Line Bak & Kamilla Rønnestad
Dea - Care delivered in a basket
At Dea by friends Line Bak and Kamilla Rønnestad you can order a basket filled with care for the times in your life where you need it the most. Be it while you are pregnant, after giving birth or for a difficult time in your life. In fact, the baskets became a reality while Line went through a difficult time in her own life as she struggled to get pregnant and started to read about food and pregnancy:
“I spent most of the day reading about what would happen if I got pregnant and how I had to eat before and after giving birth. I have always had a thing for food, and I think it became my therapy,” says Line who also prepares food in a kindergarten.
After intense reading she suddenly had a basket filled with the most delicious things that would be suitable for a new mother. She posted the basket on Instagram and after this her small business took off. Even though the baskets were originally made for pregnant women, she soon found out that the target group was much larger.
“I think it would have been nice if someone had given me a basket like this when I needed it the most,” she says with a gentle smile. “It made so much sense to me to share my knowledge. In a way, the basket became my baby,” she says as we meet the girls at the organic farm Stengården where they buy many of the ingredients.
But what happens to the eating habits after giving birth?
“Often the new mother forgets all about herself because she has so much focus on fulfilling her baby’s needs. But a new mother needs well prepared food because she has to pass on so much love and nourishment to the little one. Our baskets are made for new mothers but are also perfect for everyone else who want to take extra good care of themselves. We all go through some difficult times in our life where we need a little extra,” says Kamilla, who has previously worked as food writer in Norway and recently became a part of Dea.
The baskets are inspired by the maternity pot, a Nordic tradition dating back to 17th century.
“At that time is was very simple and you would receive an oatmeal or a soup and the giver would take back the pot after delivering the food. The pot was often delivered by a female member of the family or a mother in the neighborhood. Like the maternity pot, we also try to keep the food Scandinavian and as close to our own traditions as possible – and we also take back the basket so it can be passed on to another mother,” says Line who reveals that Dea refers to the Danish author and graphic designer Dea Trier Mørch, known for her focus on motherhood.
On top of that, Line and Kamilla are very inspired by the Chinese approach to new motherhood and they have both read the book The First Forty Days:
“In China they are very good at taking care of new mothers and actually the woman stays in bed for the first 40 days while female family members take care of her. They call it Mothering Mother. It is all about settling in your new body and not necessarily go back to your body as it was before pregnancy. The body needs so much energy to heal itself, so the food needs to be easily digestible and at the same time rich and not low in fat,” says Line.
Among other things the baskets consist of various broth, tea blends, snacks and toppings for the food such as seaweed powder, black sesame, granola and goji berries. The broth that has been cooking for eight hours can help to kickstart the appetize if it is boiled up at home but can also be used instead of a cup of coffee or in the food to add taste. There is no doubt that Line and Kamilla put much love into each basket – and they want it to stay that way.
“We are not ready to expand if it means that we have to compromise. It is very important to us that it is a good experience to make each single basket. As we want to give care to others, we need to take good care of ourselves.”
Dea Chocolate, exclusively for Skall Studio
100 g 70% chocolate
100 g 85% chocolate
40 g European pumpkin seeds
40 g hemp hearts
60 g dried sour cherries (could be subbed for other dried berries or chopped dried fruit)
1 teaspoon bee pollen if you prefer
Melt the chocolate very gently in a small pot. Add the pumpkin and hemp seeds and berries, and stir to combine. Pour the chocolate mixture into a small baking tin (approx. 20x20 cm) covered with parchment paper and sprinkle with bee pollen if you like. Let cool and set, and slice into bite size pieces. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.
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