I recently spent a week in Stockholm, Sweden and wanted to share with you all the foodie sights I saw and ate during my trip. I know that everyone's holiday eating style and interests are different so I'll tell you a bit about mine first. My boyfriend is a vegetarian so this controls a lot of our eating out choices as not only do we need to go to somewhere that has a veggie option, but we need to go somewhere that has a veggie option he likes! I'm happy to oblige this as most restaurants nowadays have varied choices for vegetarians. In Sweden every eatery you go to will have at least one vegetarian option, and there are also several vegetarian only restaurants.
We started our first night in Sweden with ice cream! Daim is a hugely popular Swedish brand which I love so I couldn't resist it in ice cream form.
We found a vegetarian restaurant on our first day that I'd heard of in the guide books, but on arrivel my boyfriend was not impressed with it. So, we ended up in an Irish pub! It was called Wirstroms Pub and I had some really delicious beer battered fish and chips, while my boyfriend feasted on nachos. They had a great selection of food and it was really tasty.
We ate at a local Italian restaurant called Vapiano more than once as it was only a few doors down from our hotel, it was good value for money and the food was tasty. It is a chain restaurant with a number of branches internationally. They cooked all the food fresh right in front of you, which I liked as it meant you could customise the meal if you wished. Above is a prawn risotto which was delicious.
We went cycling around an area of Stockholm called Djurgården and came across the cafe of a Botanical Gardens. They had a gorgeous selection of cakes and other baked goods.
I went for a slice of rhubarb and cardamom cake with fresh cream. I loved the flavor combination and the cake was really moist, my only complaint - it needed more rhubarb!
We visited a place called Skansen, which is an open air museum focusing on Swedish history. They have historical buildings showcasing the trades of the past, I visited the bakery and it was so interesting to see the old style equipment and tools that was used to make the pastries and sweet breads.
As a baker, it was particularly exciting for me to see this and think about the huge changes in baking technology. The golden pretzel was the traditional symbol of bakeries which is why it is hung outside.
At Skansen they still make bread in the traditional way and they sell it on site. I purchased a cinnamon bun which I ate later and it was delicious!
We also had some lunch while we were at Skansen. I went for the hot dog which was served in a way I've not come across before. It had a cucumber relish on it, salad leaves and some crispy onions on top. I added some ketchup and it was delicious! I wasn't a huge fan of the relish but I liked the salad leaves and crispy onions. My boyfriend went for crepes with fruit compote and cream which he really enjoyed.
As a special treat we went to a fancier restaurant one night. It was a seafood place called Sturehof and came highly recommended in the guide books and online. It only had one veggie option, which was a potato gnocchi, and my boyfriend could take it or leave it. I had lobster which was stunning!
For dessert I got a caramel bavarois with swiss roll and raspberry sorbet. Possibly the poshest dessert I've ever eaten! It was delicious and I loved the mix of tangy sorbet and rich caramel bavarois. My boyfriend had a creme brulee which was delicious but quite a small portion.
The next day we had lunch at Chokladkoppen which is in the old town area of Stockholm. I had lasagne which was really tasty. The salad was unusual to me as it included a very creamy dressing, beansprouts and a slice of orange! It's interesting to see how food is served in different countries and I enjoy trying new things.
My boyfriend wasn't hungry enough for a full meal so he had a cinnamon bun, it looked gorgeous!
We also managed to fit in some ice cream afterwards. Ben & Jerrys did a flavor I've not seen before that was very Swedish - Cinnamon Buns. It was soooo good! My boyfriend most mourned the loss of this ice cream when we flew home. I hope it comes to the UK!
Now I must get onto the topic of Swedish Princess Cakes. Oh how I love these tasty treats! I saw them in every shape and size throughout the week. The one above is from a bakery called Schweizer Konditori and it was amazing!
I gazed at them in many a shop window as well as a variety of other amazing looking cakes!
They even sold pre-coloured marzipan and the rose decorations for the top in the supermarket! This would've been so handy when I made a Swedish Princess Cake.
Ok so apologies for the bad photos, but damn these burgers were the best I ever tasted! We walked to a place called Flippin Burgers one night and this place is so popular we couldn't even get a table (the wait was over an hour). So we got take out instead and ate it back at the hotel room. I've never eaten such a delicious burger. Seriously impressed.
Flippin Burgers also make ice cream milkshakes using Ben & Jerrys ice cream. I couldn't have one as they didn't have soy milk, but my boyfriend got a Strawberry Cheesecake flavor one. I had a few sneaky sips and it was stunning. Using Ben & Jerrys is a genius idea!
We checked out a food market later in the week called Östermalms Saluhall which was really cool. It was packed to the rafters with fresh produce, sandwiches overflowing with prawns, handmade chocolates and straight from the sea shellfish and salmon.
I love walking around food markets and just absorbing all the smells, sights and colours.
Our last meal of the holiday was at a place labelled as 'the best pizza in town'. And I can confirm it deserved it's title! It was called Dell Attore and there was a ton of pizza choice, over 20, we eventually settled on pepperoni with stilton and mozarella for me and my boyfriend had a variety of cheese on his pizza.
Well sadly our eating adventure had to come to an end at some point. We had such a great time in Stockholm and I enjoyed trying out all the new foods so much. If you get the chance to visit I highly recommend all the places I've mentioned above.