Lobster season at Pater Noster – on the outer edge of Sweden’s west coast

On Monday, 21 September at 7:00 a.m., Sweden’s annual lobster fishing season officially begins. Far out at sea, off the coast of Marstrand, lies the island of Hamneskär and the internationally award-winning Pater Noster hotel. From this remote lighthouse island, guests can join the annual lobster fishing – an autumn experience that follows the lobster from the pots at sea all the way to the dinner table.

The opening of the lobster season is a much-anticipated tradition along Sweden’s west coast. At Pater Noster, however, the experience is about more than the catch itself. A small, exclusive group of guests is invited to get closer to both the tradition and the environment where the lobster lives. The salty waters and rocky seabed along the Bohuslän coast provide natural conditions for the European lobster, while knowledge and understanding of the sea become an integral part of the stay.

Together with experienced fishermen, guests head out among the rocky islets and skerries to haul lobster pots and learn more about the lobster, the fishing tradition and life beneath the surface.

– The lobster is fantastic, but for us, the experience is about something bigger. When you are out at sea yourself, hauling a pot and understanding what it takes for a lobster to reach the plate, your relationship with the ingredient changes. We want our guests to truly experience the sea – to fish, learn and understand the place they are in, says Mirja Lilja Hagsjö, CEO of Pater Noster.

From pot to plate
The lobster caught during the fishing trip becomes part of the culinary experience at Pater Noster. Throughout the lobster season, this local ingredient takes centre stage, making the connection between the sea, the fishing and the kitchen particularly tangible. Head Chef Johan Bengtsson is a trained marine biologist, a background that gives him a unique perspective on life in the sea and the ingredients that eventually make their way into the kitchen.

– My background as a marine biologist gives me an understanding of the entire ecosystem behind what we serve. Around the dinner table, we therefore talk not only about flavours and preparation, but also about life beneath the surface, why lobster thrives in these waters and how we can use the resources of the sea with respect and knowledge, says Johan Bengtsson.

Autumn on the sea’s terms
Pater Noster is located in one of Sweden’s most exposed coastal settings. For generations, people here have lived with the sea as both their workplace and a defining condition of life, and the Pater Noster lighthouse was originally built to guide seafarers through the treacherous waters surrounding the island.

Today, Pater Noster is a boutique hotel with nine individually designed rooms housed in the carefully restored lighthouse keepers’ residences. To reach the island, guests leave the mainland behind and travel the final stretch across the sea.

During lobster season, Pater Noster welcomes both private guests and smaller corporate groups, with lobster fishing forming part of a stay that can also include meetings, meals and time together on the island. In autumn, the relationship with nature becomes particularly tangible – the weather can change quickly, conditions vary from day to day, and it is always the sea that sets the terms.

More information about the programme, dates and bookings is available at paternoster.se. Images available for use with photo credit can be found here.

For more information, please contact:
Mirja Lilja Hagsjö
CEO, Pater Noster
mirja@paternoster.se
+46 304 303 10

About Pater Noster
Pater Noster is a boutique hotel located on the small lighthouse island of Hamneskär, off the coast of Marstrand in the municipality of Tjörn, with an ambition to help protect and preserve the oceans. The lighthouse has guided seafarers since 1868. With nine individually designed and carefully restored rooms and culinary experiences inspired by the sea, Pater Noster offers an experience beyond the ordinary. The hotel has received significant international recognition and several awards since opening in 2020, including the title of World’s Best Hotel Concept.