta kvarn 1 0 0 m l p l a i n f lou r f rom å n gsta k va r n 6 0 0 m l orga n i c m i l k 6 f re e r a n ge e ggs ½ tsp sa lt 6 tb sp orga n i c bu t te r 3 0 f re sh , te n d e r a n ge l i c a l e ave s Ap p rox . 4 tb sp orga n i c su ga r 6 tb sp orga n i c bu t te r ins tru c ti on s: – Combine the flour with half the milk to make a smooth batter.

– Beat in the remaining milk, the eggs, salt and sugar. Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly, then add to the batter.

– Leave the batter to stand for about 20 minutes.

– Chop the angelica leaves into strips.

– Melt the butter in a frying pan.

– Sprinkle 1 tsp sugar in the pan and let it turn goldenbrown. Sprinkle in a pinch of the angelica leaves and let them caramelise. Stir so they don’t burn.

– Cover with a thin layer of pancake batter.

– Fry the pancakes on both sides.

Serve with Oviken’s drained thick yoghurt and runny honey drizzled on top. Decorate with edible mountain flowers.

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F R I E D M O U N TA I N F I S H W I T H B A R L E Y R I S OT TO A N D F R E S H M U S H RO O M S , F L AVO U R E D WITH HIMMELSRAFTEN CHEESE F RO M OV I K E N O S T A N D WO O D SORREL/COMMON SORREL

s erves 4 ing re d i e n ts: approx. 1 kg w h ol e c h a r / b row n trou t w h o lem e a l f lou r f rom å n gsta k va r n s alt and pe p pe r o rg anic bu t te r f or f ryi n g 3 0 0 g pe a r l b a r l ey f rom å n gsta k va r n 2 - 3 t bs p orga n i c ve ge ta b l e stoc k 2 - 3 o nio n s 1 bunch of sor re l approx. 1 5 0 g h i m m e l sr a f te n c h e e se 1 lit re of th e d ay’s m u sh room h a rve st ( sh r i m p mus h ro om s, gyp sy m u sh room s, b ol e te s, c e p s) 3 0 0 - 4 0 0 m l orga n i c c re a m or c re a m / m i l k 1 0 0 ml l i gh tly su ga re d l i n gon b e r r i e s ins t ruc ti on s: – Cook the barley according to the instructions on the package, adding stock to the water.

– Gut and season the fish with salt and pepper, outside and in.

– Coarsely grate the cheese and roughly chop the onion.

– Melt the butter in the frying pan or Muurikka.

– Coat the fish in the flour and place in the melted butter, frying on each side for a few minutes, depending on the size of the fish.

– Put the fish to one side of the Muurikka or pan, where it’s not as hot (remember to turn it while it’s lying there).

– Add onion and perhaps a little more butter and leave to fry for a while, then add the mushrooms, either sliced or in pieces.

– Leave the onion and mushroom to fry until the mushrooms have a good colour. Season with salt and pepper and perhaps a little sugar.

– Add the barley and let it cook, stirring, along with the mushrooms until it has heated through.

– Then add the cream (cream/milk) a little at a time until you achieve the consistency you want.

– Add the cheese, season with salt, pepper and perhaps some sugar.

– Put on plates and place the fish alongside the risotto. Garnish with sorrel and a few tablespoons of lightly sugared lingonberries.

– Drizzle a little herb oil on top; make it from garden herbs, rapeseed oil and salt/pepper/honey all mixed together.

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from Lena’s parents, but it was in such a state of disrepair it couldn’t be renovated. After being demolished and rebuilt, it now once again stands in the same place. There is no power or water. A wood-burning stove spreads a gentle heat and, along with solar panels and gas, it is possible to make waffles and brew coffee. In the summer and autumn, Lena packs her two Icelandic horses with everything that needs to be carried there.

“We really wanted to keep the cabin and looked for ways to make it work. Now we’re open for nostalgia purposes during the winter and Easter holidays and for groups at other times of the year,” she says.

It’s now the afternoon of this warm autumn day.

Lena has asked us to drive all the way up to the road barrier at the border and then turn sharp left onto a narrow gravel road, just at the corner of the customs post. The calm waters of Norra Sandtjärnen stretch out in front of us in this incredible mountain landscape. In the distance, a little way in on the Norwegian side, the steep slopes of Stenfjället rise majestically upward.

A three-legged Muurikka pan stands over an open fire. Lena is wearing a pair of sturdy work gloves and moves the wood around to get the best heat. A salted char from Rensjön is on the table behind us, beside a pot of freshly picked angelica, a plant that the Sami historically used as both medicine and preserved for food. Lena seasons the fish and pats a little wholemeal flour from Ångsta Kvarn on it to stop it from sticking to the hot pan. The sun is still warm and Lena hands a mug of cold meadowsweet drink to me, as I sit on a low wooden bench covered with a sheepskin. The drink smells divine.

She carefully moves the fish around the pan, where it is now accompanied by some chopped onion. The day’s mushroom harvest is still in the basket and Lena slices a few shrimp mushrooms, which then slide in alongside the knob of butter that is spitting in the heat. Salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar bring out the mushrooms’ character.

Cooking food outside isn’t particularly difficult, according to Lena. Quite the opposite, there is less to do and simpler, purer flavours. Preparing a few things at home makes it easier. Lena brings out some barley that she has precooked in vegetable stock and puts it in the Muurikka.

“I put in a touch of cream to make the barley risotto smoother and then add cheese, Himmelsraft from Oviken, Jämtland’s parmesan, dill and some lingonberries. The tartness enhances the flavours,”

she explains, moving the fish around with a practised hand, so it cooks evenly.

The rest of the group have moved closer. Lena brings out some wooden roofing tiles on which to serve the food. The fish is sooty on the outside and white and flaky on the inside. Green sheep’s sorrel garnishes the soft barley risotto. It is beautiful. “Oh, delicious,” says the photographer, kneeling in the grass with wooden plate in front of her. The fish is full of flavour, rich. The buttery mushrooms with onions and barley are the perfect accompaniment, and the sharpness of the lingonberries and greens make it refreshing. Natural.

“We’re going to have coffee afterwards, aren’t we?” says Lena, filling a well-used coffee pot with water that will boil on the fire. She opens a brown leather bag of coffee and adds it to the pot. “It should be strong,” she states and is generous with the coffee.

We’re actually completely satisfied sitting there by the fire, surrounded by the sky and high mountains.

But Lena wants more and we’re grateful for it, as it is a dessert to remember. She candies shredded angelica leaves in a small pan, using butter and sugar.

When the leaves are crispy she pours on wholemeal pancake batter. The finished pancake is topped with thick yoghurt from Oviken, honey from Strömsund and a few purple rosebay willowherb flowers to bring a dash of colour. There’s not much to say - it is delicious. Amazingly delicious... and I think that everyone should get to savour this, both the food and the healthy, fresh mountain environment.

Evening is drawing in and we start to pack up.

Tomorrow is a new day and breakfast needs preparing for the guests at Lena’s newly opened bed & breakfast: goat’s whey cheese, four sorts of cheese, elk liver pate with mushrooms in, homemade bread, bilberry shots and homemade dried ham.

“There’s plenty to do,” she says. But this is where she wants to be. In the middle of where it’s happening, and where she can do things as she wants. And, if she ever has some time to spare, she’s definite about what she wants to do.

“I’m at home on the mountain, with the dog and the horses.” —

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FOCUSED ENTHUSIASM What is distinctive about Jämtland–Härjedalen? We have met five people who live here and who love the region in their own ways: an incoming researcher, a returning filmmaker, a long-term resident baker, and award-winning farmers.

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DANIEL LAVEN, Researcher Daniel was born in Minnesota in the US, but has lived here for four years with his Jämtlandic wife and their two sons, Jacob and Samuel.

Daniel researches local food culture at Mid Sweden University’s ETOUR tourism research centre. His interest in food and its potential for communication, trade and tourism originates from his time working in Vermont, an agricultural state that is in many ways similar to Jämtland–Härjedalen. We meet him at Mid Sweden University, curious to hear his perspectives on the region.

What do you like the most about the local food in Jämtland?

I especially like how people are experimenting here with old and new to create very different products and experiences. I also like how “clean” the food production is because of the low use of chemicals and pesticides.

In general, what do you think people in Jämtland could feel more proud about?

I have often noticed how people here seem to think about their geography as a disadvantage. It feels sometimes that people are shy or embarrassed to be from such an “out of the way” place but, interestingly, over the last four years, every international guest I have brought here has really liked it. It’s clean, quiet, and very beautiful. In this way, I think we can (and should) be proud of our geography and the quality of life it gives us.

What local food from Jämtland do you believe would be appreciated by your friends in the US? I think my American friends would be surprised and impressed by the cheese traditions here... I also think there are many lovely small bakeries that are doing innovative things.

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CLARA BODÉN, Filmmaker We meet Clara at Bio Regina’s new premises at the junction of Storgatan–Tullgatan. Clara was born in Jämtland, but has lived outside the region for many years, most recently in Oslo. Now she’s moved back and lives with her partner, musician Markus Ernehed, in a home with views of the mountains and Lake Storsjön.

Clara’s most recent documentary (Lägenhet + bil + allt jag har och äger) deals with the perceptions of small towns and rural areas at a time in which many people are drawn towards the big cities.

The film has had great success, being shown at two international festivals for documentary film this autumn: Nordisk Panorama and CPH:DOX. Where do you find inspiration in Jämtland’s landscapes?

The vast expanses, the mountains, the quiet. The sound of nature, the light and the lack of people. The scarcity of housing, roads and ideas of human intervention in the landscape.

What do you think about your home county as a film setting?

Relevant and inspiring. A film setting is not the same as a picture in a tourist brochure. It doesn’t need to reflect all the beauty that there is here.

In Jämtland’s food culture, what wouldn’t you want to be without?

All the local food businesses that realise their plans and contribute to making “the Jämtlandic food culture” what it is; the raw ingredients and the landscape that provides us with them.

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FOCUSED ENTHUSIASM

PATRIK AGERBERG AND MIKAEL ERIKSSON, Farmers Fjöset Utveckling in Myckelåsen, with mountains surrounding the meadows and forests, is a farm for our times. The organic farm has around 170 cows in its suckler herd, where the calves are sold as live animals. Some of the cows are handpicked for slaughter at five to ten years old, becoming gourmet meat for private individuals and restaurateurs. A partnership that was started by Patrik and Mikael’s maternal grandparents in the 1950s is now one of Jämtland’s most sustainable farms with a biogas facility, shieling and a comprehensive approach to the environment, animal husbandry and quality. Patrik and Mikael are classic returnees; as a mechanical engineer and aeroplane technician they had the world as a workplace until they decided to take over what their grandparents once began. They have united old traditions with new technology and have a mission to educate consumers, helping them come closer to the farmer.

Why do you want to live and work here?

“We left something really good for something better, and a big reason was that I want my children to grow up here,” says Patrik.

“And the countryside here! The landscape is made for grazing cattle, it’s just the way it should be,” adds Mikael. The joint decision to leave their careers was taken one day when Patrik was out hunting and Mikael was fixing an aeroplane in Istanbul. One conversation over a crackling phone line later and the move home was decided. They took over the farms in Myckelåsen and have made great investments in developing the business.

What is good meat, both for the consumer and the environment?

“An animal that has been able to grow naturally and grazed on grass. Apart from the ethical aspects, you get more nutritious meat.

Hanging it is incredibly important; our meat hangs for a long time.

During this process we lose kilos, and thus money, but the quality of the product is better, with a tastier and more tender meat. Dare to buy meat that is brownish-grey! The nitrate gas that means the meat is beautifully red in the refrigerated counter stops it getting tender. And don’t be afraid to eat old cows, if they had good lives they are delicious!

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FOCUSED ENTHUSIASM

MAGNUS LANNER, Baker Magnus works for Eldrimner and organises courses and study visits for professional bakers throughout Sweden. With his roots in rural Jämtland, he describes himself as being proud of his county; that it has been a deliberate choice to live here his whole life.

Magnus is also a chef and has periodically worked in Jämtland’s mountains for the Swedish Tourist Association. He and his wife have been local managers for one of the gastronomic gems of the Swedish mountains: Blåhammaren in west Jämtland. We caught him on camera as he was baking sourdough in Eldrimner’s shiny new bakery in Ås.

As a baker, what do you most appreciate about the local ingredients?

Managing the natural variations in the raw product, that’s when craftsmanship is really put to the test.

What’s your favourite time of year?

Spring-winter! It’s a shame that the winter’s soon over, but it’s also when the longed for icy crust appears on the snow. If I’m not working I can take a long outing on my skate skis, preferably in the mountains, but the marshes and lakes around Östersund are also worth exploring.

So what would be in your packed lunch?

Rye bread with butter and a good cheese. Perhaps a cinnamon bun. Definitely a thermos of boiled coffee and a thermos of hot blackcurrant juice. And if there’s a waffle cabin nearby I’ll have some money on me too. Waffles with cream and cloudberry jam are hard to beat in the spring-winter sunshine.

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TASTE AND SENSIBILITY Searching for fine things for the skin and palate, finding the precise flavour that memories are made of, or a soft piece of clothing to be treasured for its comfort… these are what drive our skilled entrepreneurs and culinary artisans in Jämtland and Härjedalen. Delicacies, cosy handmade clothing, durable outdoor equipment, it’s all here in our deliciously beautiful region.

PHOTO: SANDRA LEE PETTER SSON

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HAT: Ulliform (Gunilla Classon) WOOL BLANKET: Ullfina (Marie Nordlund) BASE LAYER, TOP AND TROUSERS: Woolpower KNITTED SOCKS: Ulla Nilsson HIKING BOOTS: Lundhags Mira ws high

HAT: Ulliform (Gunilla Classon), WOOL BLANKET: Ullfina (Marie Nordlund) BASE LAYER TOP: Woolpower, GLOVES: Yarn over Jamtland (Katarina Kuivala), NECKLACE: Tr채Tage (Tage Lundqvist)

JACKET: Woolpower, TROUSERS: Lundhags Makke ws, HIKING BOOTS: Lundhags Mira ws high

HAT: Ulliform (Gunilla Classon), BASE LAYER TOP: Woolpower SKIRT: Ulliform (Gunilla Classon), LONG SOCKS: Olga Liljebrand, HIKING BOOTS: Lundhags Mira ws high, STOVE: Trangia, COFFEE: Njutning Ă…re Kafferosteri

WOODEN MUG: Örjan Falk, CHOCOLATES: Tinas praliner

Elk sausage (flower-shaped) from Hedmans delikatesser in Strömsund and dried reindeer sausage from Jillie Ren & Vilt in Funäsdalen. Served on a wooden platter from Skogens Sköna Gröna. Knife, private.

G OAT ’ S C H E E S E C R È M E

HORSERADISH CRÈME

C U R R A N T C O M P OT E

cru m ble the goat’s ch ee s e (we u sed ch èvre from s kä rvången). combine w it h crèm e fraich e, c h oppe d chi ves, salt and pepper.

co mbine g rat e d h or se r a d i sh w it h crème f raiche , a d d d r i e d o r f re s h t h y me, s a lt, pe p pe r and a s mall pinch of su ga r.

com b i n e 2 0 0 m l of re d c u r r a n ts a n d b l ac kc u r r a n ts i n a pa n , a lon g w i th a ge n e rou s ta b l e sp oon of b row n su ga r. cook on a low h e at, sti r r i n g c a re f u l ly u n ti l th e su ga r h a s m e lte d .

the g oat’s ch eese crè me i s s erved on thinly sliced bo i l ed beetroot from ås tr ä dgård and fröknäck e fro m h uså bröd, with a l i t t l e h oney from rev s und dr i zz led on top.

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t h e h o rs e radis h crè m e i s s erved alo ng s id e sm ok e d reindeer from bruksvallarnas rö ke ri o n unle aven e d barley bread f ro m e r i k sson s tunnbrödsbageri in gäddede.

th e com p ote i s se rve d w i th b l å a str i d b lu e c h e e se f rom å sb e rge ts gå rd sm e j e r i on c r i sp b re a d f rom h u så b röd .

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FOREST COCKTAIL Emil Åreng, a rising star in the world of bartending, believes that if you live close to nature you should take the chance to use its delicious flavours. We meet him in the deep forests and talk about alcohol, the best of Norrland’s flora, and the art of refusing shortcuts.

BY: M A R I T S I GU R D S O N P H OTO : S A N D R A L E E P ET T E R S S O N

fter finishing school Emil Åreng wanted to join the military, and he might well have done – if he hadn’t been convicted for drunkenly hitting a bouncer, he tells me. I look back at him in surprise and point out that my Dictaphone is already on.

“That doesn’t matter! It was a long time ago. You can write about it if you want,” he says, and strides over a puddle in the tracks of a forest machine.

It is late afternoon when we meet the Umeå-based bartender in the forests a little north of Östersund, and the ice is broken as soon as we shake hands. I’m stuck by his similarity to Jackson Teller in the television series Sons of Anarchy, but the parallels with the violent motorcycle outlaw go no further than his appearance. The bar fight was a once-off and is in the past. Nowadays his free time is occupied by his two-year-old son who stops him from oversleeping in the mornings.

So, he wasn’t accepted for officer training, and instead he became a bartender, which had been his dream for even longer: “My mum found something funny. I wrote a letter to myself when I was in sixth grade, answering that classic question: What do you want to be when you grow up? I’d written that I wanted to be a waiter and drawn pictures of drinks. That was when I’d been to Hotell Wilhelmina and seen someone mixing drinks for the first time. I didn’t even think about what was in them, but apparently I thought it was really cool.”

Emil was born in Bräcke, Jämtland, but defines himself as a northerner. He moved to Umeå when he was young, starting to work in the service industry, from being a hotel cleaner to working in nightclubs and sports bars. He likes the city, which has a rapidly developing nightlife. For the last few years he has been the bar manager at Rex Bar & Grill, and it was there he started to become interested in local organic ingredients and products.

“I remember talking to the chef about how Indian restaurants often have Indian chefs because they

grew up with the tastes and flavours and know about them. Then we started to talk about the favours that we’d grown up with. For me they are cloudberries, Arctic brambles and vanilla ice cream. So I started to work on that basis, and then we took in more local products, and more and more organic ones. And then I realised that it’s the only way to do things, and about three years ago we seriously started working that way.”

Unique berries There is a good reason for meeting Emil in the forest.

Gathering edible plants and berries is known as foraging; in gastronomy it has become a concept that attracts culinary travellers to fine restaurants around the world – including the internationally renowned Fäviken Magasinet, which has a menu that mostly originates in the surrounding forests, mountains and marshes, beside Lake Kallsjön in Jämtland. However, it’s not just in the restaurant world that foraging has become popular, but also with ambitious bartenders.

For Emil, foraging in the forests of northern Sweden is not simply a means of gathering the flavours of which he is so fond, but also a challenge that is part of his work to develop new taste experiences. Berries are his particular inspiration.

“Cloudberry and Arctic bramble are the boldest.

Using them you can really reconstruct a spirit and turn it into something incredible. You can infuse cognac with cloudberries and get something that tastes of Juicyfruit, or combine Arctic bramble with gin.”

Between his shifts at Rex, Emil has travelled the world, competing with his northern Swedish cocktails. Most recently he was the only Swede to qualify for the prestigious Havana Club Grand Prix – thereby putting him among the world’s best 50 bartenders.

He mentions it in passing as “having been lucky”: “Cloudberries, for example, aren’t found in many places in the world, so I’m more exotic than the guys who come from the Bahamas. And then I’m a bloody idiot, so people have written about me.”

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Emil carries on talking, uncensored, like a self-aware hipster connoisseur of the cocktail world – but entirely without the anxiety that defines a snob. He’s now 27 and winning competitions is still important, but he does not stress about it and competitions are not what the top priority.

“I’m most proud of succeeding in starting up a cocktail culture in Umeå. We now have a group of regulars who come to us and are genuinely interested in a taste experience.”

Shrubs for flips “But what about bilberries?” I ask, bending down in the undergrowth. “Aren’t they good in cocktails?”

“Nah, they’re just crap! They’re great to eat here in the forest, but they don’t taste of anything. It’s the sensation of eating a fresh bilberry you want, when it splits in your mouth. And it’s a bloody effort to make that happen in a cocktail.”

Cowberries, cranberries and rowan berries, however, are great for mixing with spirits, continues Emil.

“Rowan berries are like a northern grapefruit.

They’re really bitter eaten raw, but if you make a syrup and manage to balance the bitterness, it’s just amazing.”

Emil usually makes something called shrub, a method that Americans used to use for preserving fruits and berries. Stir the berries or fruit into slightly more than their volume in sugar and then pour on a suitable vinegar. This mixture then stands for two weeks at room temperature under clingfilm, and is then strained. It is a type of pickled syrup with a fruit flavour and is used as sugar.

“We made one shrub from Arctic bramble and figs, but have also made ones from blackberry and banana,” says Emil, and goes on to talk about making flips from a shrub. Flips are basically spirits, sugar and egg, but with a shrub instead of sugar.

Herbaceous plants are also great in cocktails, according to Emil, particularly meadowsweet. He’s found that the best way of extracting the flavours of plants is to first freeze them and then let them defrost in a cooled syrup, leaving it to stand for a week, so the syrup is full of the plant’s flavours.

Chanterelles, spruce and birch bark We round a moss-covered boulder and find a few funnel chanterelles among the brown leaves that have fallen during the last few weeks. They’ve been left where they are, despite us being in an area that’s close to town and popular with walkers. They go straight into the basket.

“We have the world’s best chanterelles here,” he says. “They have a fantastic flavour. Chanterelles are an interesting match with spirits, but it has to be one without a strong character of its own, so that the chanterelle flavour comes out. A fairly simple thing, that I think people don’t do often enough, is browning lots of butter and chanterelles and then putting them in a container with spirits and leaving it to stand for 24 hours. Remove the hardened butter and you’ll have a drink that’s incredibly tasty.”

Spruce is also delicious and suitable for many drinks. It is possible to make spruce syrup yourself, he says, but for the last few years he has bought the prize-winning “Gran Zirup” that is made by Skogens Sköna Gröna in Krokom.

“It doesn’t just taste of spruce, but also resin and all the flavours of the forest.”

We walk on through the forest, looking for one thing or another that could be used in a cocktail. In one Youtube clip, Emil makes a cocktail in which the final stage is smoked with birch bark, and I ask him about it.

“Yes, we smoked the whole damn thing,” remembers Emil and provides another suggestion for a way of using birch bark. Smoked bark syrup is fairly easy to make at home, but you must soak the bark first, otherwise it’s dangerous.

Balances gin Back in the city we borrow the Lagerbaren at the Jazzköket restaurant, where Emil is going to make a variation on a classic sour – using gin, lemon, spruce and cloudberry. Jazzköket is one of our favourite places and during the autumn Emil will train some of the bartenders there in using local ingredients. We hang out in the bar while Emil sorts out the equipment.

Whichever cocktail you make, it is the spirits that are the starting point for building up the flavours, begins Emil. Unlike when he worked in a nightclub

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“ M Æ G Å R PÅ S T I G O M ” one ic e cube.

30 ml pressed o rg anic le mo n j uice 20 ml spruce sy rup (e.g. gran zirup f ro m s ko g ens s kö na gröna) 2 tbsp c loudbe rrie s 60 ml gin (e.g. h ernö g in) pl ace the ice cube in a g l as s . combine all the ing re d ients in a sh aker and shake we ll. sieve th e drink over t h e ice s o that it is covere d .

as an 18-year-old, the aim now is to highlight the taste of the spirits – not to hide it. And then the type of spirits is very important. Our sour will be based on Hernö Gin which, apart from the classic juniper, is flavoured with lingonberry from the surrounding area in Ångermanland.

“It is made outside Härnösand and has won every prize it can, so we have to use it. Every northerner should feel that this is our spirit!

“It is just the same as food. To have good food you must have good ingredients, and cocktails are the same. The very best cocktails have good spirits. But then it’s also about not taking shortcuts: make your own syrup instead of buying a sour mix, for example.”

I ask what his favourite cocktail is, but immediately realise that the question is easier to answer if – like me – you’ve only tried twenty or so.

“Actually, I hate that question, because it depends on where I am. A daiquiri can be fantastic in Cuba, but if I were to drink the same daiquiri here I’d think it was disgusting and throw it in the bartender’s face.”

Emil is standing and chipping at a block of ice, grunting a little. Ice is something of a dividing line in the bartender world. Ice is not just ice, it must be of a particular quality. It shouldn’t contain any oxygen and it should preferably come from the River Torne.

When Emil has sawn the ice so it fits in the glass, he moves over to pressing the small organic lemons.

“The lemons provide the acid and the spruce syrup is the sweetness, and the two create a fine balance. Then we’ll add the cloudberry to mix it up.

But all of this should balance the gin, that’s the idea.”

The alcohol, spruce syrup, cloudberry and lemon are shaken. The chrome shaker rotates like lightning, while Emil gazes steadily at the bar. Everything is done with extravagant but extremely controlled movements, but “flairing”, I realise when the drink is poured over the ice, is about more than simply entertainment. The flow of learned movements has a natural focus: the glass, and what is created in there, becomes the centre of the universe for the audience.

The drink is a little like an April day: surprisingly sharp and confusing – until you are welcomed into its yellow, sunny warmth. It is divine, whatever your religion or season. —

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LIVING LIFE ON LOCAL GROUND There’s something about the climate, the long light summer nights and the pure water. The conditions for clean, fair agriculture and good ingredients are perhaps better in Jämtland than anywhere else in Sweden. You can live well here without it costing a fortune – cooking and eating outside is a lifestyle and a welcome everyday luxury.

B Y : J A N N A T H A L É N P H O T O : T I N A S TA F R É N

n a quiet September night in the middle of the week, children and adults gather in Ås on a beach by Lake Storsjön to cook food together. An open fire on the shoreline becomes a gentle glow and a little oil is slowly warmed in a Muurikka. Flatbread has been rolled out on baking trays and pricked, and one after another they are baked and the edge of the bread becomes tastily browned and a little sooty. The bread soon makes way for a mountain of vegetables from Ås Trädgård, which are cut into pieces and stir fried in the Muurikka. Halloumi from Oviken Ost is fried until it is golden brown, and honey from Åre Fjällhonung is drizzled over the vegetables. The children help, using large wooden forks to move around the cheese and vegetables. It smells delicious. “Stop tempting me”, says Liv, seven years old and assistant chef, but who just can’t wait. The sun has time to go down a little before four little people can sit in the sand and look at the mountains, each with a vegetable wrap in their hand.

Cia Göransson crouches by the embers while her daughter Liv and little son Alve enjoy the food. The family try to eat outside as often as the weather allows, whatever the season. She thinks that Ås, just west of Östersund, has the best combination of rural life that is close to the city. And having a commercial garden, Ås Trädgård, just around the corner makes it easy to put together a weekday dinner with extra everything.

“We have the same stressful daily lives as so many others and it’s hard to find enough time, but just knowing that I can buy lots of organic vegetables on the way home from work makes a great difference.”

Cia says that there are lots of advantages to living in a village. It’s not far to commute and having the pre-school nearby means that there’s time over for other things, such as ice fishing in the winter or packing a hamper and taking the boat out on a midweek summer evening. The gathering gene also plays its part.

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“I love picking berries and mushrooms and here they’re just outside the door. It gives a great feeling of satisfaction to be able to fill the freezer with good ingredients. We also buy our meat from a local farm,” says Cia. Liv is in first grade at the school in Ås, while Alve goes to the Solägget pre-school, a parent cooperative in Birka Strand, a couple of kilometres from home.

Cia is grateful that both children were able to go to Solägget.

“When I first walked into the assembly room at Solägget I felt as if I never wanted to leave. Everything was in wood: the walls, the floorboards, furniture and toys. There is a cook who makes vegetarian food from scratch using local organic ingredients,” says Cia. “The years at Solägget have made me reflect on the environment, what we eat and what makes us feel good. It’s also meant great changes for us at home and we now have an entirely different type of awareness.”

Goat’s cheese and sourdough It is just over 1½ km from Lake Storsjön up to the church in Ås. If you then follow the old road to Östersund, you soon come to Ås Trädgård where, for the last thirty years, Liv Ekerwald and Lars Olsson have grown organic vegetables on around three hectares of arable land. They don’t produce a lot compared to other Swedish vegetable farmers, but Ås Trädgård is the biggest producer of organic vegetables in the county. At harvest time they open the farm shop and local and not-so-local customers can happily buy carrots, beetroot, parsnips, swedes, white and green cabbage, savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, leeks, iceberg lettuce and Chinese cabbage, parsley, dill, thyme, sage and basil – just some of the herbs and vegetables they grow. Now, a few days into November, the first snow has coloured the landscape a wintery white and the peak season is over, but just a few months ago the fields and greenhouse were burgeoning with the coming harvest. Liv Ekerwald says that the conditions for growing vegetables in Jämtland are unusually good, despite the long winters.

“Sure, what we can grow is a little more limited because of the climate, but on the other hand the long light summer nights mean the growth period is more intense. And thanks to the cold winters we have fewer pests than in the south of Sweden,” she says.

Liv thinks that there is more awareness of good food now – and she should know. As project manager for Matskrået, the regional resource centre for culi-

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nary artisanship in Jämtland, she sees that demand remains high and that more culinary artisans are becoming established. There are almost two hundred small-scale culinary artisans in Jämtland, more than in any other county, making goat’s cheese and goat’s whey cheese in their own dairies, producing sausages, hams, preserve, sourdough bread and pickles.

Jämtland has Sweden’s best culinary artisanship and consistently high quality, something that is demonstrated by the Swedish Championships in culinary artisanship, at which local producers take home medals every year.

“We quite simply have excellent food in this county, which creates both an interest and a need,” she says.

These successes might be due to a rare combination of good conditions, good water, plenty of light, clean agriculture and a high level of knowledge and skills. Eldrimner, the national resource centre for small-scale food artisanship, is in Ås and has held courses for artisans and producers since the early 1990s. ”When small farm dairies wanted to develop their products to increase their customer base, there was a huge need for training. Eldrimner has had a decisive influence on the development of culinary artisanship,” says Liv. Liv is one of the people who founded the Solägget parent cooperative 25 years ago. The beautiful house with its large egg-shaped windows has a large open fire in the hearth in the assembly hall on cold winter mornings. Now, as always, food plays a central role in the pre-school and for a long time Solägget was the county’s only organically-certified pre-school.

“If children have access to good food, spend a lot of time outside and get to eat outside, I think they take that interest with them into their adult lives. I feel as if Solägget allowed us to give the children a gift for later life,” says Liv.

Buying on the root Jämtland has the largest proportion of organic agriculture in Sweden, almost 32 per cent of its total agricultural land. This is a figure that Trine Amundsen, managing director of Torsta AB, is proud of.

“We have incredibly clean agriculture. It uses no chemicals and very little commercial manure. It also means that those who want to convert to organic cultivation don’t have to do very much,” Trine explains.

Torsta, across the road from the school in Ås, along with the Federation of Swedish Farmers, Fröjas

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“We all have our own relationship to the soil of Jämtland.”

Trädgårdar and Eldrimner is a centre of expertise for green business. Courses for teenagers and adults, business, and rural development are central to its activities. “Torsta’s Ewes” is a project that has aroused a great deal of interest with an idea that is as simple as it is clever. You rent a ewe, buying her care for a year.

In exchange for the rent you receive the ewe’s profits in the form of 35 kilos of lamb, 2 kilos of yarn and a lambskin. Torsta’s Ewes is a great success and all these year’s ewes have already been signed up.

“Families often visit their ewe. We even had a grandma who’d given away a ewe as a Christmas present and who brought her grandchildren to see the sheep stalls,” says Trine.

In 2015 they will also be trialling shareholder cultivation, based on a Norwegian idea. Torsta is the principal and will be offering people the chance to buy a share of the year’s vegetable harvest, equivalent to an area of 50 sq. m. Trine is careful to point out that you don’t own a particular square of land, instead it is a share of the total harvest, and that all shareholders can thus influence what eventually makes it to their plates.

“Instead of simply being a consumer you are a co-producer and know exactly where the vegetables come from. You gain a better understanding of the farmer’s work and know what is needed for organic cultivation,” says Trine.

All the shareholders meet in late winter to decide which vegetables should be grown. Torsta then sows the seeds, plants seedlings and looks after the vegetables during the growing season. In the early autumn it’s time to harvest the equivalent of your share;

people who have difficulty storing the vegetables at home are offered space in Torsta’s root cellar. The size of the harvest can naturally vary with the weather, but shareholders are always guaranteed certified-organic vegetables to a value equivalent to their share.

Torsta has enough land for 100 shareholders and, for the idea to be viable, at least 20 shares need to be taken. This year’s trial is a pilot project, but Trine hopes that shareholder cultivation will be a way for farmers to increase their income and for the consumer to have an influence on the harvest.

“Buying on the root is a type of solidarity, sharing the risks and the rewards.”

Three satisfied families sit on the beach at Birka Strand, enjoying dessert – bilberries picked from the forests around Landösjön that have been mashed with honey from Åre Fjällhonung. We all have our own relationship to the soil of Jämtland. It is of no importance whether someone has chosen to move here, that someone else never wants to leave or that another returns after an absence of many years. We all share a desire to enjoy the lifestyle that Jämtland can offer. It is here that we want to live and work, close to nature and the luxury of eating food from clean earth.

It is evening, and the last embers in the fire are warming cold toes and fingers. For a mid-week dinner, it was quite okay. Even excellent. Next time we’ll cook wild boar, says Alve, who is almost four. —

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SWEDISH CRAFT BEER FROM PILGRIMSTAD Jämtlands Bryggeri is one of the pioneers of Swedish craft beer, starting its activities immediately after deregulation in 1995. The first batch was produced in January 1996 and was the start of what has now been 19 years of daily craftsmanship in Pilgrimstad, 35 km south of Östersund. The business has had an unbroken upward trend and volumes have increased over the years. Around 850,000 litres of delicious beer are produced every year.

The beer is brewed with water from the Pilgrims’ Spring, using great care and a sensitive hand. All ingredients are of the highest quality, specifically selected for the types of beer that are brewed. For example, all the malt comes from Thomas Fawcett & Sons, a 200-year-old malsters in its seventh generation of family ownership, in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. This thoroughness gives the beers their unique, personal characters and prize-winning flavours. Jämtlands Bryggeri is now Sweden’s most successful brewery, having

won 132 medals at the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival over the years.

2015 will be a busy year, as Jämtlands Bryggeri will be investing in being able to bottle beer in 330 ml bottles, as well as conducting comprehensive branding work. The hope is that these investments will allow the brewery to further expand its market and to raise the status of its already renowned beers.

Groups of 10 – 40 visitors are now regularly welcomed to the brewery in Pilgrimstad, which is a popular attraction that provides insights into the entire brewing process, with guided tours, beer tasting and snacks if so wished. The simplest way to book is to contact the brewery via email or phone.

Their website www.jamtlandsbryggeri.se also has information about signing up for their academy, which now has around 2,500 members. It provides useful information and a range of activities throughout the year.

W W W. J A M T L A N D S B RY G G E R I . S E PHON E: 0 6 3 - 5 7 5 9 8 0 • IN FO@ J A M T L A N DS B RY G G E R I .S E

THE GOOD LIFE ON AND BESIDE THE ROAD Road cycling is a lifestyle in which the successful recipe is a sweet harmony of pain and pleasure, a lifestyle that fits this region perfectly.

BY: J O H A N R A N B R A N DT P H O T O : T I N A S TA F R É N A N D J O H A N R A N B R A N D T

he external requirements are, in no particular order: asphalt roads, good coffee, beautiful scenery, some steep hills and fantastic food, making Jämtland a paradise for this speedy but contemplative pastime. And if, as a practitioner, you also have commitment, plenty of time, good style, a stable income, discerning taste buds and plenty of determination, your summer holidays are all mapped out for you for the foreseeable future.

“On a day like today, it’s the free refills that make the difference.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, the cycling here is a little different but it’s just as good as down there, and the food and coffee too.

It’s better here because of the free refills!”

It was using this simple logic that I was once told that, in Jämtland, we live in the best of road cycling worlds thanks to our strong food culture and beautiful scenery. I have to admit that back then I didn’t really understand all of the culture around this type of cycling, so found it difficult to understand that it could be as good here as it is there. ‘There’ being southern Europe, where I travelled in the late autumn, initially to run and climb, but over the years

I found myself doing more and more cycling. For a long time I thought it was the winding climbs in the mountains that I enjoyed, but eventually realised it was something bigger. Yes, I did want to cycle until I’d emptied my body of everything it had, but mostly it was because I could then enjoy delicious cheeses and other delicacies in the company of good friends in a cosy restaurant, with coffee afterwards. Along with every other road cyclist. The last year I went road cycling in southern Europe I realised that every trip was planned according to which food and coffee stops there were along the way; it was then that I understood that she had a point about free refills, and that my road cycling paradise is right outside my front door.

While making plans for this day out, when we realised that everyone appreciated vegetables fermented in lactic acid just as much as they appreciated the lactic acid burning in their legs, the suggestions for routes really started flowing. We would start from Östersund, as there are plenty of great outings from there: the classic “round Brunfloviken” and “Rödö route”, both of which satisfy all the senses, were proposed, but we soon decided we wanted to take a really long trip. One that combined the best cycling, the most

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beautiful environments and excellent culinary stops, so we eventually decided on a long route through Hallen with a detour up to Bydalsfjällen.

In order for us to have the chance to eat as much as possible, we’d decided to ride across Norderön.

Norderön is a big island in Lake Storsjön and to get to it and off it it’s necessary to catch a ferry, which results in some mixed feelings. A little resentment because you have to be there at a certain time to catch the ferry and then risk getting cold and stiff during the journey, but mostly affection because it is beautiful, it’s a natural break and you have a chance to chat to other cyclists.

Once on Norderön we made our first stop at Tivars Gårdsmejeri. To be honest, most of us weren’t yet really hungry, but I hadn’t eaten enough breakfast so the cheese wrap was delightful. Stut, which is Swedish for a wrap, also means a young castrated bull in

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Jämtland’s dialect, but in this case it was a fantastic sandwich made from unleavened bread and a choice of fillings. That the filling was cheese from the farm dairy made it a good start to the culinary outing, to say the least.

We soon rode onwards, aiming for a cup of coffee in Marby. Like many other places in Jämtland it has a summer café; this one is beside the old church in Marby, dating from the early 1500s. The coffee was perfect and, if possible, it tasted even better in the fine porcelain. Naturally, when it was time for a refill, I forwarded the comment about this being what makes the difference… it really was that kind of day.

And then it was time for the toughest stage, up into the mountains in Bydalen. We stayed together well on the hills, but with just a few hundred metres left on the final climb I couldn’t keep up with Sabina anymore and she, Karl and Ola disappeared into the distance. If the trip had so far been mostly pleasure, that took a dramatic turn right then – my legs were shaking and I felt so generally low that when I made it to the restaurant, Drommen, I had a hard time pronouncing the words to order a late lunch. Anyway, we somehow managed to quickly get a delicatessen plate and local beer to share, so I could cope with the immediate emergency. Despite doing many different activities, there is nothing that can wipe me out quite like road cycling. A serious climb, a tough session in a peloton, or simply a long ride, they all result in a type of emptiness in my head, stomach and legs that gives me an appetite I have never experienced at any other time. My body is screaming out for fat and salt and sugar and coffee and they must all be top quality!

We eat a hearty main meal up in Bydalsfjällen, before continuing our trip back towards Östersund.

It’s a good thing that the summer evenings are light in the north of Sweden, and that the city’s pavement restaurants were still open when we finally rolled in, tired, happy and hungry but, as the road cycling code states, apparently unaffected by the 150 km ride. —

Bl책hammaren mountain station Lovely food, warmth and simplicity far out in the J채mtland mountains Open 20/2-3/5 & 18/6-27/9 Booking 010-190 23 60 svenskaturistforeningen.se/blahammaren

WELCOME TO VILL A TOT TEBO We have provided food and drink to satisfied guests in our beautiful hunting lodge, at the heart of Åre, since 1995.

Our kitchen serves Jämtlandic delicacies such as char from Lake Börtnan, lamb that has grazed freely in the mountains and cloudberries picked by hand. Savour our tasting menu, accompanied by wines selected by sommelier Hanna Oleträ. And our classic meatballs are always a success.

It is easy to find us, in the perfect location between Åre’s square and the old railway station.

Phone: 0647-506 20 www.villatottebo.se • info@villatottebo.se

Our range of courses covers all the key aspects of a food artisan’s profession, from craftmanship to entrepreneurship.

• • • • • • • •

CO L L E G E P R O G R A M M E ( 1 y e a r ) F O U N D AT I O N A L T R A I N I N G ( 5 w e e k s ) A D VA N C E D C O U R S E ( 1 – 5 d a y s ) BASIC COURSE (1–5 days) BEGINNERS COURSE (1–5 days) SINGLE COURSES FIELD TRIPS in Sweden and abroad INSTRUCTION BOOKS

S W E D E N S RESOURCE CENTER FOR ARTISAN FOOD eldrimner.com

DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? Östersund - Creative City of Gastronomy - and the Region of Jämtland to host the 2016 Annual Meeting of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network BY: DAG H A RT M A N P H OTO : S A N D R A L E E P ET T E R S S O N A N D M Å RT E N WI K N E R

The bid was accepted unanimously by UNESCO’s network in Chengdu, China, on 28 September 2014. In 2016, Östersund and Jämtland will welcome cities that have identified culture and creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable development to discuss international cooperation and imaginative ideas. This meeting will serve as an opportunity to share our Nordic artisanal food from forests, mountains, lakes and farms, and to discuss the cultural and creative sectors as drivers of regional development and the potential for urban-rural connections. Östersund was appointed a UNESCO City of Gastronomy on 20 July 2010. One of the motivations for this designation was the city and region’s extensive support for gastronomic entrepreneurs and farmers who have a deep connection with the natural world. The designation is a direct consequence of Jämtland’s regional development strategy, which links food/gastronomy, culture and tourism in its various value chains.

What is UCCN?

nos Aires and Krakow. It is estimated that the network will have 80 members in 40 countries by the 2016 Annual Meeting.

Marketing, networking and cooperation on a global platform are keywords; global solidarity is vital. The members are cities, but we recognised its potential as a tool for development in the entire region. We decided to apply in one of our strongest fields, gastronomy, with the city as the market and the region as the producer of food.

How did we come up with the idea? Our story started with one of our culinary entrepreneurs, Fia Gulliksson, visiting a UNESCO conference in Ireland in 2006, the “Creative Clusters Belfast Conference”. The idea was proposed and we decided that we wanted to be part of it.

The next steps were to access the political commitment and establish a regional partnership of stakeholders, taking the idea through the necessary stages, moving it through the political establishment, making an inventory of natural and cultural assets, and then writing the application in dialogue with the regional stakeholders and the UNESCO secretariat in Paris. In 2010, after three years of hard work, Östersund and Jämtland was accepted as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, city number 24 in the network.

It is a global cultural network of cities, founded

by UNESCO 2004, that want to share their experiences, ideas and best practices for cultural, social and economic development. There are currently 42 cities in seven genres: literature, film, music, crafts and folk art, design, media arts, and gastronomy. What’s in it for us?

The cities include Bologna, Montreal, Beijing, Ber- So, since 2010, what have we experienced as a memlin, Seoul, Santa Fe, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Bue- ber of UCCN, does gastronomy drive development,

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and has our membership had a positive influence: do we have more jobs and companies, a healthier population and a better environment? Although it is a short period of time, things have happened, one of the very first being recognised as the Swedish Capital of Food in 2011. Marketing is the easiest to measure, as the region has been internationally acknowledged by journalists from around the world. As regards networking, new contacts have been added to the region’s international network thus making it easier to form European partnerships on different themes; we have mentored regions in Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Spain on how to improve food production in rural areas.

Cooperation is where the challenge is and we have started making study visits. The next step is to match companies and cultural workers from Jämtland with companies and cultural workers from other members of the network, but not only in the creative sector, as we think culture and gastronomy could be a door opener for other business sectors.

with a regional partnership for the whole value chain of food production, a regional food strategy is being produced and approved, and we are now aiming for a Nordic centre of gastronomic excellence.

So what are the conclusions after four years of UCCN membership? The most important one is that you should build on your assets; to stand out from the competition it is essential that you work with what you are good at. Cooperation through strong partnerships, join forces and work via crossovers, regionally, nationally, internationally, across business sectors, academia, rural-urban – and keep the vision living: UCCN is a strong vision, but memories fade, administrations are changed, and budgets are cut, but this is a long-term commitment.

Do we have what it takes?

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network has a strong global vision and, to our surprise, the main sult was not the effects of marketing and networking outside of the region, but the impact within it. We started to work much better with a strong, shared vision, and this would not have been achieved without membership in the network. We are now working

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THE GUIDE

Jämtland-Härjedalen is a treasure trove if you have a culinary interest, regardless of whether you want to search out new adventures when you arrive or book some gems in advance. This guide will take you to beautiful scenery, unique accommodation, enjoyable activities, warm hospitality and fascinating gastronomic experiences. Bon voyage!

1. Brunkullan Brasserie 1. Économusée 1. Jazzköket 1. Woolpower 1. Arctura 1. Storsjöhyttan 1. Clarion Hotel Grand 1. TeloGott 1. Ica Kvantum 1. Gaaltije 1. Svedberghs ur & guld 1. Gaupa hantverk 1. Frejas Bakeri 1. Mörsjö Deli 1. Grändens Deli 1. En liten röd 1. Restaurang Hov 1. LRF Jämtland* 1. Jämtlands Bryggerier 1. Lillasiam 1. Brunkulla gård 1. Frösö handtryck 1. Tages Konditori & Kök 2. Ragundadalen

3. Sörbygården Logi & Hästgård 3. Framgården B&B 4. Tivars Gårdsmejeri & Servering 5. Wikners in Persåsen 6. Byhusets Formbutik 7. Skärvångens Bymejeri 8. Joy Event Hunt and Health 8. Eldrimner 9. Skogens Sköna Gröna 10. Maries trädgård 11. Lailas Catering & Farm Boutique 12. Tinas Praliner 13. Trangia 14. Kulitur * 15. Wången Wärdshus 16. Kretsloppshuset 17. Ottsjö Fjällhotell 18. Carins Stuga in Åre 19. Buustamons Fjällgård 19. Åre Municipality * 19. Villa Tottebo 19. Grädda Åre bageri & konditori 19. Copperhill Mountain Lodge 20. Enaforsholm Fjällgård

21. Rönngården 21. Sekelhuset Mat & Pub i Lit 22. Hallvikens Chark 23. Hedmans Delikatesser 23. Strömsund Municipality * 24. Bergs Municipality * 25. Hävvi i Glen 25. Guldbyns 26. Klövsjö Panorama 26. Hotell Klövsjöfjäll 27. Storhogna Högfjällshotell & Spa 28. Åtgårdens Café 28. Vemdalen 29. Börtnans Fjällvattenfisk 30. Per-Hans Lantbruk 31. Tännäsgarden 32. Jillie Ren & Vilt 32. Skoogs Krog & Logi 33. Minfarm.se* 34. De åtta årstiderna 35. STF Blåhammaren Mountain Station 36. Svensk Cater *

The numbers show where in the region the visitor attractions are located. Please visit the company’s website for an exact location. * Not a visitor attraction.

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Strömsund

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35

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Are

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Östersund Hammarstrand

34 3

5 29

2

24

Svenstavik 25 32

Funäsdalen 31

27

26

28

30

Sveg

TIPS! More gastronomic attractions can be found at:

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Brunkullan Brasserie

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– good food in charming surroundings Welcome to a cosy restaurant in 19th century surroundings. We serve delicious dishes of the day, à la carte from our brasserie menu and carefully selected drinks. We have the weekend’s best bar life, open to 2 am. In the summer we also have the city’s cosiest outdoor dining.

Postgränd 5, Östersund · +46 (0)63 101 454 · www.brunkullanskrog.se

ÉCONOMUSÉE - Artisans at Work

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– Frösö Handtryck, Klövsjö Gårdsbryggeri and Storsjöhyttan

The mysteries of glassblowing, the most secret of breweries and colourful, endless textile pattern art. Discover the beauty and authenticity of products made and sold on site, visit Artisans at Work in Jämtland!

www.economusee.eu · Region Jämtland Härjedalen & Länskulturen

Jazzköket

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– Sweden’s no. 1 for sustainable food Most ingredients are sourced from our region and the ones that aren’t are all organic. Why? Because we want to do our bit for a healthier, better tasting future – besides which, we enjoy food with its own identity and plenty of taste.

Weekly live music, Foodjam and Foodstock. Ranked as Östersund’s top restaurant by Tripadvisor.

Prästgatan 44, Östersund · +46 (0)63 10 15 75 · www.jazzkoket.se

Factory outlet

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– Woolpower

Socks, thermal underwear and warm clothes made here in Östersund from fine, terry-knitted merino wool. Woolpower’s warm and comfortable clothing is made in a terry knit known as Ullfrotté Original. Our factory outlet sells seconds garments and odd sizes at great prices.

Open: Mon – Fri 10 am – 6 pm and Sat 10 am – 3 pm. Welcome!

Chaufförsvägen 29, Östersund · +46 (0)63 14 85 30 · www.woolpower.se 122

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Arctura

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– Östersund’s best views and excellent food!

, *!

Opening hours: Lunch: Monday–Friday 11:00–13:00 Evening: Wednesday–Thursday 17:00-21:00, Friday–Saturday 17:00–22:00 The bar stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays

Östersunds bästa utsikt och riktigt bra mat! +46 (0)63 16 15 60 · www.arctura.se *Visa ditt kvitto från Taxi Östersund så drar vi av taxiresan till oss på din nota.

Gäller på taxiresor upp till 150 kronor.

Storsjöhyttan

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– glassworks & shop

Åk taxi a, till arctur r*! vi betala

Storsjöhyttan ab, Jämtland’s first studio glassworks, opened in the autumn of 1995 in the old power station by Östersund marina. Welcome – come and watch how glass mass is shaped into beautiful, unique objects that are then sold in our shop. Open Mon – Thu, 10 am – 5 pm; Fri 10 am – 4 pm and Sat 11 am – 3 pm. Ulla, Nilla and Anna Lena.

*Visa ditt kvitto från Taxi Östersund så drar vi av taxiresan till oss på din nota.

Gäller på taxiresor upp till 150 kronor.

Hamnen, Östersund · +46 (0)63 13 36 30 · www.storsjohyttan.com

Clarion Hotel Grand Östersund

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– welcome to Kitchen & Table

New Yorker Marcus Samuelsson in co-operation with Clarion Hotels welcomes you to Kitchen & Table. The flavours of multicultural Manhattan meet local products and tastes of Jämtland, such as cloudberries, reindeer and tasty cheese.

Experience an evening with fun dining.

Prästgatan 16, Östersund · +46 (0)63 55 60 04 www.kitchenandtable.se/ostersund

TeloGott

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– the city’s sweetest shop A wonderfully cosy boutique for exquisite tastes – with divine flavours and heavenly scents, as well as a select range of coffees, teas and cigars.

The fine chocolates, pralines and truffles are always appreciated, whether to treat yourself or for special occasions. Many of the products we sell are certified organic.

CHOKLAD • KONFEKTYR • KAFFE • TE • CIGARRER

Prästgatan 40, Östersund · +46 (0)63 12 13 41 · www.telogott.se Typsnitt: Copperplate Gothic (light) Om du vill få punkterna centrerades som jag inte fixade.

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We love local food!

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Jämtland has many skilled food producers, so the county’s fantastic foods have plenty of space on our shelves. Buy local!

Welcome to the most Jämtlandic food store in Jämtland.

Johan Svensson and staff

Hagvägen 13, Östersund · +46 (0)63 685 66 00 · ica.se/nyakvantumostersund

When you see the Daajroe symbol

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– you know that it’s an authentic Sami product Sometimes a different perspective is needed to develop, and Sami knowledge enriches society. The Daajroe symbol on a product or service guarantees that it looks to the future, but that its roots are in Sami culture.

www.gaaltije.se

Jewellery from Östersund

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– a heart of snow exclusively from us The unique heart of snow, designed by Torbjörn Edström comes in both silver and gold. The series consists of a necklace, earrings, rings, bangles, pins, brooches, tie-pin and cufflinks. We invite you to buy a memento from Östersund!

Visit our webpage and order online or email from info@svedberghsguld.se Your jeweller since the 1920’s.

Prästgatan 40, Östersund · +46 (0)63 51 16 26 · www.svedberghsguld.se

Adamantly Jämtland

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Shop in the heart of the city that sells the best local handicrafts. A wide range of glass, ceramics, textiles, leather, jewellery, metalwork, wood and locally-produced foods.

Welcome to our beautiful boutique!

Zätagränd 1, Östersund · +46 (0)63 126 515 · www.gaupahantverk.se 124

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Frejas Bakeri

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Organic artisan bakery. Buy your bread straight from the bakery.

Sit outside on reindeer hides, enjoying organic coffee and delicious cakes.

Open all year Thursday – Friday 7 am – 6 pm Saturday 7 am – 3 pm

Nedre Frejagatan 9, Östersund · +46 (0)70 664 8676 · +46 (0)70 664 8670

Mörsjö Deli Tunnbrödchips

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– the original – swedish gourmet crips

Mörsjö Deli is taking northern Sweden’s food heritage into the future. Soft flat bread and root vegetables are gently fried in rapeseed oil and then seasoned.

The result is a thin gourmet crisp that is tasty on its own, but also a perfect addition to a cheese plate or a buffet table. Try our new specialities: Tunnbrödchips Cheezps – with Västerbotten cheese and chives Tunnbrödchips Cinnamon & Sugar – a sweet surprise Tunnbrödchips Chocolate – dipped in rich dark chocolate

Rådhusgatan 86, Östersund +46 (0)63 10 12 60 · www.morsjo.se

Grändens Deli

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– welcome to our boutique, filled with products and passions from near and far!

Our service counters are packed with charcuterie, cheeses and other delicacies. If you need a delicious present, we can help you or your company to put together a gastronomic treat. Our knowledgeable staff will help you make the best choices. We also offer catering for individuals and businesses, simply visit our website to discover our menu.

If you want to relax and enjoy the delicacies here, we serve food and drink throughout the year. We are fully licenced and also have excellent alcohol-free alternatives. We wish you a warm welcome to Grändens Deli, the boutique with a passion for the good things in life!

Andreas and staff

Thoméegränd 9, Östersund · +46 (0)63 180 212 · www.grandensdeli.se 125

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En liten röd

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A quiet, intimate restaurant that specialises in steaks and fondues.

The perfect choice for a romantic dinner, corporate dinners, etc.

Fully licenced. Reservations necessary.

Brogränd 19, Östersund · +46 (0)63 12 63 26 · www.enlitenrod.se

Restaurang Hov

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– Östersund’s oldest restaurant A place in which to savour not only the food and drink, but also the surroundings! Lunches, banquets and culinary experiences from the mountains, lakes, forests and local farmers. Restaurang Hov is open to both individuals and groups!

Jamtli, Östersund · +46 (0)63 150 103 mariebykok@gmail.com · www.jamtli.com

LRF Jämtland

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lrf Jämtland, a part of the Federation of Swedish Farmers, promotes a healthy, natural environment and aims to produce food and natural products.

We are focused on the future and believe that bio-energy, increased food production and improved food quality are essential ingredients for sustainable development – in Jämtland and the world.

www.lrf.se/jamtland

Jämtlands Bryggerier

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– prize-winning, hand-brewed live beer Jämtlands Bryggeri creates its prize-winning live beer using spring water from Pilgrimskällan. The beer is brewed in small amounts, with care and by hand, and the carefully selected ingredients are of the highest possible quality.

That’s why we can offer the best range of beers in Sweden.

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Welcome!

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Lilla Siam offers a voyage of discovery through the various Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and Kina. Try our Thai style and eat together, as we encourage you to share and enjoy our delicious culinary experiences.

As well as food, Lilla Siam has an extensive drinks menu and welcoming service and atmosphere. Lilla Siam is centrally located on Prästgatan in Östersund. Its unique interior was brought straight from Asia and helps to make your visit memorable.

Prästgatan 54 a, Östersund · +46 (0)63 512030 www.lillasiam.com

Brunkulla gård

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– sustainable country life in Jämtland Organic farm dating back to the 1500s, beautiful location on the shore of Storsjön. Bed & Breakfast, conferences, barn café, farm dairy.

We have mountain cattle, Linderöd pigs and Hedemora hens, all threatened Swedish breeds. vygrafiskdesign.se

SH FABRIC PATTERN ART printed in Sweden by us.

Fannbyn 120, Frösön · +46 (0)70 570 43 82 · www.brunkullagard.se

Swedish Fabric Pattern Art

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– handprinted in Sweden by us

Frösö Handtryck – one of the oldest Swedish textile handcraft printmakers – is today a colourful and expressive design company on the island of Frösön in lake Storsjön. Through our hands we have passed on an important heritage of Swedish art and design to people, homes and workspaces all over the world.

Under the brand “Frösö Handtryck” you can find our own collections of fabrics printed with patterns designed exclusively for us by prominent Swedish artists and designers. Welcome to book a tour in our factory or visit our showroom and factory outlet.

Frösö Park, Byggnad 114, Frösön · +46 (0)63 434 40 www.frosohandtryck.com

Tages Konditori & Kök

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– with the Hamburgeria

The Hamburgeria serves Tages burgers and homemade Swedish meatballs, our own dressing and hamburger buns. In the café you will find classic favourites and new delights – all baked with love in our own bakery since 1952.

Open to 21, Lunch-of-the-day to 18:30 – every day in the week.

FRÖSÖ PARK | BYGGNAD 114 | FRÖSÖN WWW.FROSOHANDTRYCK.COM

Frösövägen 32, Frösön · +46 (0)63 51 84 07 · info@tages.se · www.tages.se 127

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Ragundadalen

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– full horsepower

At Döda Fallet, we have gathered the best of Jämtland, Härjedalen and Västernorrland’s skilled food artisans. You can purchase local produce, walk around the nature reserve, find out about our history or enjoy a cup of coffee in our café and enjoy the amazing views of Döda Fallet – the site of Sweden’s biggest natural disaster! Welcome!

döda fallet Världsarv Ragundadalen

ragunda valley world heritage limited company

www.ragundadalen.se

Sörbygården Logi & Hästgård

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– stay, eat, ride and relax

In a beautiful location, 12 km south of Östersund and just a few hundred metres from Lake Storsjön. Farmhouse bed & breakfast and selfcatering. We offer activities and conferences where we tailor the content to your wishes, giving you that little extra. For example, Icelandic horse treks, culinary experiences, sauna and relaxation.

Grytan 112, Brunflo · +46 (0)702 391 661 +46 (0)63 212 77 · www.sorbygarden.se

Framgården B&B

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– a delicious detour

Situated high in Skylnäs, 35 minutes south-east of Östersund, signed from the e14 in Pilgrimstad. Rooms in a 19th century farm with dairy cows and conference facilities. Meals made from the farm’s organic ingredients.

Walking trail to Forsa, some of the best bathing in Jämtland, and ski trails in the surrounding forests. Welcome!

Skylnäs 245, Brunflo · +46 (0)70 602 50 40

Tivars Gårdsmejeri & Servering

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Beautifully located on the shore of Lake Storsjön, only 30 minutes from Östersund. The restaurant is fully licenced and has a menu based on local ingredients. The farm shop sells cheeses made on-site from the farm’s milk.

+46 (0)70 385 51 52 · www.facebook.com/tivarsgardsmejeri bokning@tivars.se · www.tivars.se 128

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Wikners in Persåsen

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We offer a wonderful combination of fantastic crafts and good food and drink. Art and fascinating documentary exhibitions about the local brainiac.

Nature, arts and crafts – that’s us! Take the chance to stay for the night in our newly-renovated cabins or hotel rooms. You are welcome to contact us with your enquiries and bookings for conferences, weddings, dinners and other celebrations. Read more about us on our website.

Persåsen 336, Oviken · +46 (0)643 44 55 50 info@persasen.se · www.persasen.se

Byhusets Formbutik

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– a place for fashion and design In a peaceful and inspiring environment you will find Byhusets design shop.

Try the latest fashion from reputable Swedish brands. Please feel free to give us a call and book a time for Slow Shopping! Take a sneak peek in our webshop at www.byhuset.se

Rödön By · +46 (0)70312 50 66 · info@byhuset.se · www.byhuset.se

Why not?

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– why not have a fascinating day in the artisan food village of Skärvången?

In the village dairy you can watch and listen to the village’s milk being turned into cheese.

In the village charcuterie you can see how the village’s meat becomes smoked and dried delicacies.

All our products are available in the shop.

Everything can be tasted and savoured in the cafe.

In the shieling, Sörbodarna, you can relax and get close to the goats.

Take road 360 (Fiskevägen) towards Valsjöbyn, Skärvången is on the way.

Opening times and news at www.bymejeriet.se

Skärvångens Bymejeri, Föllinge · +46 (0)645 401 40 · www.bymejeriet.se 129

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Hunt and conference with Joy Event Hunt and Health

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Joy Event organises hunting experiences that you won’t find anywhere else: health and wellbeing combined with the excitement of the hunt. We organise hunting for grouse with pointing dogs in the autumn and winter. Stay in our log cabin in Ljungdalen with a wood-fired sauna, on a lakeshore in the heart of the hunting grounds. Combine a conference with hunting, great food, sauna and a mountain spa. Find your true self in the mountains – where it is easy to make the right decision!

Tors väg 68, Ås · +46 (0)70 623 99 74 evelina@joyevent.se · www.joyevent.se

Eldrimner

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– culinary artisanship in your mobile phone Sweden’s biggest meeting place for culinary artisanship shows you the way to more than 1500 culinary artisans in Sweden, with almost 200 in Jämtland/Härjedalen.

Ösavägen 30, Ås · www.eldrimner.com

Jämtland Smakar Gott®

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– Jämtland on a plate, Jämtland tastes great Gran Zirup is a unique and versatile product.

Great with cheeses, in drinks, or with meats and desserts.

If you want to enjoy fine foods from throughout our wonderful region, book Jämtland Smakar Gott.

Read more at www.jamtlandsmakargott.se

® +46 (0)70 541 71 92 · www.skogensskonagrona.se

Marie’s garden

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– beautiful and worth savouring A lush oasis on the way to Åre, three kilometres from Krokom, with an inspiring nursery garden, home-grown annuals and high quality vegetables.

We have a fascinating range of perennials, trees and shrubs, all selected for Jämtland’s climate. Our organically grown herbs aren’t forced, and are thriving and full of flavour. Welcome – find enjoyment and inspiration in our garden.

Västerkälen 137, Krokom · +46 (0)70 205 41 66 · www.mariestradgard.se 130

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Lailas Catering & Farm Boutique

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Lailas Catering & Farm Boutique is located on Road 666. If you are walking the pilgrim’s trail, take a break here and try some tasty local products. I offer handicrafts, home baking and flour from Ånsgta Kvarn, as well as cheese from Skärvångens bymejeri and pork from Alsen. I’m best known for my rolled wafers, baked using my grandmother’s recipe, which have been sold at markets and shops for generations. We bake and make cakes to order.

Signed from the road when open.

Lailas Catering & Farm Boutique ?Valne 219, Nälden · +46 (0)70 663 07 41

Handmade Chocolates

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– made with a little extra care and attention Chocolates made and sold with a view of the mountains.

Tinas Praliner, among the mountains of Jämtland.

More info and opening hours www.tinaspraliner.se

Helleberg 530, Alsen · +46 (0)640 68 33 33, +46 (0)70 219 43 38 www.tinaspraliner.se · tina@tinaspraliner.se

Trangia Stoves

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– quality stoves with tradition The Trangia stove has been the natural choice of storm-proof stove for half a century, and is now used by outdoor enthusiasts around the world.

We have more than 80 years’ accumulated experience and expertise due to our closeness to the mountains for practical testing, a combination of modern technology and design, and constant product development.

Our approach to quality has put its stamp on the entire manufacturing process, from the choice of materials to function. This means that we offer a lightweight, simple and above all reliable outdoor stove – whatever the weather.

Trangia ab, Trångsviken · +46 (0)640 68 13 30 · www.trangia.se 131

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Kulitur – Activities & Culinary Tours

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– that focus on local food, culture & history

Kulitur arranges historical tours & local culinary experiences in partnership with fascinating restaurants, breweries, artisans and hotels. We believe that sharing good food can bring pure happiness and is an excellent way of gaining insight into another culture.

Manne Mosten +46 (0)70 677 84 32 · info@kulitur.se · www.kulitur.se

Wången

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– full horsepower This is the only place in the county that offers you the chance to take a break from a conference and experience the thrill of horses galloping past. Exhilarated and content, continue with wholesome local food before finally rounding off the day with complete rest and relaxation.

Wångens Wärdshus · +46 (0)640 174 17 · www.wangen.se

Kretsloppshuset, Mörsil

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– organic food in a cosy, “green” atmosphere The café and restaurant are located in a beautiful greenhouse where we also produce and sell artisan food in our lovely store. All surrounded by a charming garden and clucking hens. Kretsloppshuset – a feel good experience, open all year around.

Kyrkvägen 5, Mörsil · +46 (0)647 66 52 12 · www.kretsloppshuset.com

Weddings & Celebrations

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– the best view of the mountains

Foto: Kenneth Zetterlund

“Thank you for a perfect setting. We couldn’t have asked for a better location for our wedding.”

“Thank you so much for making our wedding weekend so wonderful.”

“A wedding menu prepared with love.”

Ottsjö, Undersåker +46 (0)647 341 60 · www.ottsjofjallhotell.se 132

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Carins Stuga in Åre

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– a unique gastronomic mountain experience Carins Stuga is a cosy hunting cabin in the beautiful surroundings of Fröåtjärn, at the foot of Åreskutan. We serve Jämtlandic specialities with care, consideration and personal service. Good food, adventures, weddings – there is plenty to choose from! Get here by dog sled, snowmobile or on cross-country skis.

In the summer you can use an atv + trailer or take an enjoyable walk. Carins Stuga is the perfect experience if you’re looking for something special!

+46 (0)647 104 50 · info@carinskrog.se www.carinskrog.se

Hotel, restaurant and distillery

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Our hearts beat for good food and good drinks that are made with passion.

Our kitchen uses high quality, preferably local ingredients and we are said to be one of Åre’s best restaurants.

Winter, Tue – Sat, 25 Dec – 25 April. Summer, Thu – Sat, 16 July – 15 Aug. Other dates, group reservations only.

Buustamon 142, Åre · +46 (0)647 531 75 · www.buustamonsfjallgard.se

Local production

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– at the highest level

Since Åre’s tourism boom, opportunities to savour excellent local foods have multiplied. Buustamons Fjällgård, Tännforsen, Åre Chokladfabrik, Huså Bröd and Kretsloppshuset in Mörsil are all examples of companies that have made local production into great success stories.

Financial sustainability is a critical element of sustainable development and, in Åre Municipality, the prospects are looking good for local food production due to expansive tourism.

Are you considering developing a local food product or something else that could be an exciting idea? Contact Jan Andersson, on +46 (0)647 167 37 or jan.andersson@are.se

Åre Municipality · +46 (0)647 161 00 · www.are.se · www.are360.com 133

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Welcome to Villa Tottebo

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We have provided food and drink to satisfied guests in our beautiful hunting lodge, at the heart of Åre, since 1995.

Our kitchen serves Jämtlandic delicacies such as char from Lake Börtnan, lamb that has grazed freely in the mountains and cloudberries picked by hand. Savour our tasting menu, accompanied by wines selected by sommelier Hanna Oleträ. And our classic meatballs are always a success.

It is easy to find us, in the perfect location between Åre’s square and the old railway station.

+46 (0)647 506 20 · info@villatottebo.se · www.villatottebo.se

Truly local gelato made daily in Åre

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On the slopes of Såå, Jämtland, the cows graze, breathing fresh air and living in their natural environment. At Grädda we make Italian-style ice cream – milk-based with natural flavouring that we vary with the season and mood.

It has less air in it than industrial ice cream, which is why we sell it by weight.

Årevägen 150 (Brunkullan) Åre · +46 (0)647 515 15 · www.grädda.se

Copperhill Mountain Lodge

19 33

– extraordinary dining with a mountainous backdrop

Superb cuisine in a mountain environment, inspired by nature and local culture. Incredible views and hiking trails right outside the door. Awardwinning spa, modern art and incredible architecture and design.

More information about summer and autumn deals at copperhill.se.

www.copperhill.se

Food Accommodation Conferences

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– Enaforsholm Fjällgård, a West Jämtlandic gem The basis of our menu is meat from our own sheep and cows, and fish from Jämtland. We prepare delicious vegetarian dishes. Accommodation at Enaforsholm is in pleasant rooms and cabins. Waterfalls, a garden, good fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature trail. Close to Enafors railway station.

Enaforsholm 289, Duved · +46 (0)647 730 26 info@enaforsholm.se · www.enaforsholm.se 134

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Rönngården organic farm

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– with a farm shop and Bed & Breakfast Rönngården is an organic farm in the village of Litsböle, 20 km north of Östersund. A fantastic place, up high with a view of the neighbouring mountains, and within a stone’s throw of forests and the river Indalsälven.

Stay in “Grandmother’s Cottage”, learn how to make jams and marmalades or take a guided walk in the forests and learn about the flora and authentic Jämtlandic food crafts. Our marmalades, preserves, juices and chutneys are made with berries and produce from our own garden.

Foto: Projektet Mera reseanledningar, Länsstyrelsen i Jämtlands län

Products are sold under the “Smakriket Jämtland” certification and can be purchased in our farm shop, open 4 June to 14 September, 12:00 – 17:00 daily. At other times please call in advance or make an appointment.

+46 (0)70 393 00 68 · berit.ronngarden@gmail.com www.ronngardenjamtland.se

Sekelhuset Food & Pub in Lit

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Experience a serene, old-fashioned atmosphere with delicious homemade food, freshly baked bread, butter biscuits and organic coffee. Book a 3-course dinner and add the experience with a glass of wine or beer. Enjoy the view of the river Indalsälven from our balcony.

Welcome from Ulrika and staff.

Nybyvägen 6 a, Lit · +46 (0)642 106 45 · www.sekelhuset.se

Hallvikens Chark

& Styckning

Hallv ike

Din Önskan

AB land mt Jä

hark sC

n

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Vår Tillverkning

Mikael +46 (0)706 953 974 · Ingvar +46 (0)722 044 388 135

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Hedmans Delikatesser

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– crafted with tradition and quality We specialise in charcuterie of the highest quality, with a tradition that dates back to the early 1900s when Hugo Hedman arrived in Strömsund and started Hedmans Charkuteri. He was one of the first people to establish an inspection agency, so the butchered animals were inspected and tested for overall health by a veterinarian – that time’s seal of quality. Grandfather Hugo was one of the first people in Sweden to manufacture canned meat products. Norr-land sausage filling and jellied pork became favourites of lumberjacks, log drivers and construction workers Our family has always discussed charcuterie processing and the importance of the quality of local ingredients. Only the best is good enough. Traditions are passed down through the family; my father Carl-Eric and my uncle Lars dedicated their working lives to the charcuterie business, so I am now the third generation in the profession.

In 1994 I took the initiative and founded Hedmans Delicatesser. A new, eu compliant factory was built in Strömsund and we now have a range of around 15 different products, which we sell to retail delicatessens, and to largescale caterers, municipalities and county councils. In November 2009 I was awarded the status of Master Craftsman, which was the first time in 25 years it was awarded in charcuterie.

We produce meat, pork and game products with good nutritional values and low fat percentages. Our products can be found in good supermarkets.

www.hedmansdelikatesser.se · hedmans.delikatesser@telia.com

Do you dare to be traditional?

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– welcome, come and explore Strömsund Nature is our pantry. Grouse and reindeer roam the mountains, cloudberries and chanterelles grow wild, elk and bear walk the forests among bilberries, raspberries and lingonberries; the rivers teem with game fish such as trout and char, but also are dotted with bass, pike, grayling and whitefish.

Traditions and artisan foods are our livelihood, with award-winning cheeses, wholesome unleavened bread, tasty meats, eggs from contented chickens and ostriches, and authentic berry products, all made with much love and genuine ingredients...

Strömsunds Tourist Bureau: +46 (0)670 164 00, turistbyra@stromsund.se, www.stromsund.se/vagardu Gäddede Tourist Bureau: +46 (0)672 105 00, gaddede.turistbyra@stromsund.se, www.frostviken.se

www.stromsund.se/vagardu 136

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Life in Berg

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– home of real outdoor living!

Here you’re close to mountain tops, lakes and forests that offer adventures and experiences. So if you, like us, would rather be outside than inside, perhaps it’s time to take the step.

Join us, move to Berg!

Berg Municipality · +46 (0)687 161 00 · www.berg.se · bergs.kommun@berg.se

Sami tastes and adventures

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– at Hävvi in the mountains of Oviken

Foto: Bianca Brandon-Cox

We are located in Glen, a Sami village 50 km from Persåsen. You can stay in our newly renovated cottages, take your pick from our fishing and hunting adventures and dine heartily. The restaurant serves exclusive dishes from our own ingredients sourced from the mountains around us, such as reindeer, elk, char, berries and chanterelles. The reindeer enclosure has tame reindeer.

Open all year. Please visit our webpage for exact times.

Glen 565, Åsarna · +46 (0)70 600 64 76 · www.havviiglen.se · www.bydalen.com

Guldbyns

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– Jämtlandic culinary artisanship and terroir Guldbyns’ drinks are made from the lingonberries and meadowsweet that grow in the forests and meadows of Jämtland. The berries are cold-pressed, then carefully pasteurised and sometimes flavoured with fresh organic fruit or seasonings.

We also have our own organic cultivation in Åsarna, where rhubarb and currants ripen slowly and patiently in the long, light days. We make jam and marmalade in copper pans in the traditional manner, entirely without E-numbers and we never add flavouring substances. It’s better that way, with a more genuine taste of Jämtlandic terroir.

Guldbyns’ drinks are available at selected restaurants and well-stocked farm shops and delicatessens. Customers are also very welcome to visit us at our production facilities in the middle of Åsarna.

Guldbyns is a certified Mathantverk (culinary artisan) and has an agreement with the Äkta Vara consumer association.

Idrottsvägen 6, Åsarna · +46 (0)708 941 288 info@guldbyns.se · www.guldbyns.se 137

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Find your perfect mountain base in the heart of the Swedish mountains

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Luxury apartments for sale and rent. Experience the genuine mountain atmosphere. Open fireplace, sauna, ski-in/ski-out, golf, fishing, hunting, mountain bike and locally produced food and beer – your mountain adventure starts here.

+46 (0)709 423 298 · info@klovsjopanorama.se · www.klovsjopanorama.se

Love + Food = Klövsjöfjäll

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Welcome to our restaurant at Hotell Klövsjöfjäll in beautiful Klövsjö.

We serve everything from skiers’ classics to local specialities with a harmonious crew where joy, warmth and companionship are the key words.

See you soon!

Rikard, Marcus and staff

+46 (0)682 413 100 · restaurang@klovsjofjall.se

Storhogna Högfjällshotell & Spa

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– where the road ends and the mountains begin This is the place where two worlds meet and exclusive opportunities are born.

An alpine world invites you to go hiking, fishing and golfing, as well as offering spa treatments, pool and sauna. The acclaimed restaurant in the atrium also has an indoor stream with trout; it is a fully-licenced restaurant that serves dishes made from local ingredients. Samivistet, the Sami camp, is a waffle cabin on the mountains, a 3 km walk from the hotel.

+46 (0)682 41 30 30 · www.storhogna.se

Waffles and Pastries

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– in the beautiful village of Vemdalen Enjoy pastries, sandwiches and delicious drinks in stunning surroundings.

Take a coffee break by an open fire or outside in the garden. We serve fresh waffles made using our grandmother Anna’s recipe, with homemade preserves and cream. You can also buy pastries and delicatessen boxes to take home.

Main Road 16, Vemdalen · +46 (0)684 304 51 · www.atgarden.se 138

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Harvest Weekend 18-19 September

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Vemdalen offers a weekend of food and culture, with local food experiences at our restaurants, cafés and culinary artisans. The highlights of the weekend are the harvest and autumn market and the choir festival.

www.vemdalen.se

Exclusive fish boutique in Börtnan

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– gold medallist in the Swedish Culinary Championships

At Börtnan we offer fresh char and rainbow trout from flowing cold water.

Cold and hot smoked in our own smokery. We serve cured, local delicacies of the highest quality.

Opening hours Monday – Friday, 8.00 – 16.00, year around. Welcome!

Börtnan · +46 (0)687 330 50 · www.bortnanfisken.se

Per-Hans Lantbruk

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– into the wild

Our Hereford cows graze in the forests of Härjedalen for 5–6 months every year. The cows calve in the wild, which bring back their natural instincts.

They can choose which grass and herbs they like to eat, which contributes to biodiversity, and is noticeable in the very deicious and marbled meat.

The meat is hung and tenderized for a fortnight before it is butchered and vacuum sealed for freshness.

Per-Hansvägen 14, Hede · +46 (0)73 097 90 67 info@per-hans.se · www.per-hans.se

Welcome to Härjedalen’s cosiest place!

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Antiques and retro Restaurant Locally-produced culinary crafts B+B/youth hostel (member of the Swedish Tourist Association) We sell bear and reindeer meat

+46 (0)684 240 67 · www.tannasgarden.se · info.tannasgarden@bahnhof.se 139

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Natural quality

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Jillie Ren & Vilt processes reindeer and game from Jämtland, Härjedalen and Dalarna. We work with our heads and hearts, delivering the finest high-quality meats for weekdays or banquets. We are located in the west of Härjedalen, the area called [jílle] in the South Sami language.

jillie.se Ljusnedal · +46 (0)684 210 01 · info@jillie.se · www.jillie.se

Skoogs Krog & Logi

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Comfortable surroundings, exciting but clean flavours, food prepared with love and curiosity. A lot of the items on our menu have been grown by us or harvested in Härjedalen’s forests and mountains.

We also have cosy and practical accommodation associated with the restaurant.

Rörosvägen 4, Funäsdalen · +46 (0)684 215 50 info@skoogskrog.se · www.skoogskrog.se

Minfarm.se

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– local farms online It all began in 2013 in Jämtland where local farmers started re-connecting with local consumers, via MinFarm.se. The idea spread to Västerbotten in 2014, and in 2015 it’s Stockholm’s turn to buy local food in this brand new way. Real goodies from local farmers who you get to know. Enjoy seasonal cooking with quality food, farmed in an environmentally sustainable way at a really great direct price.

+46 (0)90 77 00 66 · www.minfarm.se

The eight seasons

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– Sami-inspired food and outdoor experiences Fish, hunt, walk or paddle a kayak in pristine nature, or accompany a reindeer herder on everyday work with the herd. Stay overnight in a large kåta or cabin with access to a hot tub, shower and sauna. Self-catering or full-board.

A warm welcome from Daniel & Mirja.

Daniel +46 (0)702 163 509 · info@attaarstiderna.se www.attaarstiderna.se · Facebook/De Åtta Årstiderna 140

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STF Blåhammaren Mountain Station

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– culinary experiences at 1086 m high

Blåhammaren’s history goes back over a century. With magnificent views and local produce, its 3-course dinner is traditionally served at 6 pm.

The mountain station is also a popular daytrip, offering homemade goulash or our renowned fruit soup.

Open: Winter 20/2 – 3/5, Summer 18/6 – 27/9,

+46 (0)10 190 2360 · www.blahammaren.se

Svensk Cater

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The county’s local wholesaler for restaurants, bakeries, catering kitchens and associations.

Chaufförvägen 25, 831 48 Östersund · +46 (0)63-57 73 30 www.svenskcater.se

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e skvar Wi eällo V all fo moatd!! lo locka

Jämtland has many skilled Ifood jämtland finns många duktiga producers, so the county’s matproducenter och of fantastic foods have plenty fantastisk mat och det som space on our shelves. finns i länet har också stor local! platsBuy i våra hyllor.

Welcome to the Handla lokalt du most med!

Jämtlandic food store in Välkommen till jämtlands Jämtland. lokalaste matbutik! // // Johan Johan Svensson Svensson med and medarbetare staff

ÖPPET ALLA DAGAR 8-22 ICA.se/nyakvantumostersund • 063–685 66 00 • Hagvägen 13

Östersund’s best views and excellent food!

Opening hours Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:00-13:00 Evening: Wednesday-Thursday 17:00-21:00 Friday-Saturday 17:00-22:00 The bar stays open until 24:00 on Fridays and Saturdays Tel: 063-16 15 60 Web: arctura.se

*Show us your receipt from Taxi Östersund and we’ll deduct the cost of the taxi ride from your bill. For taxi fares up to SEK 150.

Weekend in Vaajma

Culinary Weekend in Vaajma -The Brewery Bus Tour The Swedish Fikarunda - Gastronomy Weekend in J/H

Culinary Safari in the city of Östersund

ur

Brewery to

Culinary City Safari

Gastronomy Weeken

d

Culinary Tours - Brewery Visits - Historical Safaris

Kulitur offers activities that explore Scandinavian cuisine and regional culture. Experience Sami, Swedish and Norwegian culture on the Culinary Weekend in Vaajma. The Culinary Safari offers five dishes in five restaurants and is an evening tour of Östersund’s restaurants & entertainment, with its starting point back in 1786.

Please visit our website for more information.

All the activities on the website are available for conference groups or private groups (minimum 8 people)

Manne Mosten

+46 (0)70-677 84 32 - info@kulitur.se - www.kulitur.se

Photo: Roger Strandberg

Sweden’s biggest natural disaster

in modern

after it was begun. The subsequent legal processes have had

times happened on the night of 6-7 June 1796. The place that

no equivalent in Sweden; the case was formally closed after

is now Döda Fallet (the Dead Falls) was one of the most im-

200 years, but in this valley we will always carry the story

pressive waterfalls in Sweden, Storforsen, but on that night

with us.

the spring floods broke through a sandy ridge north of the

Döda Fallet is now a tourist destination with wheelchair

great waterfall. In just four hours, a 20 km long lake, Ragun-

accessible ramps, so that everyone can see it close up. It also

dasjön, emptied and Storforsen was silenced. The flood wave

has Sweden’s biggest revolving auditorium, and plays and

that rushed down the valley took with it houses, boats, trees,

variety shows are performed here every summer. September

mills, jetties and fisheries. In the morning it could be seen that

2014 saw the start of an amazing journey to nominate Döda

where Ragundasjön had once filled the valley, there was now

Fallet for UNESCO’s world heritage list of sites worthy of

a narrow river and a dry lake bed.

preservation.

The silencing of the falls at Storforsen was due to actions initiated by business interests, which regarded Storforsen as a barrier to floating timber to the coast. The idea was to dig a channel for timber rafting alongside Storforsen, but a lack of geological knowledge meant that the channel collapsed soon

döda fallet Världsarv Ragundadalen

ragunda valley world heritage limited company

Welcome to Döda Fallet! www.dodafallet.nu

vygrafiskdesign.se

SWEDISH FABRIC PATTERN ART handprinted in Sweden by us.

FRÖSÖ PARK | BYGGNAD 114 | FRÖSÖN WWW.FROSOHANDTRYCK.COM

Find your perfect mountain base. Luxurious apartments for sale and rent.

www.klovsjopanorama.se