Astensmåla Food & Vineyard in Blekinge

Astensmåla Food & Vineyard

Familiar gastronomy in the forest.

Just a stone's throw from beautiful Mörrumsån just north of Karlshamn lies Astensmåla Mat & Vingård. Here, genuine flavours are combined with family hospitality where food and wine are combined into unforgettable memories in the beautiful farm environment from 1771. In the middle of summer, the experiences at Astensmåla Mat & Vingård are the best. It is now that the wonders of nature remind us of the forest's precious values. In the pasture, sheep, lambs and ewes graze together on land that has never seen the glimpse of neither pesticides nor fertilizers. Small-scale fields are reminiscent of Astrid Lindgren's Bullerby Village.

We hope that our ambitions of combining bleaching flavours with good wine and beautiful natural environments will fall well with visitors, says Fredrik Berg, one of three siblings who run Astensmåla Mat & Vingård together with parents Helene and Pelle Berg.

 

Astenmåla Mat och Vingård i Blekinge
Emelie and Fredrik Berg run Astensmåla Mat & Vingård together with their parents: Helene and Pelle Berg. Viktor Berg is missing in the picture.
 
 
In Blekinge, it is neither high mountains, deep valleys, nor vast wilderness areas that make us love nature's spectacle. Instead, it is the mix of different types of life, where green, coniferous and meadow fields, as well as merging into one another. A deer shooting across the gravel road, an owl in solitary oak, or a sea eagle sweeping the landscape. From Småland's deep forests to the islands of the archipelago. A spawning nature with small-scale producers and healthy animals.
 

It must be remembered that we have precisely the same conditions to develop local gastronomy as any Mediterranean country and at Astensmåla Mat & Vingård we hope to combine familial gastronomy with bleaching flavours made from genuine ingredients, says Emelie Berg, one of the family's two educated sommeliers.

 
Astenmåla Mat och Vingård i Blekinge
As snacks, asparagus foam is served with truffles and charcuterie.
 
 
After Helene and Pelle Berg moved out of the old manor building and built a brand new house across the sheep garden, it is a full roll in the main building. The plan is for the first rooms to be ready as early as September and then a brand new hotel building awaits some time in the garden. Rebuilding a Blekinge forest yard into a small-scale visitor destination requires careful plans and an ability to develop gradually.
 
The Berg family not only has an eye for detail, but also a fantastic ability to combine the farm's charm and elegance with a brand new kitchen where guests can follow the chefs' movements into the smallest detail. The whole program is about having close interaction between chefs and guests where taste, appearance and closeness permeate the entire experience. Furthermore, the fact that there is not a very long distance between the wild forest and the pasture grazing may reinforce the genuine sense of closeness and small-scale all the way to the plate.
 

We need to serve authentic raw materials in the farm way. We will never be huge when it comes to the number of chairs in the restaurant or the number of beds in the hotel. Instead, the plan is to develop an economic cycle where animals, water, forest and crops provide optimal conditions for using the land in a sustainable, genuine way, says Fredrik Berg.

 
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge
Ceviche on flounder, jalapenosyl tinned onion and lime.
 
 
The genuineness of the original dining room is outstanding. With paintings from the late 18th century and the Berg's unique stories, it is easy to love Astensmåla. Here, people had lived and lived for generations and used the land on a small scale through countless land reforms (when farms were moved out of the village core to collect and streamline agriculture) as seasons, years and generations passed through history.

Thanks to round tables - six people around each meal - the overall experience at Astensmåla Mat & Vingård is unique. By eating with people you don't know before, there are good chances to meet new friends overexciting conversations.

We feel really proud to be able to offer food in a historic setting on the farm that belonged to our family since the 1980s, says Pelle Berg, who together with the other family has a great interest in wine, drinks and tasty flavours.

 
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge
The dining room offers unique furniture from the 18th century.
 
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård in Svängsta outside Karlshamn.
 

What is not grown or grazed at Astensmåla comes exclusively from Blekinge. Thanks to a vibrant network of genuine producers, the Berg family has high ambitions to be as small-scale as possible.

We dream of creating a microclimate around the farm. Whereas much as possible is raised and cultivated in the vicinity of the farm. You can't do everything on your own, after all, we are more crowded, but by buying raw materials from skilled bleaching farmers we hope to be able to pass on the family's reverence for animals, nature and precious natural values, says Fredrik Berg. Simply letting go

 
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge
Scallop Crudo, chlorophyll, broth, rainbow salmon rum and crispy skin.
 
 
Astenmåla Mat och Vingård i Blekinge
Turbot, top mortar and chicken skin. One of six dishes at the table.
 
 
 
Astenmåla Mat och Vingård i Blekinge
Farm pork from the Riksdagsmannagården outside Åryd with beetroot variation, baked onion and mayrova together with sour sky and taste of meadow acid.
 
 
An evening at Astensmåla cannot be compared to anything else. In the summertime, a drink is served on the terrace overlooking the well-managed fields all around. Right now, a brand new pool is being built adjacent to the main building where visitors will be able to enjoy the farm's relaxation area in the forest's way, just a stone's throw from the rushing Mörrumsån. The considerable oak has been carved out of the wood. And the pastures are again open with grazing animals all around.

Blekinge is entirely unique. Here you will find forests, meadows and the sea during an hour's drive from each other and after travelling all over the world, almost always focusing on food and drink, it is lovely to come home. To Blekinge, Sweden's garden, says Fredrik Berg.

 
Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge
Viktor and Helene Berg talk to the guests.
 
 
Astensmåla Mat och Vingård i Blekinge
Special events with several chefs arrange the dining experience at Astensmåla Mat & Vingård. From left Kimjonsson 28+, Christopher Lai & Vin, Andreas Brettmark - Brettmark Gastronomy, Christoffer Bengtsson CG Gastronomy and Fredrik Gustafsson from Sweet Taste by Fredrik.

 

FACTS: The Berg family, siblings Fredrik, Emelie and Viktor run Astensmåla Mat & Vingård together with their parents Helene and Pelle just outside Svängsta in Blekinge. The family also runs several restaurants in central Karlshamn and in Kristianstad. In total, the farm is 168 hectares, of which 10 hectares of pasture. The family also runs lamb breeding and plans for a farm shop on the farm. Already in the fall, the first rooms are ready. The farm is open only to booked groups or parties of up to 24 people. www.astensmalagard.se

 
 

Christopher Lai, Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge

Christopher Lai chef at Astensmåla Food & Vineyard and Restaurant & Wine.

Kim Jonsson, Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge

Kim Jonsson from restaurant 28+ in Gothenburg makes lovely turbot at Astensmåla.

Andreas Brettmark, Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge

Andreas Brettmark from Brettmark Gastronomi, a guest chef in the kitchen.

Astensmåla Mat & Vingård i Blekinge

Astensmåla Mat & Vingård in Svängsta outside Karlshamn.