After spending a few days on the stunning west coast, Stephanie and I drove the Volvo through the quiet, gorgeous countryside of Sweden. We drove past golden wheat fields, red barns with thatched roofs, wind turbines, and beautiful churches as we made our way north to Läckö Castle. Here we had one of the most amazing dining experiences of my entire life.
Läckö Castle is a medieval castle in Sweden and dates all the way back to the late 1200s. Then it was just a fort that consisted of two or three houses surrounded by a wall, but the castle as we know it today has paintings which date back to the late 1500s that are still in existence in a few of the rooms.
The castle is nestled on the shores of Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden and the third largest lake in Europe.
We explored the castle, then met up with Simon, the passionate gardener of the small castle garden.
This organic garden is a living resource for the castle, growing vegetables, spices, and edible flowers.
The castle’s garden is beautiful as well as functional. But what we thought was so neat is that the castle restaurant, Hvita Hjorten (The White Hart Restaurant), serves a menu that highlights the fresh produce picked daily from the garden.
We wandered through the garden, sampling herbs and fresh veggies, as Simon casually harvested vegetables right before our eyes, like these yellow carrots.
And these giant white beets.
When we said goodbye, Simon made his way into the kitchen with the vegetables and herbs we’d harvested that afternoon that would then be prepared for us for dinner that evening.
When they brought out our meal, featuring the vegetables and herbs we’d picked from the garden and beef from a local organic farmer, it was honestly one of the neatest experiences of my entire life. The yellow carrots were turned into a puree with only carrots and butter as a garnish on the wood plank. We scraped it clean. There were also roasted carrots topped with prosciutto, our white and red beets, leeks and herbs. And salt and pepper. So simple and fresh.
That night we stayed at the newly built hotel, the Victoriahuset, on the lake, just steps from the castle and garden.
How cute was our room??
We had a corner room overlooking the lake. This was honestly one of the most peaceful places I have ever stayed. From one window we could see the castle.
And from the other it was nothing but lake and countryside. Love.
The next morning we had Swedish waffles topped with berries and cream for breakfast. Seriously such a wonderful stay in the Swedish countryside!
More Posts from Sweden
Exploring Sweden!
A Charming Weekend in Sweden
Upper House Dining Experience
A Night at Läckö Castle
Thanks so much for looking!! More to come soon!
I had the best night’s sleep ever at Läckö.
No one told me that Simon was British, so after chatting to him for a while I congratulated him on how good his English was!
What beautiful pictures!! It looks like your trip has been amazing! My sister and I traveled to Finland for two weeks in July to visit our other sister, she is married to a Finnish man and living in Mikkeli. The countryside was very similar to what I am enjoying in your posted photos!
Everything about these posts makes me want to plan our next vacation as soon as possible. That castle is a dream. And those beets?! Wow.
Wow, what an amazing adventure! Love all of the photos.
That food looks incredibly delicious and wholesome. The pictures of Sweden are incredible and I hope to visit there one day. The sooner the better. I am putting Victoriahuset on my list of places to stay.
Talk about “farm to table.” Wow!
Fabulous! Visit Sweden… this makes me want to MOVE to Sweden.
This looks BEAUTIFUL! I especially love the garden. Would love to have a veggie garden like that at home. Except I wasn’t born with green thumbs so I’d probably end up at the farmer’s market anyway. ;)
Oh my goodness – this place looks so beautiful! I hadn’t thought about Sweden as a vacation destination before, but now I think I’d really love to go! If not just to drive a Volvo around everywhere :)
Now I want to go to Sweden. Looks like y’all had a great trip. Never driven a volvo either so that could be a lot of fun.
Gosh, those fruits and veggies just look so fresh. They’re making me want to start a little apartment garden! But I can’t say I have much of a green thumb. :)
Always, Anita
This is simply gorgeous! I’m originally from Western Europe and had no idea Vänern was the third largest lake – in fact, I’ve never even heard of it until now! Läckö Castle looks fascinating and what an idyllic setting. LOVE all those organic vegetables and those BEETS…wow! Thanks for the wonderful article and for introducing me to this beautiful place.
You’re totally going to laugh at me, but I just started watching that show ‘Welcome to Sweden,’ and now I’m fascinated with all things Swedish! You’re giving me the courage to travel there! Thanks for sharing :)
If I stayed there I would never leave, it looks amazing! Definitely going on my list of future spots to hit!
Is it strange that I have always wanted a Volvo wagon? I’m a bit of a gypsy in my mind, and these photos just make me want to pack my (imaginary) wagon and take a driving tour through Sweden! All of the photos are stunning, but the one reflecting off the lake is perfection.
What a wonderful place. I’d love to start the day with that waffle.
Absolutely gorgeous photos- you are making me want to book my trip to Sweden!!! I must see that castle and experience such a dinner.
That castle is breathtaking! Oh the history! I would love to visit there!
What a unique experience. It’s all absolutely gorgeous!!
Looks & sounds amazing!
As a chef, growing my own food and then cooking with it is probably the coolest thing ever! We have a garden at work now and it’s amazing to pick all my vegetables for example, for gazpacho, fresh from our garden! p.s. those waffles look AMAZING.
My – those beets look delicious and huge! Looks like a fun stop!
What an amazing garden to table experience! Beautiful place!! And, can I say that I love the gardener’s name is Simon, just like my sweet 1 year old? :)
These posts make me so happy! Looks amazing! That waffle, whoa!!!