Cooking retreat in Sweden
Would you like to learn how to prepare more varied and delicious daily meals in a relaxed atmosphere and a beautiful setting? Then this retreat is perfect for you!
During this private retreat (solo or as a couple), it’s all about fun, simplicity and mindfulness. You’ll discover that delicious and healthy cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With high quality ingredients, some clever tricks, and a few basic techniques, you’ll learn how to prepare a nutritious meal with joy and ease. Even after a hard day’s work. This saves you time, energy, and stress.
Evrim will share her cooking secrets and most crowd pleasing recipes, including her famous granola and spicy hummus. There’s plenty of room for your own preferences (vegetarian/vegan) and questions, but above all, for enjoyment: cooking, laughing, eating and having a good time together. When the weather allows we will be cooking outside with a beautiful lake view. The program consists of approximately 15 hours of cooking, that can be adjusted to your schedule. This means you also have plenty of time to explore the area and unwind. In addition to the program, you can also schedule an appointment with Igor for things like qigong, acupuncture, or coaching sessions.
This retreat is a gift to yourself. You’ll return not only refreshed, but also with new insights and skills that will make your daily life easier, healthier, and more enjoyable—for yourself and for those around you. We will be cooking with organic ingredients, in the kitchen of the holiday home where you’ll also be staying.
Would you like to enjoy the same retreat program in a weekend? Please contact us to check availability.
Overview
Other options
In addition to our cooking retreats, we also offer solo retreats focused on peace, quiet, contemplation, and nature. Each of these retreats is fully tailored to your specific needs. Do you crave rest and relaxation, or are you looking for a challenge and the opportunity to develop yourself? For each retreat, we conduct a comprehensive intake via Zoom, where we discuss your needs and create a program together.
Below, you can choose a basis for such a retreat, from which we will shape the plans. These retreats also consist of five full days, with six overnight stays. So, you arrive in the evening, then have five days of retreat, and depart the next morning.
Solo retreat Basic
You come mainly for peace, quiet and nature, and occasionally use our additional services.
€ 1590,-
Solo retreat Standard
In addition to peace and quiet, you also want to take a step further in terms of health, well-being or sense of purpose.
€ 2390,-
Solo retreat Premium
With this retreat you go all-in! You'll have support for half a day each day, and we'll provide dinner each evening.
€ 3190,-
The surroundings
Blekinge is located in southwest Sweden and is also known as The Garden of Sweden. It's an enchanting place that has been inhabited for thousands of years. In a relatively small province, you will find a large number of nature reserves and an incredibly diverse landscape: sea, islands, deciduous forests, lakes, coniferous forests, fields, and many rocks that were shaped by the Ice Ages. A perfect spot for nature lovers! The house is located a stone's throw from Järnavik, a beautiful coastal nature reserve. The house looks out over a lake where you can spot all kinds of birds (including flocks of cranes much of the year). The village of Bräkne-Hoby is a few minutes' drive away, where you can do your grocery shopping and catch the train to Malmö and Copenhagen.
Who we are
Hi, we're Evrim and Igor! At the end of 2024, we left the Netherlands for Sweden to live our dream: creating a retreat in a beautiful natural setting. When we discovered this location, we fell in love immediately; it had everything we could have wished for. Since then, we've been working hard to make our plans a reality, with our first retreat guest arriving in October 2025!
About Igor
Igor studied (clinical) psychology at Utrecht University. During his studies, he encountered qigong and ancient Chinese meditation techniques, which fascinated him immensely. He decided to complete his studies (with a thesis on near-death experiences), but his path clearly lay in Eastern medicine. After graduating, he started his own photography business and continued to take qigong and meditation courses. In 2013, he certified as a Healing Tao instructor and began working as a qigong and meditation teacher, a practice he continues to this day. He also completed his Classical Chinese Acupuncture training at the Bo Yi Academy and works as an acupuncturist in his own practice. Truly listening to someone and connecting are always the most important foundational elements of his treatments. Coaching people on their sense of purpose, life's challenges, and spirituality is also something he really enjoys. His current greatest source of inspiration is A Course in Miracles.
About Evrim
Evrim grew up in her parents' restaurant. Determined to choose a different path, she enrolled in acting school at the HKU Theatre School in Utrecht. After a few short trips into the acting world, she finally found herself back where it all began: cooking and delicious food. Together with Igor, she founded De Bio Basis in Zeist, a small, local organic shop with a cozy coffee bar. Over the years, this transformed into a cozy restaurant and eventually a successful organic catering company, where she also regularly worked as a private chef.
For Evrim, cooking is a form of love, and she likes to share that with the guests at the retreats. She completed a professional culinary training at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. Besides her passion for food, Evrim has a great love for dancing and is skilled in qigong and meditation.
Limited time offer:
30% discount on a solo retreat
Valid for a retreat before June 14, 2026
What we offer
A lovely holiday home, all to yourself
Our guest house was newly built in 2020 and is equipped with many comforts: a pleasant and bright living room with a sofa, dining table, and desk. An open-plan kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher, induction hob, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, small oven, etc. In the bathroom, you’ll find a washing machine and dryer in addition to the shower and sink. Up the stairs, you reach the sleeping loft, with a wonderfully soft 160cm-wide bed. There’s also a conservatory with a beautiful view of the lake and a large sunny deck. There is also WIFI which, of course, can be turned off if you need to disconnect. The heating doubles as air conditioning, and the house is exceptionally well-insulated, so you can enjoy it year-round. View all the photos here
Qigong and Meditation Sessions
Igor is a certified Qigong and meditation instructor, so if you need to get your energy flowing more, he’s the right person for you. Qigong is a simple yet effective form of movement that helps you find balance and release tension. Combined with guided meditations, you’ll feel incredibly relaxed after such a session.
Acupuncture treatments
Acupuncture is another branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine in which Igor is skilled. He completed his Classical Chinese Acupuncture training at the Bo-Yi Academy and has since worked in his own practice. Acupuncture is an ancient technique that can help with various physical and mental ailments. Using small needles, the energy pathways in the body (meridians) are stimulated to allow life energy (Qi) to flow freely again. This creates more balance in the body, reduces pain, and calms the mind. Acupuncture is a safe technique, and in most cases, the placement of the needles is barely noticeable.
Coaching
During the introductory meeting, we’ll ask you if there are any areas you’d like to work on. Perhaps you’re looking for balance in your daily life, are you at a crossroads, or are you searching for more sense of purpose in your life. Through coaching, Igor can help you gain more clarity and discover new sides of yourself. This can be done either in his practice on-site or during a beautiful walk through the Swedish countryside.
Hiking and power spots
From the house, there are several hiking trails that lead directly into nature. The sea is a kilometer away, where you can also enjoy several beautiful walks, for example in the Järnavik Nature Reserve. The nature here is magical, and in some places nearby, the energy is so positive that you really feel energised. In good weather, these are perfect spots for qigong or meditation.
View more photos of the surrounding nature in the photo gallery.
Dinner and grocery delivery
Would you like to spend as much time as possible surrounded by nature and tranquility, and avoid supermarkets? We can also deliver groceries for your meals outside of the program.
Activities in the area
Besides the many hiking opportunities, there’s plenty to do in the surrounding area. Kayaks are available for rent at various locations along the coast, allowing you to explore the archipelago’s diverse islands. Motorized boats are also available for rent, and during the summer months, you can visit the island of Tjäro with a ferry service from Järnavik harbor. And if you’re looking for shops, restaurants, and culture, the charming towns of Karlshamn and Ronneby are just a 15-minute drive away, and the larger city of Karlskrona is 30 minutes away.
Book your cooking retreat
Interested in our cooking retreats? Fill in your details below and we’ll get in touch as soon as possible.