Global chef brings taste of Sweden to UK

A chef served up a taste of Sweden to students at schools and universities across the country as part of a three-week tour organised by Sodexo.

Daniel Leidstedt, from Gävle (20 miles north of Stockholm), helped the Sodexo teams at nine universities, two academies, a school and a college of further education to create a traditional Swedish menu for lunch and evening meal services between 25 February and 14 March.

Students enjoyed a range of dishes including baked cod fillet with lemon, cress & horseradish, butter fried cabbage with celery, egg sauce; and cured char (arctic trout/salmon) with Jerusalem artichoke cream, trout roe, shiso cress with fried potato.

The chef’s visit is part of the global chef exchange programme run by Sodexo. Now in its eighth year, Sodexo’s programme sees leading chefs from different countries share authentic cuisine and cooking techniques with local culinary teams.

As a restaurant manager who has been with Sodexo for almost ten years, Daniel has a wealth of experience working in catering and hospitality venues in hotels and corporate environments.

Daniel lives with his wife and two children in Gävle. Outside of work he enjoys running and travelling.

As well as helping to serve hundreds of Swedish-style meals across the country, Daniel talked to young people about his career as a chef and made time to coach students in Swedish cuisine.

The tour was rounded off with a six-course tasting lunch menu at University College London, a Sodexo university client.

Daniel Leidstedt, global chef, Sodexo Sweden, said: “This tour has been not only a great opportunity to bring Swedish cuisine and cooking techniques to England, but also to continue to grow my own expertise. It has been great to see so many enthusiastic chefs and students, keen to know more about Nordic food. Throughout the tour, it has been my aim to encourage the use of locally produced and organic ingredients.”

Jane Bristow, managing director, Sodexo Education, said: “Our chefs are some of the most skilled and respected professionals in the industry worldwide. The global chef programme keeps our local teams fresh and excited about food preparation, which helps them to better understand world cuisine and prepare new dishes with different flavours. It’s also a great way to engage with young people who are interested in the industry.”