The story
Crafted with passion, served with love
A Villa Worth the Drive
Fifteen miles from Uppsala, on the quiet waterfront of Östhammar, sits a white turn-of-the-century villa that gives almost nothing away from the street. The entrance is exceptionally discreet — you push open a door and step into something quietly special. Tables are set with views of the sparkling fjord just beyond, the décor runs to cool greens and simple botanical prints, and the atmosphere is unhurried in the best possible way.
The People Behind It
Forslundska Villan is run by two people who have clearly thought hard about what they want it to be. Michaela Puls, sommelier and co-owner, grew up in the area, spent years working in fine restaurants elsewhere, and eventually came home. She moves through the dining room with an infectious warmth, pouring from a cellar stocked heavily with French wines — the house champagne is Bonnaire — and making regulars and first-time visitors feel equally at ease. In the kitchen, her husband Luke Hurst, Australian by origin, has built what the White Guide describes as a "truly rose-style kitchen": precise, seasonal, and rooted in the landscape immediately around them.
What Arrives at the Table
The meal begins with three amuse-bouches: a small glass of cauliflower soup spiked with herb oil, a quail egg with truffle cream, and a crisp leaf of pea bread. From there, a set four-course menu unfolds with wine pairings matched course by course.
Green asparagus comes with a white Burgundy. A flaky poached cod with salmon roe and nettle velouté is paired with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Then lamb sourced from nearby Mellangården, served with carrots prepared three ways and a rose-flavored yogurt sauce, arrives alongside a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The meal closes with a refreshing rhubarb sorbet — clean, considered, and exactly right.
Recognition
The White Guide awarded Forslundska Villan its "Very fine level" distinction for 2026, calling it "definitely worth a trip from the city." That verdict is easy to understand: this is cooking and hospitality that feels genuinely personal rather than performative, in a setting that the Swedish coast does better than almost anywhere else.
Recognition