I grew up in Dalarna, a small town around three hours north west of Stockholm, meaning it’s not too far away from Norway either. I grew up on a farm, so we had animals, vegetables, and a big forest nearby. I learnt from a young age how to take care of vegetables and how to cook. My mum cooked everything everyday, which was such an inspiration for me. Buns, breads, cookies – you name it, it was homemade.

One of my favourite dishes from my childhood is chanterelle toast, which I have put on the autumn menu at Ekstedt at The Yard. This time of year in Sweden, especially in the countryside, is all about foraging and I would spend days with my family picking mushrooms. My mum would always cook chanterelle toast, which is such a classic in Sweden, using our picked chanterelles, shallots, cream and fresh parsley on top. The mushrooms I use for this dish on the menu I get from Sweden too.

I never thought I wanted to be a chef. I was always a sporty girl, [and loved] playing football and skiing. I come from a big family and I have four brothers, so there was always a competition. However, I always liked to watch my mum cook and watch cheffing programmes on TV. There are a lot of cooking shows in Sweden.

When I was 15, I chose the cooking programme at high school and I did work experience in my hometown. I started working at these restaurants every weekend and during the holidays. When I left school, I got two jobs working in one kitchen at lunch and then an a la carte restaurant at dinner. I loved to learn. I left my hometown when I was 21 and worked on the west coast of Sweden for summer, and the north for the winter, as well as stints in Italy and France.

I moved to London three years ago and what I miss about Sweden is the fresh air. You have forests so close and so much natural light. However, I do love the big city and how you can find everything so easily in London.

I moved over here to help open Pantechnicon [a Nordic and Japanese restaurant in Belgravia] in 2020. I was sous chef there and when it reopened after lockdown, it was too much for me. The industry is very different here than in Sweden. In Sweden, you still have a life outside of your job but at Pantechnicon I was working all the time, sleeping four hours a day and had no life. I was 32 and I thought that I had not moved to London to have no life. At the same time, I saw Niklas had posted on Instagram announcing he was going to open Ekstedt at The Yard, so I messaged him.

Niklas is really famous in Sweden and he is famous for his cooking TV shows. I have eaten at Ekstedt a couple of times but I never worked for him. At Pantechnicon, we were cooking Nordic food on an open fire, so I already had a bit of experience. With Brexit, it wasn’t so easy for him to bring over a Swedish chef so I had a chance.

When we opened Ekstedt at The Yard in 2021, Niklas stayed for two months and cooked with us. We’re really close and I always consult him on the changing menus. He’s so relaxed and really cares about Swedish food and his team.

I like how we’re so thoughtful with cooking and how we use the ingredients. This is what I try to replicate in the kitchen. Scandinavian food is simple but we’re lifting the ingredients in three or four different ways.

You’ve got to remember that this is not a classic barbecue, where you simply put something on the grill and not think about the result. Wood-fired cooking is a more traditional technique and requires a lot of patience to achieve certain flavours. It [harks back] to Viking times when they cooked everything on an open fire.

It’s all about how we take care of the ingredients. We ferment, we pickle, we experiment and we don’t waste – just like the Nordics would’ve done centuries ago. 

I enjoy pressure and like to have a lot going on at the same time. [I entered because] I wanted to show my kind of food and highlight where you can get authentic Swedish food in London. However, this was my first time on TV, and I was concentrating so much I often forgot there was a camera. I was really disappointed when I left, just before the semi-finals.

BiBi’s Indian food is amazing. I also discovered a small Italian restaurant in London Bridge called Legare. It serves delicious homemade pasta. 

I think Clare Smyth is so cool and I love how she’s changing the game, especially for female chefs. She also really cares about her staff and doesn’t act like it’s all about her. And that’s what I said to my team when we launched the new menu: that this isn’t about me, but about all of us. I also really like Lisa Goodwin-Allen, she seems like a really good leader.

I love training, such as running or swimming. I really like to be active and I find it relaxing away from work. But I also love trying news restaurants and finding new flavour inspiration.