Tales from the tundra: Another year gone by and still loads of adventures...

Tales from the tundra: Another year gone by and still loads of adventures...: I know..I know.. it's been a long time. Thank god this blog is not a dog.. it would be very undernourished and probably I'd be in pr...

Another year gone by and still loads of adventures ahead.

I know..I know.. it's been a long time. Thank god this blog is not a dog.. it would be very undernourished and probably I'd be in prison for neglect. Time has moved on, loads of new experiences and travels and business failures and successes, although the failures swing the scales.
We opened a restaurant in town, situated in a hotel, then had to close after three months because the property owner wanted fast results and big profits and as we all know in the restaurant branch that is nigh on impossible.

Now don't you just love the plates?

But what an experience it was and what a great team we managed to get together, however no star was achieved and the result of closing was I went smack into a wall of loosing my confidence in cooking and questioned the whole trade I have devoted my life to. So much so, I was really doubtful about opening in 2018. I've never wobbled before, always found the energy and drive to continue, but that experience and more so being let down by people who one has trusted and known for a few years, came as quiet a shock. And the main problem  had was that no one explained why. This left me to question, what had I done wrong? We were getting great reviews, guests loved the food, we were making a very small profit, we were providing excellent service and training, then it all came to a crashing stop. So after a Christmas break and travelling through France and northern Spain, I was really no further in getting any answers to the myriad of questions.

Ah, the joys of a Spanish market in January

The Basque region though is a great healer and inspiration source, so the healing started slowly. Oh, the joys of going to a market and actually seeing, touching and smelling ingredients. My advice is to visit with an open mind and create your dinner based on what stimulates your creativity, be it fish or vegetable or a dead sheep.

 A quick summary of last spring found me cooking in a prison, then cooking at a kindergarten. Two diametrically opposed group of guests who have little choice and put a lot of faith in the chef. I loved every minute and made some great friends and met new gastronomes.
Then as the summer approached and the days got warmer, we built a new patio at the restaurant and opened with a degree of trepidation, but my fears were allayed.What a fantastic season we had. Another great team assembled and everyone focused, new dishes, new techniques and still retaining our high levels of service.

Our take on a prawn sandwich

And wow had I forgotten how long those days can be, how tiring and yet, when you are doing something you love, time passes in and instant and suddenly your walking with dog home as the sun is coming up for the next day. (don't forget northern Sweden has very short nights). I was reminded by aching limbs that I'm not growing any younger.
              Other strings on my bow
However food and cooking is important to me, it's not the only thing I live for. Last year I started writing again in earnest. It's a pursuit that both stimulates  and gives great satisfaction. (together with huge dose of frustration, but most forms of creativity does that), maybe one day I'll find that perfect writing voice. Writing is also a perfect winter job up here in a cold and snowy Sweden.

My amazing sous chef Tabi

I spent months writing and developing a television series, turning the idea I had for the feature film into a small screen format. That project also had it's ups and downs. The actor who commissioned it Mikael Nyqvist, sadly died of lung cancer, the producer also contracted lung cancer, but also found another project. So one again I was left at the elevator door, while it rushed up or down. I'm lucky that the doors were closed, else I'd have fallen down the shaft. Writing and writers are often and in most cases taken for granted, while at the same time they are expected to deliver the goods on spec. (unless of course you are Jed Mercurio). Writing I think is a calling, or just like running a restaurant, a passion, not something you do for money, but putting food on the table is also important, there is after all a limit to the amount of pea soups you can eat in a week....7. So far, no producers or financiers are bashing my door down, so I'm seriously considering editing my book and doing a rewrite on that.

My local radio slot came to a mysterious end. I was supposed to add "A food inspiration".The producer just stopped ringing, maybe it was because I made my fellow radio presenter eat a raw fish, or the inspiration was just to bigger risk having me in the studio. Or maybe it was Brexit. (if in doubt, blame Brexit, never fails).

So what next? what does this year offer? Well, it all depends on our state of mind and positiveness. Meet the world with a smile, then the world will smile back. One thing I shall promise myself to do, is to keep this blog up to date. So for any reader or surfer who happens upon this, watch this space, have a great 2019 and lots of love, laughter and great dining experiences to you.