Guns Livs is no more

I've written many times in the past about Guns Livs, the grocery store on Nämdö. Its been in the same family for over 50 years. People's options about Guns on Aspö are divided. Some of us find its slightly worn-out store and spotty service part of its charm. Others long for a bit more professionalism and modern service.

This past summer was the last one for Guns and her family. The store, restaurant, and marina has was sold to new owners, who stayed mysteriously quiet until the end of the year. 

It turns out that the transaction took longer to complete than planned, but now the new owners have published their vision on the Gunslivs website. The key statement is this:

In the coming years of 2018 we will of course keep the store, the restaurant and the marina open as usual. But a little change will be noticeable already next year - we will clean, paint and freshen up. We want to get to know Nämdö, its conditions, residents and visitors.

From 2019 onwards we want to further develop the existing grocery with expanded range and better service and accessibility. The bar will have a facelift - both interior / exterior. Here we want to create a meeting place in the archipelago where everyone can socialize and enjoy the amazing environment, good food and drink. We also want to invest in archipelago leisure activities and offer a modern and interesting range. Together with the municipality we want to continue to develop accommodation for more year-round accommodation and accommodation for tourists. This in order for Nämdö to be an obvious centerpiece in the archipelago - a unique place for reflection and recreation as well as adventure.

The general approach is that the new owners want to expand Nämdö to become more of a "living" archipelago. They stress that this is closely in line with the kommun's plan to maintain a sustainable archipelago. It's an interesting balance between keeping things simple and charming but perhaps a bit shabby, and offering more modern amenities to draw new people to the area and allow it to thrive.

This will be an interesting development to watch over the next few summers!

Swedish wine

I posted about a year ago about the rise of Swedish winemaking. Climate change is slowly making southern Sweden suitable for vinyards.

This year is another good one for the industry. Swedish Radio reports on a great harvest due to the warm summer.

Who knows? Maybe one of our wine boxes from the Systembolaget will soon be locally sourced!

Mat Hem

I wrote last year about the grocery delivery service, MatHem. They're big in the major cities in Sweden, and they branched out to archipelago deliveries last summer.

We decided to give them a try this year. They started island service on June 15, and Sooz made an online order from London that day for delivery yesterday afternoon. She was amazed at the range of goods available. When we first moved to Stockholm in 1989, the selections at the grocery store were limited, to put it mildly. Today, she's able to click on just about anything she could want and have it delivered! Amazing.

We bought a few groceries on our way out to Aspö on Sunday, and Sooz took stock of what we had at the house. She was able to alter her online order up until Monday evening, which was quite handy as we were able to fill in some grocery gaps we hadn't realised. We also added a bunch of heavy items like charcoal and bottles of tonic.

On Tuesday, we received a number of status messages from the delivery boat, and they arrived on our dock at 5PM loaded with all kinds of goodies—even a selection of ice creams, which is a rare treat!

Overall, we were quite impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of the service. It wasn't cheap: 295 kronor, although that's the same as 2 round-trip boat rides to Stavsnäs, so the price isn't that far off.

Sooz is worried about another potential cost, though. One of the things that makes life out here interesting for us is that it's a little bit hard. Having to think carefully about what you buy is very different to our lives in the city. It's a fun challenge to think through what to buy, where to buy it, how to get it to the house, how to manage our supplies.

With the ability to just click on a huge array of groceries and have them brought to us, that specialness goes away. What with the internet and HD television, and boat deliveries of ice cream, Aspö becomes more convenient, but perhaps a bit less special, too.

A few more ice creams will help me get over that feeling, though!!!

Stavsnäs Vinterhamn Pizzeria and Restaurant

When we took our shopping trip to Gustavsberg recently, we had some time to kill in Stavsnäs. Over the past couple of years, there have been a few additions to the little bunch of shops at the harbour. 

One of those was a pizzeria. We stopped in and were the only customers. (In fact, I think we were the only people at the whole harbour early on a Wednesday afternoon.) Sooz and I spoke with George, the charming young man behind the bar. He’s probably close to Grant’s age, and he’s attending university. It turns out he was the owner!

George’s family moved to Sweden from Serbia a generation ago from a family of restauranteurs. He bought and re-opened the pizzeria two summers ago. We talked about their business, and as you’d imagine, the summers are busy, and the winters are very, very quiet. Most of the off-season is just take-away pizzas for those people who live year-round in the Stavsnäs area.

We will certainly stop by George’s restaurant whenever we get a chance. I want to support him and his local business as much as we can.

Lucia in London

I had hoped to come to the Swedish church for Lucia celebrations today, but I found out too late that it's the hottest ticket on the expatriate social calendar. Next year, I'll buy early.

Thankfully, we found something even better: Skandilicious, a Swedish pop-up restaurant nearby in Chelsea.

We had a fantastic time; all of the staff were Swedish, so we just chatted the afternoon away, being adopted Swedish ex-pats ourselves.

Most importantly, the food was absolutely delicious. Let's just say that we skipped dinner tonight!

Swedes in London

We've been busy getting settled into our new life in London. Only recently have we been able to start visiting further afield.

When we lived in the UK before, we went to Marleybone and visited the Swedish pub in 2010 to watch the Melodifestival live. Sooz went back to that part of town today, and brought me back a quart of my beloved filmjölk! (Here I am smiling at breakfast this morning.)

She also reported all sorts of restaurants, stores, shops and general Swedishness in the neighbourhood. It is fun to think that we are so close to a proper Swedish enclave, and we will definitely take advantage of it.

The Swedish Embassy runs a great page of information for Swedes in London, as does the Swedish Church. There are lots of other online resources, as well.

I have bookmarked all of these, and I plan to keep a close eye on nearby Swedish events!

The Robot Garden

I written about a little device, the Click & Grow, which I bought to see if I could grow fresh herbs at the stuga. In 2014, I had a bit of success growing coriander.

I was going to grow basil this summer but I had a problem with the device. I was sent a new growing cartridge, but it arrived too late for me to start this year.

The Click & Grow people are working on a new product, called the "Smart Farm". The idea is to grow a whole lot of greens at once, in theory feeding a whole family.

I really like this idea. Sooz could have an extra countertop surface in the kitchen, and we could have a whole bunch of fresh greens year-round!

Right now, though, it isn't practical. We're back to spending just a week or two at a time at the stuga, not the longer periods we've spent the past few years, let along the whole summers of our retirement.

Another drawback of these products are the grow lights. The LED's used are very power efficient, and great for the plants, but they are bright. We one in our Texas home, and it's been banished to the laundry room as it fills the whole downstairs with light in the evenings. I'd probably have to keep it in the guest house, or the shed, which is a bit besides the point.

I am sure this technology will improve in the next few years, and it will be easy for me to become an indoor gardener!

Västerbottensost

I read an interesting article recently on the BBC website about Västerbottensost, a very special type of Swedish cheese.

Because I love my cheese, I'm disappointed to say I can't remember ever having any. It sounds fascinating: a cheese that can be made successfully in only one specific location, for reasons unknown to science. Plus, it apparently tastes delicious!

I will make sure I find some västerbottensost the next time I'm in Sweden, and I'll report back to the blog.

Mathem.se

Annika told us about a grocery delivery service called Mathem (which translates literally as "food home".)

Like any big-city shopping delivery service, one can select pretty much anything sold in a grocery store and have it delivered to the door.

The cool thing about this service is that they deliver to the archipelago as well. Aspö is within the daily delivery area.  (That cute little photo is from their website.)

In theory, Sooz could shop by clicking online, and her goods would be delivered the next day to the taxi boat dock by our house. I say "in theory," because we were all set to give it a try, only to see a banner page saying their delivery boat was unexpectedly out of service! It was not going to be back operating until after we left, so we weren't able to test the service. (We have since heard that deliveries are back on track, and are working well for Aspö residents.)

Guns Livs will still deliver on the Waxholms boat. We successfully did that over 5 years ago. (I even found a picture of that delivery!) And of course, with our own boat, we can pop over to Nämdö whenever the weather is decent. One difference is that Guns has a limited selection of goods. Mathem  have a much wider range available.

The local Skärgården newspaper had a long article recently about Mathem's first summer. The idea originated last year from a group of islanders who approached delivery companies with the plan to deliver in the archipelago. Mathem, who already deliver in Stockholm, took on the idea. Service started in mid-June and was a huge success. In fact, a bit too much of a success; there weren't nearly enough boats to fulfill demand. The good news is that Mathem already plans to add more delivery boats and have a more robust service next year.

It is great to have a delivery option. I was getting tired of carrying heavy groceries on the bus, boat, and wheelbarrow. Having stuff delivered is a nice break, and it will make it a lot easier for us to go straight to Aspö from the airport without having to arrange an enroute shopping trip as well.

Kalles Kaviar

I read an amusing article in the New York Times about an ad campaign for Kalles Kaviar.

Kalles is essentially cod roe in a toothpaste tube. It's one of those foods that is specific to Swedish culture.

It's taste, especially to non-Swedes, is also unique. This is the idea behind the ad campaign, in which earnest Swedes offer Kalles to people all around the world.

The ads are pretty funny, so be sure to read the article, or visit Kalles YouTube channel. You'll thank me later!

Swedish wine??

The Guardian ran an article recently about the nascent Swedish wine industry. Thanks to longer growing seasons, southern Sweden is becoming a viable area for viniculture.

A number of wineries have grown up in Skåne over the past years, joining the list of non-traditional wine growing areas.

English wine, for example, has moved from a curiosity to a £100 million industry. It's not just quantity, it's quality, too. English wines are starting to win awards, much like California wines did 40 years ago.

The Swedish wine industry has a way to go, both in the fields, and also administratively. Dealing with the Systembolaget won't be easy, I'm sure. But I hope one day to buy a bottle (or box) of Swedish wine to enjoy at our Swedish home.

Bungenas on Gotland

The New York Times recently ran a charming travel article about a recent resort on the island of Gotland.

A decommissioned military site on the Bungenas peninsula opened a coffee shop in 2008, and over the years, a fine restaurant and a small hotel has been added.

Much of the charm of Bungenas is its effort to maintain the rustic nature of the area. Cars aren't allowed past the main gate, for example, and dinner is served communally.

It looks like a great place to visit. Perhaps we'll make it to Gotland one day to take a look.

Östanviks Gård

Our neighbouring island of Nämdö is known mostly (to me, at least) as the home of Guns Livs, the grocery store, and its beautiful church.

But Nämdö is much more than that, of course. It's been inhabited since the 13th century and farmed since the 16th. Today, about a hundred people live on the island full-time. It has a number of great walking trails and even a few gravel roads along its length.

There is a big barn on the east side of the island at Östanvik, visible from the sea on the way to Guns. It's the site of a farm which has been on that site for many years, now operated under the auspices of the Skärgårdsstiftelsen.

The farm shop at Östanviks Gård is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays during the summer. Since we have a boat now, Sooz and I decided to pop over to have a look. The weather today wasn't great, but at least it wasn't raining. We've decided that we can't wait for perfect weather whenever we want to take a trip!

We had a fun time. I'm happy to report that our boating skills are improving, and we made the journey with no fuss. The farm itself was really nice. We got to chat with Stina and Jon about their life on the island as farmers. We picked up some fresh bread, local spinach, and their lamb salami. Photos from the trip are on the July photo page.

Having a boat makes a big difference. To know that we can make a trip pretty much whenever we want changes the way we think about being here for longer visits. We're no longer reliant on the boat and bus timetables...or the generosity of our neighbours. Now we can live much more like the locals!

A moose festival!

Our mystery guests were indeed Margaret and Janne, who visited yesterday afternoon, bringing dinner provisions with them!

We invited Annika and Olle over, and enjoyed a fine meal prepared by our friends. The evening was capped by a visit by the mama moose, who was nibbling on leaves quite near the house.

This morning, the moose returned, along with her baby. All of us got an unprecedentedly long look, as they hung around all morning.

Marg and Janne took the mid-afternoon boat to Saltsjöbaden, which makes a connection all the way into the center of Stockholm. I think we'll try the same next week, it should be a beautiful ride.

A second fridge

One thing we noticed during our lengthy visits last summer was that our refrigerator was jam-packed most of the time. Since we only went to the grocery infrequently, we found our shopping was limited a bit by how much our fridge could hold.

We also had lots of Pripps and a box of white wine in there, too, which took up a lot of space.

Sooz has the idea of getting a second small fridge to hold at least the drinks and perhaps some of the bulkier foodstuffs. It seems perhaps odd to have two fridges at a small house we visit infrequently, but I think it makes some sense. We could shop and store food a bit more freely if we had the space. Until or unless I get my own boat and am able to sail to Guns Livs more easily, it would be good to have more storage space.

I could fit it in the shed pretty easily. I'll take a look next time we're in Sweden. I wouldn't look forward to carrying it to the house, but I've done far worse!

Cafe Saturnus

Sooz and I were watching House Hunters International the other night about a couple looking for an apartment in the swanky Östermalm neighborhood of Stockholm. Sadly, the episode isn't available online, but suffice it to say the asking prices were in the $1.5 million range.

The episode did serve to remind me about my visit to Café Saturnus in Östermalm last March. I went there for brunch with Marcia & Rutger and their friend Patrick. We had a fabulous meal, everyone was very nice, and the place was as trendy-hipster as it could be.

The New York Times wrote a review a few years ago about Saturnus and a number of other fashionable Stockholm bakeries. I'm happy to report the café is still thriving, and the bulle are just as supersized.

Sweden's culinary renaissance

CNN Traveller magazine has a fantastic article on the rise of Swedish (and Scandinavian) cuisine. The most interesting part of this resurgence is a focus on chefs using "as many local ingredients in season as they can. The only next trend in gastronomy is whatever is growing next season.”

I've had a few great meals in Stockholm this year; a summer dinner in Söder, and a high-end pizzeria for Camille's birthday. (I can't forget Olle's great fish supper out on Aspö, either!) But our meals usually center around simpler, catch-as-catch can eating on Aspö. There, the menus are more set by logistics and the social calendar.

I am jealous of Annika's and Karin's green thumbs. They manage to grow an array of fruits and vegetables over the summer. When and if I live a whole season out in the islands, I hope to grow at least a portion of our own suppers. Perhaps we can start with herbs, at least.

Click & Grow

 

I found a cool little device over at kickstarter. It's called a "click & grow" and it is designed to allow automated growing of herbs and other small plants.

I just love my gadgets, and Sooz likes her fresh herbs. We might be able to start growing at our April/May visit, and then enjoy fresh greens in the summer! It is something fun to think about.

Filmjölk

I've posted before about my love for filmjölk, a specific type of Swedish soured milk. It is my breakfast favourite out on the island. I even went so far as to culture my own.

Now it appears that I don't have to make my own any longer, as my local store sells "Swedish style filmjölk".

It's close to the real thing, perhaps a little tart. All I need is Swedish style Muesli and I can have an Aspö breakfast every morning!

A new kitchen gadget

Sooz bought one of these today for our boxed wine usage. I think it goes against the "island simple" aesthetic somewhat. But I also love my gadgets, and anything that keeps my Wildboar's Rock nice and chilled is OK with me!