Lindhag – Delicious food, pure and simple

With a philosophy of locally sourced ingredients, small-batch production, a passion for traditional techniques, and absolutely no additives, the family firm of Lindhag has found the perfect recipe for wholesome culinary excellence.

Sometimes it pays to keep it simple. That, at least, seems to be the lesson to take from the success of Lindhags Delikatesser, the multi-award-winning producers of gourmet delicacies. Created by the mother-and-daughter team of Elisabeth and Julia Lindhag, the company has developed a handcrafted range of jams, sauces and sweets that is stocked in over 70 shops across Sweden and has also recently opened an online shop to help meet the demand for their products.

As you might expect, a passion for food runs in the family, and not only along the maternal line. Julia’s father hails from Italy, and she explains that the Italian attitude to food has inspired the company’s approach. “Italian cuisine is delicious but also fairly simple. If you have pure, high-quality ingredients, then you don’t need to overcomplicate things, and we have a similar philosophy,” she says.

Purity for Lindhag means no additives or adulteration. The company also prides itself on an artisanal approach to food production — the team works with just five-kilogramme batches of berries — and the sourcing of local ingredients is central to its ethos. Not only does it use produce from nearby farms wherever possible, but Julia even grows much of it herself. “It’s partly because we think it’s important to know where the raw ingredients have come from,” she explains. “But also because I think that you can take pride in a product to a much greater extent when you have been involved all the way, from planting through to harvest and production.”

The authenticity of Lindhag’s craftsmanship has been validated by SM i Mathantverk, the Swedish national championships for artisan food, where the firm took gold for its blueberry and raspberry jam, and silver for its raspberry cordial. There has been international recognition too, with prizes at the UK-based Great Taste Awards for Lindhag’s Pomarola and Puttanesca tomato sauces, raspberry jam, and pear and grappa marmalade and caramel.

“Our products are real food, unadulterated, made without industrial processes, and we can vouch for their quality,” Lindhag says. “That’s what makes the difference.”

lindhag.com