Patrick Boström. "Before they taste anything they usually tell me they donât like goatâs cheese. But before they know it Iâve sold them three chunks of it. Theyâre amazed. They say, 'But we donât like goat's cheese!' And I say, 'You do now!'"
Since moving to Norrland a decade ago, Iâve missed Londonâs supermarket cheese counters, with their towering cliffs of yummy cheeses from all over Europe.
Most supermarkets here have a fairly limited array of cheese, and few offer the kind of pungent, in-your-face goatâs cheese from small, independent dairies that Iâm particularly fond of.
Which is why, on an otherwise boring shopping errand, I was so excited to find the huge cheese counter at ICA Kvantum on the west side of town, and why I insisted on talking to the storeâs cheese master, Patrik Broström, a man thoroughly obsessed with all things cheese.
What inspired you to become a cheese specialist?
â The great variations of cheese. The taste of one cheese can change by season: for example the same cheese made with summer milk can taste totally different to the one made with winter milk. Also with different altitudes a cheeseâs taste can change. And the way you can make fantastic dinners using good cheese.
How has the reception been from both the local community and the newcomers?
â We've seen rising interest from the local community recently, which is really fun and that inspires us to get new kinds of cheeses. The newcomers introduce us to other international cheeses, and also other ways of eating cheese.
What unique Swedish and local cheese variety do you offer?
â We have Svedjan Ost, a cheesemaker 40 kilometers northwest of town. Itâs a lovely place and in the summer they also have a cafĂ©. For me, Svedjan is number one.
What are your favorite international cheeses?
â Picking your favourite cheese is like picking your favourite child. Itâs impossible. There's so many with all the different cheese families. Hard cheese, soft cheese, goatâs, blue cheese. I love them all. I do like Dutch cheese because of the crisp flavour. I also like Swiss cheese. Picking a favourite is hard because it really depends on the occasion, the season, and also the company youâre in.
How about some unusual international cheeses?
â Oh, we certainly have some of those. We have Fourme d'Ambert, a semi-hard French blue cheese, packaged in a distinct, narrow cylindrical shape, which is made from raw cow's milk. The cheese is made from cows who graze above 1,634 metres in the Alps. They then carry the milk down 200 metres into a cave and put the milk in cylinders to make Fourme dâAmbert.
The deli has a vast selection of local and international cheese.
â We also have a Swiss cheese that's only made from milk produced in the month of May. The cows are released out onto the Alps when the herbs are fresh and the grass is fresh.
âThen thereâs a full moon cheese from Denmark. It's made from milk that's milked only on full moon nights. So that's 12 batches a year.
Like me, youâre a big fan of goatâs cheese, which many people seemed to be scared of.
âThey are! But I find ways to change their minds.
Tell me how you carry out missionary work for goatâs cheese
â A perfect day to do this is Friday afternoon. I love the Friday feeling. We have lots of people passing through. I am often hosting people at the deli, letting them try different cheeses, including goatâs. People hear other people saying how delicious the cheese is, and they also come over and try it. And itâs often goatâs cheese Iâm offering. Before they taste anything they usually tell me they donât like goatâs cheese. But Iâve soon sold them three chunks of goatâs cheese. Theyâre amazed. They say, âBut we donât like goat's cheese!â And I say, âYou do now!â
Itâs not all just about fancy cheeses, though, is it? You have a good anecdote about that old Swedish favorite, hushĂ„llsost.
â If I go to a function and I know there's champagne being served then I will pick a hushĂ„llsost, the lowliest cheese in Sweden. At one cheese tasting I knew weâd be drinking champagne, so I took some hushĂ„llsost with me, made a label, called it Fromage du Menage, and presented it. Everyone said, âitâs so good!â I then had to say, âSorry guys, but itâs hushĂ„llsost.â The taste went so well with champagne nobody could believe it!
Patrick Boström. "I love my work. Iâve already told the owners, you will have to carry me out of here. This is where Iâll retire."
Do you get newcomer SkellefteÄ residents asking for cheeses from their home countries that you don't stock?
â Yes, lots! We have great suppliers that can within two weeks get the specific cheese.
Have you noticed more interest in cheese as more newcomers have arrived?
âYes. Maybe not on as steep a curve as the localsâ interest, but nevertheless the interest is increasing.
And how do you view the increasing influx of non-Swedish newcomers to SkellefteÄ?
â The newcomers have made our horizons wider - it's so fun to try new ideas with new people. We can't just stay in our box all the time!
How many non-Swedish staff do you have in the deli?
â We have two non-Swedes. One from Macedonia, and the other from Thailand. I think I can speak for all of us all when I say that we really do love working together. It makes work more interesting to have different people.
Would you say you are a cheese nerd?
â My girlfriend, when we met six years ago, couldnât understand why I always wanted to go into work early. Sheâd say âYou don't start work until sevenâ. I said, âI know, but I want to be there at six, to have an hour to prepare."
Maybe Iâm not just a cheese nerd, maybe Iâm just a nerd. I love my work. Iâve already told the owners, you will have to carry me out of here.
This is where Iâll retire.
Patrick Boström at his cheese counter.