I ❤️ Harstena
Pronounced: Harsh-tay-nah/ This is an absolute must-see if you want to truly experience a kanelbulle in a kayak
Munching on the special Harstena bun from the bakery
Naturally, when we rocked up to Harstena, I bee-lined for the bageri (Swedish for bakery), which always sounds to me like they only sell bagels (alright by me) and had ourselves a feast. Following the meandering trail, you’ll make your way through a paradise of little red homes, big open-plan yards, long picnic tables, and friendly border collies (possibly just the one) that’ll make you wish you were there visiting family. If only . . .
Once arriving at the bakery we learned many fun facts. The first being that the spot with the red water lilies (which we happen to pass-by as we got lost on our way) is actually it’s own contained body of fresh water.
The second that the two bakers we met that day normally work at bakeries in Norrköping (where we picked you up from) at Finbageriet Kamraterna or Landerholms. If you received a celebration Princess Cake (yup, the green one!) from us on your trip, it came from Landerholms which is a bakery we regularly use. It’s heavenly. The last fact was that Harstena has it’s own signature “bulle”. Much like the texture of a Cadbury Crunchie which has sponge toffee, the Harstenabulle has a dry honeycomb-like inside with rock sugar on top. It is tied in a traditional knot but is entirely unlike any other Swedish pastry. I recommend you try it and if the texture isn’t your thing, dunk it in your coffee or tea whilst enjoying the view.