Towards the Barnes end of Sheen Lane you will find the Stockholm Restaurant & Deli, a bjiou wood and bark-clad gem of a place that wouldn’t look out of place amongst the islands of Stockholm’s archipelago and embraces you with Swedish style and warmth the minute you step over the threshold.
The shelves that adorn the walls groan under the weight of authentic produce, imported directly from Sweden, including jams, crispbreads, cured meat and bottles of Blåbär, a vibrant blueberry juice containing a eye-boggling 2,300 fruits, whose colour alone would be much coveted by Violet Beauregarde. As it happens, it is also much loved by the great and the good in Sweden, including the Crown Princess Victoria who served it at her wedding and the Nobel Prize-giving Committee. My husband, who was driving, gave it a whirl and felt he’d accomplished his five a day for at least a week, all in one evening.
Owned and run by husband and wife team Göran and Majvor (chef and front of house, respectively – of their charming love story, more later), Stockholm is a cafe and deli by day, and a sophisticated restaurant by night. However, while the food is certainly stylish, the overall feeling is one of relaxed welcome, rather as if you’ve been invited to join a family party.
