The landscape of Halland is unique. On one side you have a long coastline and the sea; on the other there are rolling meadows, gently undulating hills and thickly wooded forests. With such an abundance of nature, the area is dotted with farm shops that stock fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, all manners of meats, fish and other local produce.

You will find a lot of inspiration for cooking in the flavours and aromas that Halland offers. When you take in the aroma of sun-kissed strawberries or witness the swaying bright yellow rapeseed fields that yield cooking oil, it makes the food taste so much better.
Dönardalens deli – Våxtorp
If you enter Halland from the south and have passed Hallandsåsen, then Dönardalen deli is the first farm shop you encounter in Våxtorp between Laholm and Örkelljunga. Their specialty is lamb. Which means you can buy lamb meat, lamb burger, lamb sausages, salami sausages, beer sausages, cold-smoked sheep ham, and lamb mince. They also sell an assortment of herring along with their own honey, brown eggs from free-range chickens, corn chicken, rapeseed oil, jam, and apple juice. Do make it a point to drop by when you’re in the area.

Månstorps farm shop – Laholm
Månstorps Gård is conveniently located between Laholm and Mellbystrand. The farm dates back to the early 1800s and has been in the possession of the Pålsson family since 2008. The farm houses a B&B, a farm shop, a café along with a languid environment to relax in. In the farm shop you can buy the farm’s own apples, apple juice and apple sauce when apples are in season. The rest of the year, there’s rapeseed oil, candles, potatoes along with a variety of vegetables.
Ugglarps Grönt – Ugglarp
Ugglarps Grön is a quaint family-run farm shop run by the brothers Mikael Jidenholm and Martin Larsson. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables here. The produce they stock depends on the season but the shop is open every day, all year round. It’s not uncommon to find star chefs shopping here. You, of course, can pick what you want for your dinner table.

Hafi Farm shop – brännarp
For 80 years, Halland’s fruit industry has had its factory in Brännarp, a small community between Harplinge and Getinge in the Halland countryside. Nowadays it is not just a factory that manufactures jam. There’s also a farm shop stocked with marmalade, jelly, chutney, juice, mulled wine, sparkling drinks, must, dried fruit and frozen berries. You can also pick up spices, chocolates, oils and teas here.

Gudmundsgården – Slöinge
Just outside Slöinge is Halland’s oldest farm shop – Gudmundsgården.
If you love sausages, meats and cold cuts that have been lovingly prepared without using artificial additives, you’ll love this place. Everything is hand made using their own spice mix, old family recipes and centuries-old traditional methods. That is their big trade secret. Their farm shop is in a converted hay loft above the farm. This is where you can get your hands on their goodies.

Ulvereds hjorthägn – Plingshult
Deep in the interiors of Halland you will find Ulvereds Hjorthägn, which is both a farm shop and a restaurant. It is located along the long, winding road towards Ulvered. All year round you can buy fresh or frozen deer meat along with a variety of hot and cold smoked deer meat, salami, sasuages and pates.

Tiraholms fish – utanför Unnaryd
Fried, grilled or smoked – at Tiraholms Fisk you can enjoy some of the finest freshwater fish plucked from lake Bolmen’s clean waters. (The fishing is sustainable and carried out with environmentally-friendly fishing equipment.) In summers, they throw open an outdoor seating area where you can sit enjoy your food under a warm sun. They also have a farmshop where you can buy everything from smoked rainbow trout and eel to pike burgers.

Skrea ost – Skrea
This is a place where producing great cheese is not just a passion but an obsession. At Skrea Ost, you can buy hard and soft cheeses, fresh cheese, creamy dessert cheese and cheese that’s suitable for grilling. They use only organic cow’s milk that’s supplied by the friendly, neighbourhood Kullsgärde farm. Stop by to pick up some cheese. And if cheese is not really your thing, they also stock KRAV-certified yogurt and milk.

Gårdsbutiken Thuresson – Falkenberg
Just north of Falkenberg there is a paradise for those who like top quality At Gårdsbutik Thuresson you can buy some of the finest pork, beef, veal and lamb. Everything is locally produced and come from neighboring farms. They also stock cold cuts, marinades, air-dried ham and pates.

Tångagård – Falkenberg
The Tångagård farm is located about 10 kms outside Falkenberg on the Swedish west coast. There’s no artificial fertilizes or chemical pesticides in sight here. All the vegetables grown here are 100% organic. It’s a family run farm that has been around for 13 generations. You can pick your own vegetable at the farm. Beans, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cucumbers, potatoes…what you pick will depend on what time of the year you visit. But you can be sure of one thing – it doesn’t get any fresher than this.

Öströö sheep farm – tvååker
Öströö sheep farm lies amidst a beautiful beech forest with dozens of nice walking trails. The farm dates back to the 14th century but today, it’s a modern sheep farm that raises organic sheep. In addition to sheep, they have a tiny farm shop that stocks a variety of delicious sausages, pâtés, marinades, spice mixes, marmalades and sauces. You can also buy warm clothing and articles made from wool and sheepskin. At the Café Fårhagen you fill your hamper with sandwiches, home-baked cakes and organic coffee that you can bring along when you take a guided lamb safari.

Photographer Adde
Hamragård – Åsa
Hamragård is a small, sustainable farm situated between Varberg and Kungsbacka. The emphasis here is on traditional methods and patient attention to detail and this is apparent in everything they stock at their farm shop. You can buy pork and lamb meat and cold cuts along with woolen and sheepskin articles. They do stock some items produced by local craftsmen, along with their own products. But whether it’s their self-produced or sourced, the focus is always on small-batch and sustainability.

Photo: Hamragård