Thorskogs was the last of the upmarket restaurants. Our itinerary comprised a diverse selection of eateries, the rocky coastline offering down-to-earth wooden cafes dotted among the islets of the Bohuslan archipelago. As you’d expect from a country that pioneered social democracy, participants in Vastsvensk Mersmak come in all shapes and sizes. The only requirement is a reputation for good food. But the Swedish kitchen hasn’t always been a haven of egalitarianism. Our next port of call was Handelsman Flink, a pretty set of gabled cabins on a remote islet, where the chef told me that 20 to 30 years ago, the restaurant business had a very distinct pecking order. The more senior a chef, the larger his hat. A waiter’s rank was clearly defined by the number of braids on his shoulder.

This young man was modest and gentle and wore a neat little skull cap, perhaps to distance himself from those hierarchical times. I asked him whether he ever shouted in his kitchen. The guy nervously shook his head. I don’t think he understood what I was driving at.

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()It’s not just the looks and location that draw Swedes to visit Handelsman Flink. It’s also where Evert Taube, Swedish folk-singer extraordinaire, came to dry out in the 1940s. Scandinavians have battled with the demon drink for a century and more. Many of the older generation still feel a pang of guilt whenever they fancy a tipple. Surrounded by fishermen who liked a glass of something, Taube didn’t manage to sober up, but this is where he penned some of his most famous songs. They played tapes of them in the little cafe while we tucked into the warm lobster mousse.

Here, on a sparkling bay, the air was shot through with the tang of sea salt. Else- where, the fresh air had a taste too. The taste of freedom, sunshine and good health. Not unlike the food. We didn’t have a bad meal in West Sweden.

Even the commonplace things were good. At Rada Sateri, a smart wooden pile just outside Gothenburg, designed by Sir William Chambers, who also created London’s Somerset House, they comfortably passed Lorraine’s potato test. This is a mark of distinction of her own creation — or, at least, I think it is. Potatoes in most restaurants don’t really taste of much. Sure, they can be pepped up with cheese and butter and cream, but real potatoes, just out of the ground, have a distinctive flavour all of their own. This we know because during the summer we buy ours just up the road at the pick-your-own. The guys at Medley Manor Farm won’t thank me for saying this, but the Rada Sateri’s new potatoes were just as good.

It was simply local produce cooked to bring out the appropriate flavours. Like the Swedes themselves, the food was unassuming and unpretentious. My question about shouting in the kitchen had received the same perplexed response from the head chef at the Hos Pelle restaurant in Gothenburg. He looked as if he didn’t even know any swear words.

I’d asked to speak to him because we’d nearly died while eating his cabbage soup. In a nice way, I mean. This was kale cooked in chicken stock — the best cabbage soup we’d ever tasted. It had a velvet consistency and was pea-green. It came with a deposit of apple purée at the bottom and a scallop on an uncooked kale leaf for company. But it was still cabbage soup, the food you serve to torture your children. It was heavenly.

None of the personnel we spoke to made a song and dance about anything much. The chefs prefer to let their cooking speak for itself. They’re an emotional lot, the Swedes. Which is probably why, as our friends had suggested, most normal people take their foodie trips in France or Italy.

But what, you might be thinking, of those pickled herrings? I reserved a special page for them in my notebook. We ate herrings in mustard sauce and red-wine sauce, with dill and with crayfish and a hint of orange. And marinated with onion and sour cream. They were delicious, and didn’t get tedious at all.

Nick Middleton was a guest of Discover the World

Getting there: summer fares to Gothenburg include: SAS (0870 60 727 727, www.scandinavian.net), from Heathrow, from £151; Ryanair (0906 270 5656, 25p/min, www.ryanair.com), from Glasgow and Stansted, from £30; City Airline (0870 220 6835, www.cityairline.com), from Birmingham and Manchester, from £169. Gohop.ie (01 241 2389, www.gohop.ie) has fares from Dublin via Heathrow; from €295.

Where to stay and eat: Bjertorp Slott, in Kvanum (00 46- 512 203 90, www.bjertorpslott.se), has main courses from £21, and double rooms from £109. Thorskogs Slott, in Vasterlanda (520 66 10 00, www.thorskogsslott.se), has two-course menus from £15; doubles from £86. Handelsman Flink, in Flaton (304 550 51, www.handelsmanflink.se), has mains from £9; doubles from £91. Rada Sateri, in Molnlycke (318 848 00, www.radasateri.se), has mains from £20; note that it it is closed until August. Hos Pelle, in Gothenburg (Djupeals- gatan 2, 311 210 31), has mains from £12.

Getting around: Ebookers (0800 082 3000, www.ebookers.com) has three days’ inclusive car hire from £112. Or try Budget (0870 153 9170, www.budget.co.uk) or Europcar (0870 607 5000, www.europcar.co.uk).

Packages: Discover the World (01737 214255, www.discover-the-world.co.uk) has a range of fly-drives, including one around West Sweden that focuses on first-class food. Prices start at £653pp, including flights from Heathrow to Gothenburg with SAS, a night half-board at each of Bjertorp Slott, Thorskogs Slott and Handelsman Flink (with three-course dinners at Thorskogs and Bjertorp), and a car. Regional departures available on request. Or try Nortours (0870 744 7305, www.nortours.co.uk), or Enjoy Sweden (0870 220 6831, www.enjoysweden.co.uk).

Further information: call the Swedish tourist office on 020 7108 6168, or visit www.vastsvenskmersmak.com or www.west-sweden.com.

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