Community Cuisine Sweden

A Culinary Midsummer in Skåne, Sweden

June 12th - June 20th, 2023
(from) 5350 USD

HOSTED BY: BARBIE AKNIN

Community Cuisine

OVERVIEW

Immerse yourself in the summer traditions of Swedish life. Nature and the out of doors, Swedish massage, rest, dips in the sea, seasonal food, and celebrations. Be a Swede for a week of summer in the province of Skåne, the southernmost region of Sweden.

Summer in Sweden is a celebration of light

In a land that is dark for much of winter, the long days of the midnight sun are relished. Swedes celebrate summer and the sun and so will we. Summers include picnics in the forest, dips in the sea, bicycling, and hearty walks while foraging for dinner. The long evenings will be spent celebrating the foods of summer with outdoor dinners that last into the night with the midnight sun.

Nordic Cuisine

Nordic cuisine is characterized by purity, simplicity, and freshness. Swedes are deliberate in their choice of ecologically friendly or “eco” seasonal foods. Wild game, fresh fish, foraged herbs, mushrooms and berries are essential. Winter is long; summer is short so techniques for preserving food to capture the spirit of summer is a deeply held tradition. Our culinary focus will be on “slow food,” meaning dishes cooked from scratch using the ingredients at hand.

The Nordic Lifestyle

Communing with nature is ingrained in Swedish culture. They have a word, friluftsliv (free-loofts-liv), that translates as “open-air lifestyle.” Scandinavians are not hampered by the (often extreme) seasons and believe that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Being in nature is also linked closely to “allmansrätten,” the right to roam.

In Sweden the path to health and vitality leads to a sauna, followed by a dip in a bracing creek or the equally cold sea. Many Swedes start their morning by driving in their bathrobes to the crystal clear sea for an invigorating dip. For Swedes this tradition is a necessity, not a luxury.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Welcome to Skåne & Torekov

We meet in Copenhagen at a designated hotel where we will hop into our buses and head to the villages of Båstad,tennis center for the Nordic Games, and Torekov in the Skåne province. This area is known as “the garden basket” of Sweden, the region boasts picturesque coastal towns with a rich fishing heritage. On our way, we’ll drop by Kais rökeri, a local farm and the village smokehouse to buy freshly low heat smoked salmon for dinner. We settle in and have our first dinner together.

Day 2: Morning Dips and History

Each day you’ll have the option to enjoy the traditional Swedish healing habit of taking a dip in the sea. The cold brackish water is energizing and healing, and good for the skin with no need to shower afterwards. After our sea dip and breakfast, we visit the “Mini Skansen,” a museum collection of traditional Swedish farm homes and buildings. We’ll learn about the area and a life gone by. We’ll then have a smorgasbord lunch and then visit a linen factory that has been producing traditional Swedish linens a century. Cooking class and dinner in the evening.

Day 3: Foraging

The law in Sweden in that land is known as “anyone’s land” meaning Swedes can forage anywhere while following the rules of respecting nature and other’s property. We’ll forage as many Swedes do with a guide, gathering goodies for dinner. We’ll look for wild berries, yarrow, sweet cicely, wood sorrel, chanterelle, and more. After fika, naps may be needed! In the evening, we have a cooking class and dinner at the house.

Day 4: Castles & Gardens of Norrviken

Today we’ll the gardens of Norrviken which consist of seven themed gardens set around the Villa Abelin. Created by visionary Rudolf Abelin in the early 1900s, the gardens were inspired by various countries and epochs. After touring the gardens, you are free to enjoy a delicious lunch or an elegant fika in the lovely Norrviken home or for a more casual experience, the cafe. We also visit several historical castles and estates that dot the region including the once summer home of the king of Sweden.

Day 5: Warmbadhus Spa & Dinner at Norrebro Hamn, The Little Boat House

After breakfast, we drive to Hovs Haller, a national park along the sea. Here, you’ll have the option of indulging in a traditional Swedish massage, facial, jacuzzi, and more. Charlotte, the spa owner makes a very special day of pampering Swedish style. Enjoy a hike along the cliffs, walk along the sea or to the village of Torekov. Or, enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Hovs Haller Hotel or one of the many fish restaurants in Torekov.

Relaxed and hungry, we'll have dinner at a very special place - the small boathouse of local fisherman known as Norrebro Hamn. We’ll watch the sun retreat across the sea and dine on simple, local cuisine.

Day 6: On to Mölle

On the way to Mölle, we’ll visit several castles including Krapperups Castle and Sofiero Castle. We may stop at Arild for a delicious fish lunch and for fika at Flickorna på Skäret. Mölle is a small village situated in Höganäs Municipality, in Skåne County. It is best known for its scenic harbor and its location adjacent to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve. Here, set on the edge of the sea, we’ll stay at the Grand Hotel Mölle which has operated for over 100 years.

Day 7: Shopping & Eating

While in Mölle, we will:

Take a cooking class at the farm Skafferiet på Skäret
Visit Höganäs outlet, maker of the famous Swedish ceramics. This firm did the roof to Sydney Opera house!
Visit Kullens lighthouse, a beautiful walk and beautiful scenery

Day 8: Goodbyes!

After a hearty breakfast and goodbyes, we’ll deliver you to the local train for a two hour ride to Copenhagen or help you with plans to visit Stockholm or elsewhere.

Accommodations:

Nights 1-6: Villa Ekmansgatan - A short walk from the beach and Torekov's cozy harbor is the architect-designed Villa Ekmansgatan, a gorgeous indoor/outdoor villa with large private garden steps from the sea in the fishing village of Torekov. There is a large, lovely private garden and sunny patio.

Additional housing will be down the street at “Ekdahl's Happiness,” complete with a cozy garden and a patio that faces a woodland area.

Nights 7-8: The Grand Hotel - Mölle - Mölle is a small village situated in Höganäs Municipality, in Skåne County. It is best known for its scenic harbor and its location adjacent to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve.

Set on the edge of the sea, we’ll stay at the Grand Hotel Mölle operating for over 100 years. The sin born in Mölle, referred to the highly immoral bathing at Ransvik where, believe it or not, men and women bathed together!

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Pick up in Copenhagen and two hour train ride to Sweden
Private transportation during our stay
Two nights at a Grand Hotel Mölle
Six nights at Torekov Guest house
Daily buffet breakfast
All cooking classes
All dinners, see itinerary
All planned excursions, see itinerary
Planned restaurant meals, see itinerary
Delivery to train station at parting
Our traditional summer vacation will be typically Swedish with simple, clean, and comfortable rooms without “fluff” in beautiful locations. Our focus will be the verdant out of doors.

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Airfare to and from Copenhagen
End of trip transportation other than delivery to the commuter train, a very simple ride back to Copenhagen, Stockholm, or elsewhere
Travel insurance
Personal shopping and expenses
Food and drink not included in the itinerary (some lunches and extra Fika)
Any expenses incurred during free time
Tips for Community Cuisine staff, drivers and/or house concierge
Optional excursions or extensions
Non-refundable passport fees
Excess baggage charges
Airport taxes that are collected on the spot in foreign airports, departures taxes, airport fees, airline and federal security fees and ticket handling fees, surcharges due to changes in currency, any mandatory new or increased fees/taxes/fuel surcharge (if any) levied on airline tickets, hotels, incidental expenses in hotels, and hotel room upgrades.

PRICING OPTIONS

OPTION I:

Double bed with shared bath in Torekov.

Grand Hotel - Mölle: Double bed with balcony & sea view

Based on single occupancy

Two people: $5,350 per person

OPTION II:

Master suite with private bath in Torekov.

Grand Hotel - Mölle: Private room, double bed with balcony and sea view

Based on single occupancy

Two people: $5,750 per person

OPTION III:

Single bed, shared bath in Torekov.

Grand Hotel - Mölle: Room with medium bed (55 inches wide) plus balcony with village view

Single occupancy only: $5,350 per person

Note: Itinerary subject to change which includes being due to Sweden’s mid-summer unpredictable weather

DATES: June 12th - June 20th, 2023

PRICING: From 5350 USD single bed/shared bath (see above for options)

BOOKING: Click here

What our guests say:

“Barbie takes all of the healthy concepts — herbs, coloured veggies, minerals, sprouting, soaking, good fats, balanced meals — and weaves them into everyday dinners. The end result is tasty food without even knowing how good the food is for your immune system and all of your organs!” - Dr. Thao Nguyen M.D., To Be Primary Care

Credits: Photos: Sam Zide Styling: Yasna Glumac

June 12th - June 20th, 2023 (from) 5350 USD