HOMESTEAD & SEASONAL RESTAURANT

Solgårdskrogen is owned and run by Genevieve & Jonathan Bjurenstedt. Jonathan is a chef with experience working in England, Australia and France as well as Sweden. Genevieve is an ex-lawyer from Australia who retrained as a sommelier after moving to Sweden. 

After meeting in London in 2000 we moved to Australia in 2003 and then to Stockholm in 2007 where we ran a family-owned bistro for 8 years before moving to Nittsjö in 2015. We had no previous ties to Dalarna, our move was motivated by the desire to become closer to nature and to the production of the ingredients in the food that we serve.  

We began by converting a barn into a prep kitchen and building an outdoor kitchen with a large woodfired grill. Dining was mainly outside in the garden. In 2018 we built the greenhouse which now serves as our dining room. We have since installed a woodfired oven and hibachi grill in the greenhouse. 

During the summer we run a seasonal restaurant from the property serving food based on locally sourced ingredients cooked over open fire and spiced with flavours inspired by our travels. Ingredients are sourced from our own property as well as local farmers and neighbours with a passion for foraging berries and mushrooms in the surrounding forests as well as fishing in the local lakes. The drink list is based on natural wines we have imported ourselves from France as well as local beer. 

During the Spring and Autumn we have dinners on Friday nights in the greenhouse. These can be pizza nights, where you get to try our homemade charcuterie and woodfired pizzas with local toppings or special events such as collaborative dinners.  

During the remainder of the year we welcome private groups for dinner/conferences as well as use our time to prepare for the season by raising quails, making charcuterie, preparing fonds, sourcing wine, gardening and doing the necessary repairs and improvements to the property. 

OUR PRODUCERS 

Our closest neighbour Mats

Mats lives across the road and loves to fish in the local lakes, he and Jonathan often fish together but even more often he comes by with his catch of the day. 

Our regular Leif from a neighbouring village

Leif loves to go out into the forest and pick berries and mushrooms. He picks much more than he could possibly eat and delivers the excess to us. 

Emma the mushroom expert

Emma is Rättvik’s mushroom expert and has identified over a hundred edible mushrooms in the local forests. We can rely on her to deliver edible mushrooms that are not your usual. 

Lina from Mor Lina’s goat farm 

Lina runs a goat farm in a village called Born in Rättvik. The goats graze deep in the forests during the summer but come running to Lina when she gives the ancient Swedish herding call (it’s magic, you have to see it to believe it). We serve both goats cheese and meat from Lina’s farm. 

Krister the butcher

Jonathan has good contact with Krister who runs a small slaughterhouse/butchery in Dalfors. Horses are of course not raised for meat in Sweden but when they reach the end of their life they must be slaughtered. The quality of the meat is sometimes exceptional and in these cases Krister puts it aside for Jonathan. 

Hansjö Dairy

Hansjö Dairy is a small family business located in the village of Orsa making award winning cheeses from their own cow’s milk. We use a blend of these cheeses on our hamburgers.

Björgården

Super creative Yvonne makes all kinds of jams, syraps, vinegars, juices and concentrates from local and organic ingredients. She and her husband Jonas also raise a local breed of sheep, Dalapälsfår, of which there are only a few hundred left in Sweden.  

LissEllas Senap

LissElla makes extremely flavoursome mustards from seeds grown in Dalarna.

Renbiten

We serve reindeer meat from this family run Sami business located in Grövelsjön, north of Idre, the most southerly of Sweden’s sami villages.

Siljan’s Chark 

Located in the neighbouring village Vikarby, Siljan’s Chark provides pork and beef from local farms.

Nittsjö Ceramics

Ceramics have been produced at the factory in Nittsjö since the 1800s and we have always served our food on their plates.

OUR TEAM

Lars & Elin

Old friends of ours, Lars is a well-known sommelier and now a master of wine candidate. His wife Elin works in the entertainment industry but is joining us this summer to help Lars serve our flagship Seasonal Menu. 

Bat-Orshikh & Nara

We have worked together with this married couple from Mongolia since the early days of the bistro in Stockholm, now 17 years! They will be cooking in the outdoor woodfired grill this summer making classic pub dishes from scratch such as burgers, steaks and homemade sausages. 

Erik & Molly

Lucky for us Erik, who is a great chef, is a resident of Nittsjö and has been part of the team since the start of Solgårdskrogen. Molly is his 14 year old daughter who joined the team last year. 

Josephine

Josephine is from Stockholm but her parents have moved to Nittsjö. Up until now she has been a loyal regular but this summer she will be serving the Dalhalla menu.  

Edwin & Lova

Step siblings Edwin & Lova are local teens who will be working their 3rd season this year. Edwin will be serving the Dalhalla menu and Lova will be greeting you at lunch and in the newly opened pub in the evenings. 

Milton & Lovis Laggar

Siblings from Nittsjö; this year will be Milton’s 3rd season and Lovis’ 2nd. Milton will be taking your orders at lunch and Lovis will be helping out.