Traditional Swedish food
Our guest chef for the event was Åke Lindholm, a man who knows a thing or two about traditional Swedish food. Apart from growing up on it back in his home town of Motala, midway between Stockholm and Gothenberg, he’s been cooking and serving it up himself since 1956. An eight year spell as head chef for two Swedish Ambassadors saw him end up in the UK where,
18 years ago, he established Garbo’s, the only Swedish restaurant in central London, which he still runs today.

“The word ‘smörgåsbord’ literally means ‘sandwich table’,” says Åke. “But that doesn’t mean it’s a table full of sandwiches; a smörgåsbord is a wide selection of dishes ranging from pickled herring and gravad-lax (cured salmon with sweet mustard sauce) to Swedish meatballs and roast beef. The idea is that you come to the table, help yourself to whatever takes your fancy, and then return as many times as you like.”

Perhaps the most intriguing of all the dishes on offer in a typical smörgåsbord is one called Jansson’s Temptation. A kind of gratin made from potatoes, anchovies and cream, it’s apparently named after the man who invented it, but – so the story goes – no-one actually knows who Mr Jansson was! But there’s nothing like a little mystery to add to the attraction, so we were sure the inclusion of this particular culinary delight would make our smörgåsbord an even bigger hit with visitors to The Cabin.

Our day at the café began with chef Åke busying himself in the kitchen while Scania’s Demonstration Fleet Controller Ken Herbert showed people around the new R-series. One of the first in the cab was Mark Robinson, Transport and Plant Manager for Crawley-based civil engineering and haulage contractor, P J Brown Limited, a major operator of Scania tippers. “Whoever gets to drive a vehicle like this wouldn’t have cause to complain, that’s for sure,” was Mark’s verdict. “And with drivers being at a premium today, you certainly have to take their views into account when specifying your trucks.”

Another construction industry operator, Les Searle of Les Searle Plant Hire, was next in to the cab. “Hey, this is really something, isn’t it!? If only I was a long distance driver…very nice looking, very spacious, very comfortable. I really like it.”

The third man to check out the R-series was another owner-driver, brick and block carrier, Steve Redford. “I saw the truck earlier as I passed by and I’ve been looking forward to getting back so I could have a proper look,” he said. “The semi-flat floor is really good and it seems Scania has done a lot to accommodate drivers’ views. I like to be comfortable when driving and most of the things you need are right here on the wheel – I’m really impressed.”

Too good to miss
Inside The Cabin things were hotting up too: By now, Åke was ready and a string of drivers, led by Pickford’s Grant Mason, quickly descended upon the smörgåsbord. “Hey, just take a look at this!” said Grant as he clapped eyes on the spread. “It’s like being at a wedding. I’ve got to try this, even though I’m on a low-carb diet!” Grant proceeded to pile his plate high with beef, chicken and a mixed salad. “Brilliant. I must confess I’ve already had my breakfast, but this was just too good to miss!”

Fellow driver Harry Barham agreed: “The salmon was lovely, the meatballs first class and the sausages delicious,” he commented. “I’ve had similar food aboard cruise ships in the past, but what a pleasant surprise to find it here when we came in.”