Barefoot Scandi chic

Loving the barefoot Scandi vibe in Gotland.

We’re staying in a converted farmhouse, about 30 minutes out of town, across the road from the Baltic Sea.

A handful of pushbikes wait out front for whoever wants to ride them - no locks necessary -  and the bar works on an honour system.

The restaurant, in a converted barn next door, puts on a harvest dinner each night: fixed price, using whatever the chef likes the look of. Beetroot, lentil and green leaf salad; roast lamb with potatoes, dill and pickled cucumber; clafoutis, berries and homemade ice cream.

We’re invited to hear a folk band after dinner. They’ve set up in the original part of the barn, which now has a small stage and another bar. Lounge chairs and old Persian rugs bring it all together. 

Also loving the organic vibe. At Lilla Bjers Gardstock, they grow, cook and eat: vegetables and salad mostly, eggs and fresh-baked sourdough, served in the greenhouse with a view to the chook yard or under the trees when the weather is fine.  Fresh lingonberry juice is an optional extra.