Peter's Yard: the Swedish style sourdough crispbread, and what makes it different

Peter's Yard: the Swedish style sourdough crispbread, and what makes it different

The story of Peter's Yard, inspired by a baker near Ystad in Sweden: its long fermented sourdough, milk and honey crispbread, flatbreads and cheese pairings.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Written in house, not crowdsourced

Peter's Yard is a crispbread brand inspired by Peter Ljungquist, a baker near Ystad in southern Sweden, and started by two English friends, Ian and Wendy. Its crispbreads are made in the UK with a 45 year old sourdough starter fermented for 16 hours, and the original is unusual among crackers: milk is its first ingredient, with rye and wheat flour, sourdough, honey and salt.

A crispbread with a story

Most crackers are anonymous. Peter's Yard is named after a real baker and a real yard. The brand's own story tells how two English friends, Ian and Wendy, left their corporate jobs with the ambition of bringing a Swedish inspired bakery to Britain, and on a research trip to Sweden heard about a baker called Peter. At his bakery near Ystad, in the south of Sweden, they found warm loaves, stoneground flour, jars of bubbling sourdough starter and the best crispbread, or knäckebröd, they had ever eaten. For more on Swedish baking and fika, see Swedish biscuits. For their rosemary and sea salt crackers and other rosemary crackers, see rosemary biscuits and crackers.

Over an evening at Peter's home, they told him his crispbread was too good to stay in one small bakery. Peter's Yard was born, named, the company says, after Peter Ljungquist, his home and his yard with a wooden gate on the edge of the Swedish countryside. Great British Chefs says both founders had worked at Cadbury before following their dream.

What knäckebröd is

Knäckebröd is the Swedish word for crispbread, and it is a very old food. Crispbread is traditionally a flat, dry bread made from wholemeal rye flour, salt and water, and Wikipedia records that it has been baked in central Sweden since at least the sixth century, with the first Swedish crispbread factory opening in Stockholm in 1850. Because it holds so little water, it keeps for a very long time. Peter's Yard takes that old idea and adds sourdough, milk and honey; see crispbread.

From Sweden to a British bakery

At first, Peter's Yard imported its crispbread from the bakery in Sweden, and it soon won recognition from chefs and a string of awards. Then John Lister, the owner of Shipton Mill and a friend of the founders, joined the business, bringing a team of craft bakers with a passion for sourdough and real bread. Peter's Yard says its range is now made in his artisan bakery in the UK, following the original Swedish recipe, and Great British Chefs adds that the bakery uses flour from Shipton Mill.

The sourdough

Sourdough is what sets Peter's Yard apart from most crispbreads. The company says it uses a 45 year old sourdough starter, fermented for 16 hours, and bakes in small batches without shortcuts or artificial ingredients. Great British Chefs credits the starter to the Swedish baker Jan Hedh. Great British Chefs says the founders found in Peter's crispbread an extra complexity and depth of flavour they had never tasted in a crispbread before.

Milk and honey

Read the ingredients of the original and you find a surprise. The Open Food Facts record for the Original Sourdough Crispbread lists milk first, then rye flour, wheat flour, sourdough at 12 per cent, made from rye flour and water, wholemeal wheat flour, honey and salt. The honey gives it a gentle sweetness, very different from a Ryvita, whose original is just rye flour and salt; see Ryvita.

The flatbreads and crackers follow a different recipe. The sea salt flatbreads list wheat flour, wholemeal wheat flour, sourdough at 25 per cent, rapeseed oil, muscovado sugar and sea salt; the seeded flatbreads add pumpkin, sunflower, poppy and nigella seeds and are topped with Halen Môn sea salt from Anglesey, which has protected status; and the rosemary and sea salt crackers use Cornish sea salt, rosemary, thyme and black pepper. The fig and spelt crackers are made with spelt flour, milk, fig pieces, sourdough, rye flour, honey and sea salt. For more on the ancient wheat in the fig crackers, see spelt biscuits.

Peter's Yard on our shelf

We stock seven Peter's Yard products:

Original Sourdough Crispbread, the classic.
Original Sourdough Crackers, twin pack.
Sourdough Crackers Selection Box, good for a cheeseboard or a gift.
Fig and Spelt Sourdough Crackers.
Rosemary and Sea Salt Sourdough Crackers.
Sea Salt Sourdough Flatbreads and Seeded Sourdough Flatbreads.

Peter's Yard and cheese

Great British Chefs describes Peter's Yard as a favourite on chefs' cheeseboards, and it is easy to see why. The original crispbread's hint of sweetness works with salty blue cheeses and aged Cheddar or Comté; the fig and spelt crackers are a natural match for soft cheeses and blues; and the seeded flatbreads stand up to strong washed rind cheeses. For more matches, see the best crackers for cheese.

Beyond cheese

Peter's Yard crispbread is good with smoked salmon and cream cheese, with butter and marmalade, or with a slice of cured ham. The flatbreads are made for dips, from hummus to baba ganoush. And the crackers, broken into a bowl, make an easy nibble with drinks.

Diet notes

Everything in the range contains gluten, from wheat, rye or spelt flour, so Peter's Yard is not suitable for a gluten free diet. The crispbreads and fig crackers contain milk and honey, so they are not vegan; the flatbreads and rosemary crackers list no milk or honey, but the seeded flatbreads warn they may contain traces of milk. See dairy free biscuits and vegan biscuits.

Quick facts

Inspired by	Peter Ljungquist's bakery near Ystad, Sweden
Founded by	Two English friends, Ian and Wendy
Sourdough starter	45 years old, fermented for 16 hours
Original crispbread	Milk, rye and wheat flour, sourdough, honey and salt
Flatbreads	Made without milk, with rapeseed oil and muscovado sugar
Flour	From Shipton Mill, whose owner John Lister joined the business

Questions people ask

Who makes Peter's Yard crispbread?

Peter's Yard, a brand started by two English friends, Ian and Wendy, and inspired by the Swedish baker Peter Ljungquist. Its own story says the range is now made in an artisan bakery in the UK, following the original Swedish recipe.

What is Peter's Yard crispbread made of?

The Open Food Facts record for the Original Sourdough Crispbread lists milk, rye flour, wheat flour, sourdough at 12 per cent (rye flour and water), wholemeal wheat flour, honey and salt.

Is Peter's Yard vegan?

The crispbreads are not: they contain milk and honey. The sea salt and seeded flatbreads and the rosemary and sea salt crackers list no milk or honey, although the seeded flatbreads warn they may contain traces of milk.

Is Peter's Yard gluten free?

No. It is made with rye, wheat or spelt flour, all of which contain gluten.

What cheese goes with Peter's Yard?

The original crispbread's gentle sweetness suits blue cheese and aged hard cheeses, and the fig and spelt crackers are made for soft and blue cheeses. See our guide to the best crackers for cheese.