Fäviken: Järpen

Billed as the world’s most isolated restaurant, Fäviken, in the north of Sweden, has captured the imagination of the world’s media and intrepid foodies in equal measure. Housed in an 18th century barn on a 24,000-acre hunting estate, the restaurant can only accommodate 12 diners each night with guests staying in spartan rooms on site.

Magnus Nilsson grew up in the north before working in Paris as a sommelier at the acclaimed L’Astrance. He was lured home by the amazing produce of the frozen Jämtland region and only then became a fully fledged chef. His multi-course set menu abounds with ingredients that are farmed, foraged or hunted on the estate such as grouse and beef heart, reindeer lichen and cloudberries. Modern cooking techniques are rejected in favour of traditional farmhouse practices such as pickling, brining, curing and ageing – an approach that has seen the long-haired Nilsson held up as a figurehead for New Nordic cuisine.

Famous dishes include scallops cooked over burning juniper branches, wild trout roe encased in dried pig’s blood, and raw cow’s heart with marrow and flower petals.

It’s all served up in a spot-lit dining room, which resembles a wood-cutter’s shack, complete with old wolf skins and slabs of meat for decoration. The only problem is getting a reservation, especially now that Nilsson has decided to close the restaurant for 20 weeks of the year so staff can focus on ‘creative projects’.