In Sweden, naturally healthy food can be found just around the corner – in our forests, lakes and meadows. That’s why we created the world’s largest gourmet restaurant: the Edible Country, launched in 2019. In collaboration with four Michelin-starred chefs, we developed inspirational menus featuring local produce, all designed to help you experience the Swedish pantry.
Four Swedish Michelin-starred chefs created the menu suggestions for the Edible Country experience. United by a deep appreciation for nature, their recipes highlight ingredients found in the Swedish landscape. While the initiative is no longer ongoing, the recipes can still be used to shape your own memorable outdoor meal.
Niklas Ekstedt grew up in a small village in the north of Sweden called Järpen. While training to be a chef, he was constantly taught that Scandinavia was not the place to look for good ingredients. But after many years of outstanding success and a Michelin star, he suddenly felt the urge to return to his roots and explore what Swedish nature and traditions could bring to modern cooking. The result: Restaurang Ekstedt has held its Michelin star since 2013.
– For me, Swedish nature has always been my biggest source of inspiration when cooking. The hours I have spent in the forest have turned into the realisation that cooking outdoors, with the ingredients right in front of me, is the core of Swedish cuisine.
Educated at the Hotel and restaurant school in Copenhagen and trained in some of the best kitchens in Denmark and Germany, Titti received a Michelin star for her work at Bloom in the Park in 2015. Today, Titti is working on her new restaurant, Allium, set in north-west Skåne, together with chef André Qvarnström. Wherever she goes, she always turns back to her native landscape in the south of Sweden.
– My earliest food memory is from the Scanian (Skåne) nature where I spent lots of time with my family, learning which plants you could eat and which to stay clear of. Through my cooking I can share a bit of the landscape that I love with people from all over the world. It’s really amazing.
Trained in top kitchens such as L’Astrance and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, Jacob Holmström and Anton Bjuhr learned from some of the world’s leading chefs. Back in Sweden, they channelled their experience into refining Swedish culinary traditions, focusing on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
In 2011, they took over a small restaurant in Stockholm and transformed it into Gastrologik, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2013. The restaurant closed in 2022, and today they continue their culinary journeys separately. Jacob Holmström now runs Restaurant Fyr in Tylösand, together with his wife Emelie Leijon, while Anton Bjuhr is behind the new venture Dörr 6H in Ängelholm.
– We have chosen to work with exclusively Swedish produce. The local climate and the dramatic difference in our seasons afford us a great variety of produce throughout the year, and no day is like the other.
The Edible Country is an initiative from Sweden, where the whole country is turned into a DIY-restaurant. Top chefs were invited to compose menus based on ingredients that can be found in Swedish nature. Several wooden tables were placed all over Sweden, and anyone could make a reservation to create a Swedish meal sourced in nature and then enjoy it in stunning scenery.
Photo: Visit Sweden / Jämtland Härjedalen
Photo: Visit Sweden / Jämtland Härjedalen
Photo: August Dellert/Visit Sweden
Photo: August Dellert/imagebank.sweden.se
Fine do-it-yourself dining means creating a gourmet meal with ingredients from Swedish nature. You might need to bring a few basics such as salt, butter and honey, but that’s all.
The menu suggestions are inspired by Sweden’s seasons and landscapes, with dishes based on ingredients you can find in the wild. The recipes are easy to follow and suited to anyone looking to enjoy a delicious and naturally healthy meal.
