How Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt brought fire back to fine dining

Niklas Ekstedt has spent years reviving forgotten Scandinavian cooking methods – now, his London restaurant is setting the city alight - (Ekstedt at The Yard)

Head chef Luca Mastrantoni sends a long stick with a metal cone filled with dry-aged beef fat into a roaring open fire, setting the whole thing alight, before hovering it over the oyster I’m about to eat.

What’s known as “flambadou” is an ancient Swedish cooking technique, used by the indigenous Sámi people of the north of the country, and revived by chef patron Niklas Ekstedt. It gives the oyster a unique rich finish, served alongside beurre blanc here at his UK restaurant Ekstedt at The Yard.