A Sunny Spring Day
For many, autumn with its rain and wind is a cosy time. But when the cold darkness of winter takes over, it becomes a long stretch without light or greenery. So when spring returns, life returns with it, and a sense of rebirth runs through everything we do. The light and the greenery awaken hope, and we easily get giddy on spring's energy. We fall in love all over again or start exciting new projects. A wonderful way to celebrate the bubbly joy of spring is to treat family and friends to a lovely spring menu. It should be delicate, light and full of early produce to reflect the season. After the heavy food of winter, the body longs for light, fresh ingredients such as asparagus and new potatoes. And of course you can put together a vegetarian spring menu too, which feels natural among everything that is turning green and growing.
A spring menu with the freshest early produce
In spring we can enjoy fresh Swedish vegetables again. The classic salad vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumber and iceberg lettuce, are back as home-grown produce. Other greens now in season are fresh dill and parsley, spinach, radishes and asparagus, along with a long list of onions. Nettles make a spring menu feel extra springlike, and they are free and very nutritious. When produce is as fresh as it is in spring, you can enjoy it both raw and lightly cooked. There is something quite special about fresh white cabbage, for example, both raw and cooked. Eating with the seasons is good for both your health and your wallet.
In spring you really feel the inspiration to cook coming back. A spring menu goes very well with fish and seafood, or with slightly wilder flavours such as lamb and venison. Since we long for light, fresh flavours at this time of year, the food doesn’t need long cooking. Why not have a hearty open prawn sandwich for lunch? For dinner you can serve grilled lamb with asparagus and other spring vegetables; if they are grilled too, the flavours really take off. Asparagus is lovely with garlic, Parmesan and a little good olive oil. For a vegetarian option, bake or grill whole small cauliflowers with fresh herbs. And at the end of spring come our beloved new potatoes!
Spring sweets for your spring menu
The first Swedish sweet treat of spring to come up out of the ground is rhubarb. A spring menu doesn’t feel quite complete without it. It is a versatile vegetable, even though it is often mistaken for a fruit because of its sweet-and-sour flavour, which really matches the lively mood of spring. Bake a pie or make a compote. Creamy vanilla ice cream goes beautifully with rhubarb pies of all kinds. Another Swedish treat is elderflower; both elderflower and rhubarb make excellent cordials, and both are easy to find outdoors. Peaches and lemons are among the imported treats of the season. Lemon ice cream or peach pie feels fresh and zesty, ideally together.
When the sun’s rays hit your face, you want something good to drink. Coffee from grandma’s fine cups out in the garden, of course, but why not also drinks made with elderflower or rhubarb cordial? A light, fruity drink makes a spring menu feel wonderfully springlike. Why not make a Cosmopolitan with rhubarb cordial instead of cranberry juice? Instead of plain ice cubes in the water, try frozen pieces of rhubarb or ice cubes with pretty edible flowers and herbs. Spring also brings crisp white wines and rosé, and dry cider or a light beer suits the season too. At the end of spring come our beloved strawberries, which immediately bring champagne and other sparkling wines to mind.
White, airy and green
In Sweden we love light, pared-back interiors all year round. At Christmas and in winter, though, there are often lots of strong colours and heavy fabrics, so spring feels like a chance to clear out the heavy stuff and make the home light and airy. Whether you eat indoors or out, it is lovely to lay a white tablecloth; a white curtain or sheet works just as well. Decorate the table with fresh vegetables and flowers to bring out the season, like a painting on the table. A spring menu is presented the same way as what it contains: light and fresh. Use pale china and glass to really show off all the beautiful colours of your spring menu. Swedish meadow flowers make wonderfully pretty bouquets for the dinner table.
Welcome spring with your very own spring menu
Why not bring yourself, your friends and the spring to life by serving a wonderful spring menu? On our site you will find lots of recipes, with fish, meat or vegetarian. Perhaps you will find something that inspires you, something that brings on that spring feeling? Then share it with someone you are especially fond of. Enjoy your meal!
Menus in this theme
Spring Menu
As spring slowly begins to make its entrance, so does our appetite for lighter, fresher flavours. Fresh vegetables return to the kitchen, and the food becomes a little greener, crisper and brighter – much like the season itself. We start with asparagus gently sautéed in butter and served with air-dried ham, a simple combination where a few really good ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves. For the main course, we serve stuffed chicken breast with a fresh, crisp salad – light, yet still satisfyingly filling. Finally, lime brings the menu to a refreshing close in the form of a creamy frozen cheesecake. A dessert that feels just right after the meal and offers a little taste of the warmer, brighter days still to come.
The Mediterranean Meets Sweden
Sometimes you wish summer could last forever, and this menu takes you there – or, if not quite to summer, then certainly to the Mediterranean and that unmistakable holiday feeling. But we’re not leaving Swedish food traditions behind. Instead, we bring together the best of both worlds. We start with a relaxed Mediterranean classic: a tapas platter where tapenade and a selection of delicious cured meats take centre stage. For the main course, grilled flank steak is served over a light salad with potatoes, a fresh yoghurt sauce and a red onion chutney that you and your guests are sure to love. For dessert, Mediterranean lime meets blackberries from the Swedish forests in a wonderful combination: a lime tartlet with white chocolate mousse and fresh blackberries. After a meal from the grill, something bright and refreshing is just what you need, and the tartness of citrus and berries balances the sweetness of the white chocolate beautifully.