A Guide to Meal Planning when Kayaking

Planning your meals

There is absolutely no reason to be compromising when it comes to food on this journey. The kayaks are quite roomy and we supply diverse cooking gear and a large assortment of spices, herbs and flavourings free of charge.

It does take some effort to plan meals and snacks for an entire wilderness stay. Plan each day’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, beverages & snacks in detail. Free-styling it is a sure way to end up with way too much food!

A good setup:
Big breakfast – at the camp
Light lunch that require a minimum of cooking gear – while kayaking
Big dinner – when you arrive at your new camp.

Our recipe site

Make sure to visit our Recipe site. It’s completely possible to cook wonderful food during your entire adventure without having to lean on heavily processed options. There are also a fair few typical Swedish dishes if you feel like tasting some of our culinary culture.

Keep in mind when choosing recipes that food items come in certain sized packaging from the supermarket. If you pick recipes for all your meals, it’s very likely you’ll end up with lots of leftover ingredients. Pick a few, use some for inspiration, and try to come up with ways to utilise most of what you order.

Durability of food items

Our top quality mylar-lined NRS Cooler bag will keep your food cold for 3–4 days and is designed for maintaining cleanliness between use. You will receive one 30 Liter cooler per double kayak (about a quarter of it is taken up by ice packs).

Note! If you’re group is using single kayaks only, you will receive a regular cooler bag that will stay cold for 1 night. Please plan accordingly.

Colour-coding:
All recipes are colour coded to indicate durability recommendation.
‍
‍Note! These recommendations are adapted to the cooler bag that fits in our double kayaks. If your group is using single kayaks only, please consider the red category to last 1 night, and the orange and green category to last 2 nights instead (except the veggies in the green category, they will last 3 nights).

Red: Will last 1–2 nights. Fresh meat, chicken and frozen fish – 1 night. Frozen chicken, fresh milk, cream, flavoured yoghurt, sour cream, smoked salmon, ready-made creamy salads like potato salad, shrimp salad – 2 nights.

‍Orange: Will last 3 nights. Meatballs, smoked ham, smoked turkey, roast beef. Soft and hard cheese. Greek yoghurt. Perishable vegetables like spinach, arugula, lettuce, mushrooms, scallions, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes. Swedish style wraps and liba breads.

‍Green: Will last 4 nights. Butter, creme fraiche, halloumi, parmesan. Hummus. Bacon, sliced salami, prosciutto, sausages like chorizo and brats. Cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, aubergine, kale.

‍Blue: Will normally last your whole trip. Root vegetables, onions, cabbage. Eggs, long-lasting milk, cream & butter. Hard-smoked or cured sausages like whole salami. Lemon, limes. Anything preserved e.g. tuna, crab, beans, olives, grilled peppers, pesto, mayonnaise. Tortilla wraps and Kavring (very dark rye bread).

Restaurants and pubs

Although you’ll spend almost all of your time in complete solitude among uninhabited islands, there are a few hubs on some of the islands or the mainland with family-run establishments. It’s a great way to meet some of the locals and enjoy the culinary traditions of the archipelago. Please note that these restaurans are not open during early and late season.

FAQ for food planning

How much space is there for food in the kayaks?

Our double kayaks have lots of room. If you’re using a single kayak you do have to take space into account. In regards to alcohol, boxed wines, as well as cans of beer are easy to stow in the kayaks. Much preferable to glass bottles of wine.

Where can I drop off rubbish?

There are many bins for rubbish in the archipelago, marked on your sea chart. We ask you to separate aluminium and plastic as there are recycling stations in some locations.

Where can I fill up fresh water?

We provide 9 liters of fresh water per person in Klean Kanteen drinking bottles and water canteens. There are a few places to replenish your water supply along the way, marked on the sea chart.

Do we get herbs, spices and some condiments at no charge?

Yes! Be sure to go to the herbs, spice and condiments section of the food order in your Trip Planner. You can select as many as you like at no extra charge.

What cooking equipment do you provide?

We provide a versatile set of cooking supplies. If you’re a keen cook, you’ll be well equipped! We provide and What to bring

Some of our favourite ingredients that last well.

Hard-smoked whole sausages like Salami, Suxhuk Shtepiak or Juniper
Cooked sausages like Brats and Chorizo
Kavring (dark flavourful rye bread), tortilla wraps
Halloumi cheese, parmesan
Creme fraiche
Oat-based “dairy” products, especially Oatly Deluxe milk instead of regular milk for cereal or coffee
Beans, hummus
Coconut milk, conserved cherry tomatoes
Root vegetables, onions, cabbage, kale
Fresh lemons and limes
Pressed garlic in a tub, chipotle paste, fond du chef (concentrated stock in small portions of much higher quality than cubes)
Ajvar relish, pesto, tapenade
Grilled peppers, olives, pickles, capers
Mayonnaise, Sriracha mayonnaise, coarse mustard, ketchup, chili sauce
Honey, agave, raw sugar

Food planning