House Edit - Where our friends and fellow creatives share with us their craft, inspiration and their most loved or coveted pieces from Swedish House and beyond. We hope this will interest and give insight into the essence and distinctiveness of the products we have curated and stock.

Chapter 4

Liselotte Forslin

Say Hi to one of the best Swedish food stylists – Liselotte Forslin. Liselotte has been working as a food stylist for more than 20 years. She is also a food writer, recipe developer and cookbook author and have written 20 cookbooks.

Liselotte’s passion for food began in her mid twenties.; her mother didn’t cook more than absolutely necessary, so her interest in food and cooking didn’t come from her childhood. Her ”food awakening” took place the first time she traveled to the United States.

”I remember first time I went to United States when I was nineteen. I discovered American pancakes, salad bars, submarine sandwiches and all that stuff we didn’t have in Europe at that time. I was in heaven and gained 10 kilos in 6 weeks (!)”

Liselotte then worked in a large-scale kitchen at a medical company taking care of salads, sandwiches and other light dishes. There her American experiences with food really inspired her to create new dishes. But her dream then was to become a graphic designer and illustrator so she left the food industry and become that graphic designer and illustrator working for magazines and advertising companies for ten years.

She never gave up the huge interest for food and after working with layout at the leading fashion magazine in Sweden - Damernas Värld - and studying journalism at the same time, she got an offer to become the freelance food editor for the same magazine. Soon her first cookbook contract was signed and since then she’s been working with recipe development, food writing and food styling for all the best food magazines, newspapers and advertising agencies in Sweden as well as doing food and prop styling for packaging, advertising and TV-commercials and sharing some of her delicious recipes with us for you to enjoy! Look out for her fabulous Midsummer Menu coming soon ….

Here’s Liselotte’s story

My passion for food and art really fall into what I work with and I love my job. I work from my beautiful studio in Uppsala (50 minutes drive north of Stockholm) I share with super talented food photographer Ulrika Ekblom. We have a large space with a photo studio and an open kitchen that I designed especially for photography and filming. But I also work a lot in Stockholm with other photographers for food clients.

I get most of my inspiration from nature; my studio is located quite central in Uppsala but it’s hidden in a little forest and a valley with a large pea patch. I often take a walk there to get inspiration and I love to forage. Nettles for example are an underestimated plant packed with mineral like iron, magnesium and calcium as well as vitamin A and C. It’s like a health injection for your body! I use it like spinach, cook it in a little olive oil with garlic and top pasta, pizza or grilled fish or meat. Put it raw in smoothies (they wont sting when blended) with avocado, mango and orange juice. I make nettle soup and serve it with soft boiled eggs (very Swedish) or put them in a quiche with mature strong cheese like Swedish Västerbottensost and serve it with cold smoked salmon.

My food philosophy is simple. I love to eat and cook honest food. The better ingredients the less you have to do with them. For example a lovely piece of suistanable fish just needs to be gently cooked a few minutes and served with a simple tomato sauce of quickly cooked cherry tomates from the vine cooked in olive oil and garlic and topped with crispy fried capers. A rustic sourdough on the side and a good glass of crispy white and I am in heaven!

I don’t exclude any food. I think you can eat everything but not all the time. if I have a craving for a ”kanelbulle” (Swedish cinnamon roll) I eat it but not everyday. And I eat a good one from a good bakery, not the cheap stuff you can buy at any gas station. I eat meat but not so often and I am picky what kind if meat I buy. I love veggies and my blog ”add more green” says exactly how I live – you can never eat to much vegetables. I think it’s sad with all the food issues people have. Where did the love and simpleness of food and eating go?

In my job as a professional food and prop stylist I have to collect a lot of props and my studio is full of china, backdrops and fabrics. I love to visit flea markets and buy most of my props second hand. Shooting in the studio is fun but what I like mostly is to be on location, outside, in the countryside, surrounded by nature.

After a day in the studio kitchen there is nothing I am looking forward as much as a shower and treating my skin with L:A Bruket’s Sea Salt Body Scrub and then sitting down with a cup of tea! My absolute favourite scent in the range is Sage Rosemary Lavender and the scrub is both exfoliating and moisturising making my skin super smooth, soft and smelling divine. Then, a cup of herbal tea enjoyed in Swedish House at Home’s Sue Ure mug and … relax. However, I do have to admit to still thinking about food and what to cook the next day for my blog, my Instagram or for a client, it’s hard to totally switch off!.

When I am off work I also love to cook whether it is at home or outdoors, at our summer cottage or at my dear friends houses in England or France, where we share the same passion for food.

I can't live without linen in the summertime. I use it a lot as surface or for backdrops for my photos but also in real life of course. I Love to set the table for midsummer with a slightly wrinkled linen tablecloth and wild flowers in simple bouquets for a laid back look.