Thursday, 9th September

Our journey starts in the northernmost part of Sweden when we land in Kiruna. We will meet Nils Torbjörn Nutti who will tell us about Sami history and culture. We will learn about how his ancestors lived here and what they lived off here in the Polar Circle. We will have an al fresco lunch of traditional ‘souvas’ made of reindeer meat.

Close to Nutti Sami Siida lies the site of the world famous ICEHOTEL and we will go on a guided tour of the warehouse facility where parts of what will become the ICEHOTEL in wintertime are stored.

This will be followed by a trip into the city of Kiruna and at Camp Ripan we will enjoy the first evening meal of our trip. We will also take part in a presentation about the journey towards becoming a new culinary nation in Europe. One of the guests will be one of Sweden’s best known chefs, Fredrik Eriksson. He will be accompanied by Camp Ripan’s head chef Johan Nilsson who will prepare the meal using local produce such as grouse and bear.

* Fredrik Eriksson’s list of achievements include: 1987, chef of the year. 1993; Swedish representative at Bocuse D’ Or, 7th place. 1996; European champion, Bordeaux/Challenge de Européen Championship. 2005; Journalist’s chef. Today; Restaurateur at Långbro Värdshus and appointed creative leader of Restaurant Academy in Stockholm.

Friday, 10th September

To start the day in Kiruna we will be served a classic Swedish breakfast buffet.

We will then head south, following the Torne River that borders Finland and flows from Kiruna to Haparanda before emptying into the Gulf of Bothnia. We will take a Tornedalen influenced Swedish ‘fika’* by the river and then we will then head off to Kukkola rapids and Sauna Experience where we can take part in age-old traditions such as netting whitefish, baking ‘tunnbröd’ (flat bread) and depending on availability, go berry picking.

* ‘Fika’ is a time-honoured tradition in Sweden, where people sit down together for a cup of coffee, usually accompanied by a cinnamon bun or biscuit. With Swedes, being just about the highest consumers of coffee in the world, ‘fika’ breaks are frequent.

The last activity of the day is a traditional Sauna Meal outside the sauna. And the braver members of our ‘taste expedition’ can take a dip in the Torne River.

Saturday, 11th September

We will travel from Sweden’s most northerly location to the furthest point in the east we will enjoy a herring lunch at Cape East.

We will then head south along the Gulf of Bothnia’s archipelago and familiarize ourselves with the origins of bleak roe. We will be shown how humble whitefish eggs are made into the fantastic Kalix bleak roe, often served at the Nobel dinner and other festive events.

From mountains, river and archipelago we will make our way to the forest of Sörbyn for a three-course dinner prepared by Mattias Richtmann, where the main course will be elk.

Sunday, 12th September

Breakfast in Sörbyn
After breakfast we will enjoy a soft outdoor adventure.
We’ll go into the forest and out to the lake and forage for the final culinary experience of our trip.

We will enjoy a wilderness lunch of wild boar, using traditional cooking methods and a cooking pit. We will also get a chance to taste the pride of Piteå – Pitepalt.

Can you live in a tree? We’ll find out the answer when we visit the Treehotel in Harads.

The Grande Finale to the trip, under the watchful eyes of Simon Laiti, is to see who can make the best meal from the fantastic produce we have come across during the trip. We will also be getting advice and tips on what wines to enjoy with the game of the region.

We will stay overnight at the Elite Luleå Stadshotell.

Monday, 13th September

Flight from Luleå to Stockholm/Arlanda. At the airport we will visit the SAS lounge and be introduced to SAS’ culinary offerings, which include close-to-market produce and organic products, which is in line with the airline’s strong sustainability focus.

Enjoy!