Sörgårdens Ysteri & Osteria
Hasslerör, Mariestad

Between moss-covered stone walls and lush green fields, a few minutes outside Mariestad lies Sörgården’s Cheese & Osteria. In the old barn’s converted stalls there is space for both a cheese factory and an Osteria. Here milk from the neighbour’s organic farm is turned into tasty cheeses which are matured and then sold over the counter.  

Magical process

The dairymaid is called Helena Hallerhed and is inspired to create perfect flavours and textures. When she was little she was already known for her culinary arts among friends and relatives. After many years in other branches, she decided in 2020 to pursue her great interest in food and trained as a craft dairymaid and cheesemaker. She describes cheesemaking as an almost magical process, where ordinary milk with the right treatment, can be transformed into all the cheeses in the world.

In the farm shop, also the Osteria, there are different sorts of hard cheeses, white mould cheeses, fresh cheeses and frying cheeses. Amongst the specialities is a hard cheese with the name gårdsost (farm cheese) plus spiced fresh cheeses and white mould cheeses with enhanced flavour. But availability varies – season, demand and the dairymaid’s inclination towards a particular cheese determines what is available for purchase at any one time. It is similar to crayfish: the waiting is part of the charm!    

Two seasons

At Helena’s the year is divided into two seasons: the first is during the spring and the second from late summer up to new year. During this time the Osteria is open for sales most Thursdays, and also offers cheese tastings, catering of cheese boards and so on. Now and again the Osteria pops up at markets in the local area.

If you want to buy from Helena, you can follow the Osteria on social media, where Helena lists current opening times. It is also possible to order cheese by mail and collect by arrangement.