Food tour in Värmland, an experience for all the senses

Last Christmas we managed to give each other the same Christmas presents, including a dining experience Food tour in Värmland. A lot has come between during the year so it was only now that we got to the first of two hikes. We started with the small food walk in I2-Skogen, a large forest area in central Karlstad.

Matvandring i Värmland is a small family business that specializes in local nature experiences and locally produced flavors. The heart of the company is Lena Bergström, natural health educator, but both husband and daughter appear in the forest during the hike to serve us goodies along the way. You can choose between the small and the large food walk or why not forest bathing, a more sensual experience where you experience the nature around you in a slow walk through the forest. The hikes are located in I2-Skogen or in the Segerstad archipelago. Here you can read about the big food walk in Segerstad.

The hike is easy and at a leisurely pace. We were out for about two and a half hours and during this time we moved about three kilometers, so you don't have to worry about your poor condition. The focus is not on hardships, but on having a calm and relaxing afternoon with pleasant experiences in the form of harmonious nature and good food.

Along the way, we make several small stops where Lena talks about nature's positive effects on us and how important it is that we sometimes break everyday life and actually get out into nature. While she talks, we participants munch on a piece of cheese or perhaps a praline.

The food we get to taste along the way is exclusively locally produced and comes from a variety of local suppliers. We got to taste meat from Hygn's game, cheese from Lakene cheese farm, muster and juices from Enebacken's museum and many other good things. For me, for example, the praline from JJ in Magnskog was a novelty. I've heard of these before, but never tasted them. By the way, several of the suppliers sell their products at Reko-rings around Värmland, so a tip is to look up these groups on Facebook to see where you can buy your Värmland goodies.

The food was carefully selected and composed in exciting flavor combinations. I, who am not particularly fond of blue cheese, still thought it was really good when we got to taste it together with the salty Värmland chips and something as unusual as a funnel chanterelle chutney from Grinnemo Raspberry & Honey. The bitter mold flavor married really well with the saltiness of the chips and the sweetness of the chutney.

At the end of the tour, coffee and snacks were offered from Artisan Bread. It was nice to sit down for a while and reflect together on our afternoon and what we experienced together. A relaxing and unpretentious trip where the focus was on feeling good and de-stressing.