Nordic Culinary Delights and Products

NORDIC CULINARY DELIGHTS AND PRODUCTS Special  Theme:

A modern Norwegian take on an old Icelandic tradition

From being a simple, traditional, hand-made product from Iceland, to hitting the shelves all around the world, Skyr® is now an all-time favourite in Norway. Q-Meieriene brought Skyr® from Iceland to the Norwegian market and has for over a decade now been raising the bar in the world of yoghurt innovations.

By Andri Papanicolas | Photos: Skyr®

Up until 2009, finding a healthy yoghurt on the Norwegian market could be a challenge. “Skyr® was the first brand to introduce a truly filling yoghurt, rich with nutrition. In addition to its unique product benefits, Skyr® also stood out on what could probably be described as an otherwise quite dull yoghurt shelf, with vibrant colours and unique cup shapes that broke with the established category language,” says product manager Michelle Bruåsdal Larsen.

Icelandic tradition with a Norwegian touch The traditional Icelandic yoghurt contains a naturally high level of protein, is fat-free, low on sugar, and considered by many to be a perfect snack. It is made from skimmed milk, with natural sugars from milk and fruit. The natural flavour is the most common across the world, but Q-Meieriene has found that Norwegians love to jazz things up, explains Bruåsdal Larsen. Q-Meieriene’s Skyr® started out with three different flavours back in 2009 and has now grown into a range of 21 flavours, including raspberry and panna cotta, coffee and vanilla, strawberry and lime, and salty caramel.

In addition to this, Skyr® has its own limited-edition series. Twice a year, consumers get to vote on their preferred flavour combinations, developed by Q-Meieriene and launched for a limited time before they are replaced with the fans’ next favourite.

This autumn, for the first time ever, Skyr® launched three different limitededition versions. The newcomers are melon and passionfruit, raspberry and passionfruit, and peach and passionfruit

– so it’s pretty obvious which flavour is the big, new trend there!

A strong brand open to new innovations The Skyr® portfolio has been continuously expanded and optimised at the request of consumers. When consumers started asking about a child-friendly Skyr® , Q-Meieriene realised that there was a gap in the market for a nutritional yoghurt for kids and, as a result, launched Skyr® Mini. “Since its launch in 2015, Skyr® Mini has been, and still is, the healthiest yoghurt for children,” says Bruåsdal Larsen. “It comes in a practical pouch, which makes it super easy for children to eat and handle the yoghurt by themselves. Because of all these benefits, Skyr® Mini is one of the most popular brands for kids. It comes in five different flavours.”

Skyr® has also expanded its assortment by launching new products, such as Skyr® Luftig – a unique yoghurt whipped with air that gives it a completely different consistency, like a fluffy mousse. It is a consumer-driven innovation that was developed in response to a request from consumers who wanted a Skyr® mousse that felt even lighter. In 2020, when Nielsen’s BASES launched its list of the top 25 breakthrough innovations, it was ranked as one of the most innovative products in Europe.

The unique bond between Skyr® and its consumers From the very beginning, Skyr® has been very successful with new launches, and Bruåsdal Larsen believes this is due to their close dialogue with consumers. “Consumer involvement is something Skyr® values highly. We want to make sure that consumers are heard and included in the innovation process,” she says. “Consumers are engaged and willing to share brutally honest feedback.”

In addition, they are more than willing to share their #skyrøyeblikk (‘skyrmoments’) on social media, contributing to a unique conversation between the brand and the consumers through online engagement. It seems Skyr® is here to stay, and there’s certainly no doubt that the Icelandic yoghurt has made its way into the hearts of the Norwegian people.

Web: www.q-meieriene.no Facebook: skyr.norge Instagram: @skyr.norge

All products are constructed and produced in Bryn in Oslo.

A botanical sip of Norwegian nature

For one of Norway’s most innovative independent distilleries, the goal is to create a pure taste of Nordic nature with its wild mountains, salty sea, green meadows and deep woods.

By Åsa H. Aaberge | Photos: Oslo Håndverksdestilleri/OHD

Norway has a long and rich liquormaking history. At one point, the country had thousands of registered distilleries. A ban on liquor, and from 1927 a state monopoly on distillation, put an end to the independent distilleries.

But in the early 2000s, small-scale distilleries started to bloom again. One of the first was Oslo Håndverksdistilleri (Oslo Handicraft Distillery, or OHD), founded in Oslo in 2015. “When we started, we began to look at the history of distilling in Norway. Historically, no one used the exotic spices common in aquavit today, like star anise and such. We started to play with the idea of making spirits using nothing but botanicals that grow naturally in Norway,” says Frederik Dahl, sales and marketing manager at OHD. “That idea became what separates us from the rest.”

A thorough research process began, to find out which herbs to use and how best to utilise them. “We visited old farms, found the oldest man on the farm and asked him what his grandfather used to make liquor back in the days,” Dahl explains.

Back in the laboratory, the OHD team experimented with different botanicals to find which recipes worked or not. “Spirits like aquavit, gin and whisky were historically known as medicine and called the water of life. Traditional medical plants were often used, so we ended up visiting a museum in Oslo where they still grow a lot of the traditional medicinal plants. That became the starting point for which plants we ended up using,” says Dahl. Today, OHD uses a variety of about 20 botanicals in total, in products ranging from aquavit to bitter, gin and vodka.

The world’s best gin For OHD, it’s been essential to establish a unique signature taste. The taste of the botanicals gives a distinct character to the products, explains Dahl. “We have six or seven plants that make up the base of all our products, so it makes for a clear distillery taste,” he says.

Elderflower, meadowsweet, chamomile and Norwegian angelica, juniper and caraway are sourced locally in the Oslo

region or other parts of Norway. A drawing of the angelica plant is present in the OHD logo, to highlight the significance of the herb. “Many distilleries abroad view the Norwegian angelica as Norway’s gift to gin distilling. It binds the tastes together and works as a taste enhancer in botanical liquor,” says Dahl.

It all started with what has now become one of its signature products. “It began with Vidda, which is now our signature gin. When hiking in the mountains, there are several herbs along the way, which are very common in the Norwegian mountains, like juniper. We wanted to make a classic London dry gin solely based on botanicals growing in Norway,” says Dahl.

When OHD launched Vidda, it was the world’s first-known London dry gin without a trace of citrus in it. “It sure does have a taste of citrus, but that comes from the way we distil the juniper and pine. It is a classic London dry in that it follows all the rules of a dry gin, but we felt we nailed the masterpiece of making a Norwegian gin with only Norwegian plants – hence why we named it Vidda tørr gin,” says Dahl.

From the first batch to the final recipe there’s hard work, trial and error, improvement and success. “We spent years perfecting it, and last year our Vidda gin won gold in the most prestigious competition for gin in the homeland of gin, the UK Spirit Masters. Vidda became the master, which means that it’s the best gin in the world,” says Dahl.

That’s not the first renowned award OHD has acquired. The distillery has earned many medals over the years in several of the most prestigious competitions internationally. Currently, the OHD products are sold primarily in European countries, but the distillery also exports to Japan and will soon enter the American market.

Norwegian Wood is the newest member in the repertoire. Birch leaves, mead weed and elderflower add character to the vodka. OHD uses only Norwegian botanicals, such as juniper, angelica and chamomile. while keeping tradition and innovation in mind. “We like to say that we’re so traditional we’re modern. The recipes we use for gin and aquavit can be considered quite modern, but we incorporate tradition and make it better, our own way,” explains Dahl.

The OHD team of five do all the work and production in an old factory building along the river in Bryn in Oslo. In a pursuit to improve and learn, OHD also collaborates with other distilleries, currently whisky distilleries in Ireland and Scotland.

The goal is to acquire a taste that is unique and to be groundbreaking in the pursuit. For example, OHD was the first Norwegian distillery to use bourbon barrels for aquavit. The most crucial key to success, however, lies in botanicals, according to Dahl. “By using solely Norwegian plants, the liquors become typical for us and Norway. Each one of our products is connected to a place, and named after mountains and the sea. The notion of something that tastes like Norway, even for people who have never been here, is appreciated. Our products taste like Norwegian nature, mountains, meadows, woods and fields,” says Dahl.

‘So traditional we’re modern’ OHD continuously strives to create spirits with a clear Nordic taste profile,

Web: www.oslohd.com Instagram: @ohd_the_oslo_distilleri

Photo: Sigurd Løseth Good for quenching thirst. Photo: Maksym Tychavski

A revolution in water retail

Lofoten Arctic Water takes on competitors in water retail with an exclusive, eternally recyclable aluminium bottle.

By Eva-Kristin U. Pedersen

It is everything that you’d think of as Norwegian: pure, fresh, cold, uncontaminated. Lofoten Arctic Water comes from a mountain lake, tucked away among the breathtakingly beautiful peaks of the Lofoten Islands – one of Norway’s most valued destinations.

Superior-stamped Things really started to happen for Lofoten Arctic Water in 2016, when new investors came in and enhanced the tapping of still water from the lake on 888-millilitre glass bottles intended mainly for the restaurant market. In 2018, they finalised their own bottling facilities in Gravdal, only nine kilometres from the water source.

Lofoten Arctic Water quickly gained recognition from The Fine Water Academy, which gave the small Norwegian producer a Superior stamp because of the completely negligible levels of minerals in the water.

A forever recyclable bottle Now that they are presenting a new, onthe-go version of their product, what the small team at Lofoten Arctic Water believes gives them a cutting edge compared to their competitors is not so much the premium quality of their water, but the material: the 473-millilitre bottle is made of aluminium, a complete novelty when it comes to water on the Norwegian and most of the European markets.

“Glass is heavy and transport became a real challenge for us. We were looking for alternatives, but plastic wasn’t one of them. We didn’t want to contribute to filling up the ocean with more plastic,” says Cecilie Qvigstad Williksen, sales and marketing coordinator at Lofoten Arctic Water.

The choice fell on the Alumi-Tek® bottle, produced by Ball Corporation. “It’s really a can that’s narrower at the top and that has a screw cap,” Williksen explains. But more importantly, she stresses, it is forev-

The source of Lofoten Arctic Water, in Lofoten, Norway. Photo: The Arctic Couple er recyclable. In the world at large, some 75 per cent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use.

Award-winning design The production of aluminium bottled water started in 2020, but the pandemic delayed any major marketing offensive. “It’s really just now that we are able to start making ourselves known,” explains Williksen excitedly.

The company nevertheless used the pandemic well, enabling a new production line with aluminium bottles directly at their facilities in Gravdal. “We are so lucky to have good water almost everywhere in Norway,” says Williksen, “but we’re not used to buying water in bottles that are not transparent so that we can see the water we are about to drink.”

The sleek, environmentally super-friendly aluminium bottle filled with Lofoten Arctic Water might just change that in the time to come.

Web: lofoten-water.com/en Facebook: LofotenArcticWater Instagram: @lofotenarcticwater LinkedIn: Lofoten Arctic Water AS Pinterest: @LofotenArcticWater Twitter: @LofotenW

A Norwegian chocolate fairytale

Nittedal Chocolate Factory is a hidden gem located half an hour from Oslo, and this is where something truly great happens for many a lover of the sweet treat. The chocolate made here is produced using cocoa beans imported from the most exclusive cocoa areas of the world. And the best part? The handmade chocolate is all cruelty-free and ethically grown.

By Andri Papanicolas | Photos: Nittedal Sjokoladefabrikk

“Why do we care about where our wine comes from? What country and region? It’s because of the quality, right? So why don’t we do the same with chocolate?” suggests chocolate maker Bjarne Nielsen.

From a bag of cocoa beans to a chocolate factory Bjarne is a science teacher and has always loved to learn about how things are made. Years ago, he went to Madagascar to work on a charity project and, as a reward, he received a bag of raw cocoa beans. After he got home, he found himself confused, staring at the bag, thinking: ‘Well, this doesn’t look like chocolate – how do we make it into chocolate?’

His curiosity was ignited and he started making confectionery for friends and family for Christmas. Soon thereafter, he learnt how to make proper chocolate and started selling it to local cafes and bakeries, and today, the Norwegian Willy Wonka runs Nittedal Chocolate Factory with two Oompa Loompas. They are now preparing for the busiest time of year – Christmas.

No shortcuts Along Nielsen’s chocolate journey, he realised that making chocolate with true cocoa beans from ethically grown cocoa farms is simply the best way to go. “It’s about quality, not quantity. I know that larger chocolate producers buy chocolate en masse in big volumes. Unfortunately, in many cases, this leads to slavery. That, and the fact that the chocolate tastes way better, is the reason we use the bean-tobar method,” he says.

Bean-to-bar means that there are no shortcuts in the production of chocolate. Nittedal Chocolate Factory imports high-quality cocoa beans that they roast and melt at the right temperatures to create the exact taste they want. They then play around with different flavours and create exciting combinations.

Christmas is around the corner, and the factory is well underway with producing this year’s festive chocolates. Maybe you might want to try one with liquorice and raspberry? Or have you ever tried Ecuadorian chocolate, made with only beans and sugar? The taste of that one in particular might surprise you!

Bjarne Nielsen.

Web: nittedalsjokoladefabrikk.no Facebook: Nittedalsjokoladefabrikk Instagram: @Nittedal_Sjokoladefabrikk

It is the people that make the company. Here, the production team. Photo: Siv-Elin Nærø

Seaweed is the future

It was their shared interest in the world of seaweeds and a vision to develop a new type of aquaculture that, in 2016, led Annelise Chapman and Bjørn Otterlei to found TANGO Seaweed AS. Kelps cultivated in clear Norwegian ocean waters become organically certified food products that are healthy for people, as well as for the environment.

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: TANGO Seaweed

Located just north of the West Cape, TANGO Seaweed is a pioneer in seaweed farming in Norway. When the company first started, it was very much a jump in at the deep end. “It was a real learning curve for us, as we had to gain a true understanding of open-water systems, ecology and turning seaweed into a business,” says Chapman, who has a background in marine science. TANGO Seaweed is now at the forefront of an emerging seaweed economy in Norway and Europe. Building a completely new value chain requires different types of knowledge, and the team and network surrounding TANGO include researchers, former fishermen, engineers, financial advisors and marketing experts, but also foodies and ocean enthusiasts. “We believe that the people make our company,” Chapman adds.

Currently, the company is cultivating local seaweed species, sugar kelp and winged kelp at their sea farm at Skarveskjæret. No chemicals are used during the cultivation process, where minute seedlings applied to horizontal long-lines right below the surface grow into two-metre plants. During winter, there is little visible development, but the seaweed grows rapidly in the spring as the days get longer. Harvesting takes place between April and June. To ensure top quality,

TANGO Seaweed harvests and dries the seaweed still hanging on the ropes – almost like tomatoes on the vine.

As seaweeds absorb nutrients and minerals from the environment they grow in, clean sea water is essential for obtaining good-quality biomass. TANGO Seaweed’s location is organically certified based on long-term water quality assessments. “We are dedicated to producing seaweeds in accordance with nature’s principles, and we are delivering products that are healthy for people as well as for the planet,” says Chapman.

There is great potential in seaweed With TANGO Seaweed’s cultivation process, there is no need to add fertilisers or fresh water, and no arable land is being used. Everything the seaweed needs to grow is present in the water. “We are simply harnessing what is naturally available to us, and utilising it in our product,” Chapman explains, adding that the drying process alone transforms the seaweed into a high-quality and very stable product that is ready to be used – mainly as a food ingredient.

However, according to Chapman, it takes time to build the market, and education is a crucial element on this path. While people in Asia have a long tradition of eating seaweed and kelp as sea vegetables, we in Europe have just begun to rediscover seaweed as an important source of nutrients from the sea. “The Vikings knew that seaweed was rich in vitamins and minerals, and after the war, seaweed and kelp were used as animal feed. Nowadays, it is not only the sushi wave that has swept over Europe, but high-profile chefs in the Nordic region are at the forefront of using the sea’s plants in modern Nordic cuisine,” says Chapman. “There is great potential in seaweed. It is a versatile product, and a great marine resource that future generations can also benefit from.”

As a marketing tool, TANGO Seaweed has also developed its own series of organically certified kelp products. This range includes seaweed and nut mixes, as well as pure kelp flakes. “The combination products function as a door opener, getting customers acquainted with a new kind of taste and making it easy for them to use seaweed in the kitchen,” Chapman explains. Both sugar kelp and winged kelp are characterised by their strong salt and umami flavours, which make them a great addition to just about anything, from soups and salads to veggies, fish and meat. On top of their exquisite taste, the nutritional benefits of kelps are numerous: they make a healthy table salt replacement, are rich in fibre and iodine and low in fat, and contain many important minerals and vitamins.

TANGO Seaweed’s products are available for sale from small retailers around Norway, or by pre-ordering on demand. The company aims to expand its sale of seaweed further into Europe.

“We are on a journey inspired by fascinating marine plants, a virtually unlimited number of seaweed products and a genuine desire to improve marine resource use for future generations,” Chapman concludes.

Within just six months from seeding them onto cultivation lines, the minute seedlings grow into two-metre plants in the sea farm.

Web: www.tangoseaweed.no Facebook: tangoseaweed.no

Photo: Julie Kreis

Left: This Christmas, the distillery will launch its first take on the Christmas aquavit, a traditional drink in Norway at Christmas. Middle: The distillery. Right: Aquavit pictured amongst the Sunnmøre Alps, where the Brennevinsgrova distillery is located.

A fluid taste of northwestern Norway

When Harald Strømmegjerde took over the family farm, he established something quite contrary to his predecessors. His pursuit, still grounded in local traditions, turned out to be award-winning.

By Åsa H. Aaberge | Photos: Brennevinsgrova

Deep in a valley, at the end of the fjord in the outskirts of Sykkylven, lies the distillery Brennevinsgrova, surrounded by the wild, steep landscape of the Sunnmøre Alps. Inspired by the regional surroundings, Harald Strømmgjerde founded Brennevinsgrova on the family farm in 2019. Two years on, the liquor has acquired notable awards for both its taste and its looks.

To date, Strømmegjerde makes five types of gin and five variations of aquavit at Brennevinsgrova. All products are based on and inspired by local ingredients, traditions and tastes. Water used in the Brennevinsgrova spirit comes from the glaciers in the surrounding Sunnmøre Alps, some gins are made with seaweed from nearby coastal village Herøy, and the aquavit contains potatoes from the area.

“I aim to use local flavours in the products, such as locally grown berries, fruit and herbs. Our bestseller, the Strawberry Pink gin, is made using raspberries and strawberries from Valldal, about an hour from here. Other liquors have locally sourced ingredients like blueberries, rhubarb, apples and chervil,” says Strømmegjerde.

The Brennevinsgrova products are local in every sense of the word. Earlier this autumn, a couple of Strømmegjerde’s friends showed up unannounced at the distillery door with 30 litres of blueberries picked in the mountains behind the farm.

“They offered me the berries to make blueberry gin. So, even if I do most of the work at Brennevinsgrova myself, I get both help and inspiration from people around me,” says Strømmegjerde.

The name Brennevinsgrova has local affiliations dating back hundreds of years. Brennevinsgrova directly translates from Norwegian to ‘liquor spring’. Although it is not, naturally, liquor that flows through the spring, it was a spot where, according to local history, people back in the day would have stopped to take a sip of an alcoholic beverage on their way home from the village. During wintertime, the spring never freezes, and it has therefore been a source for the locals to quench their thirst for centuries.

The small distillery has claimed notable awards in international competitions across the world. “This year, we won gold in London for gin and two silver medals for the bottle design. It feels good to know our products meet high-quality standards out in the world,” says a humble Strømmegjerde.

He is constantly aiming to further the brand and is currently working to bring back local, traditional techniques to create the first Brennevinsgrova whisky, made using turf sourced nearby and Norwegian malt and grains.

Web: www.brennevinsgrova.no Instagram: @brennevinsgrova

Ex-US president Bill Clinton stopping by for a hotdog.

Bæjarins Betzu Pylsur: Iceland’s humble hotdog celebrity

Hotdogs are arguably the west’s favourite street food, and in Iceland there is only one contender for the island’s best sausage. Bæjarins Betzu Pylsur draws tourists and famous faces in numbers only rivalled by that of the local regulars who swear by the almost-100-year-old recipe. is actually a very popular tradition. When Icelanders go abroad, the things they miss most are the Icelandic pools and Bæjarins hotdogs!” says Baldur.

I’ll take eina með öllu! Despite international acclaim, Bæjarins Beztu’s philosophy remains true to its roots: “Our only mission here is to give our clients great hotdogs,” says Baldur. “That’s something we’re very proud of.”

Do it like a local and order one with ‘the works’ – or ‘eina með öllu’. The storied sausage-stand is a must for travellers looking to get under the skin of Iceland’s national cuisine.

By Lena Hunter | Photos: Baejarins Beztu Pylsur

The birth of the hotdog is credited to a German immigrant called Feuchtwanger, who brought the frankfurter to the American mid-west in the 1880s, where it was promptly slotted into a bun and crowned the king of fast food.

50 years later, Iceland found its own Feuchtwanger: Jón Sveinsson. In 1937, the fisherman brought a Danish sausage recipe across the North Sea and began selling hotdogs on the streets of Reykjavik. Bæjarins Betzu Pylsur (for ‘The Best Sausages in Town’) quickly became a local icon. Four generations later, the hotdog is still part of Iceland’s national cuisine and Jón’s great-grandson, Baldur Halldórsson, has taken up the mantle.

Serious about sausages “We take hotdogs way too seriously,” laughs Baldur. Bæjarins Beztu sausages are made with lamb – more flavoursome and readily available on the windswept isle than pork. “The buns are all-natural, steamed so they become super soft, and our sausages are heated to 80 degrees to have that perfect snappy bite. The combination of textures is perfect,” he explains.

The hotdogs are topped with traditional favourites: raw and cooked onion, Icelandic specialty Vals (a sweet apple ketchup), brown Danish mustard – strong and bitter – and Remoulade, a mayonnaise-based sauce with relish.

A real Icelandic welcome Bæjarins Beztu has such a cult following that ex-US president Bill Clinton even snagged a sausage on his trip to Iceland, as did vocalist James Hetfield of Metallica. Baldur now has seven locations on the small island, including a newly-opened stand in the airport.

“The first thing you can do when you enter the country now is have a hotdog – which

Web: bbp.is

Photo: Anders Husa

A true taste of Denmark

For a genuine experience of Nordic cuisine, look no further than the quintessentially Danish Christianshavn Færgecafé in one of the capital’s oldest, most charming neighbourhoods. Here, you can sample outstanding old-school classics with a contemporary twist, served with a side or two of homemade snaps.

By Trine Jensen-Martin | Photos: Mikkel Bækgaard

When Erik Frandsen took over Christianshavn Færgecafè (CF) eight years ago, he wanted to create somewhere he would want to eat himself, somewhere for the whole family – a space for any celebration or event. “This place is a people place, for children and grown-ups alike. I love seeing a three-year-old with his or her first big plate of our ‘stegt flæsk’ [a muchloved Danish dish of fried pork belly] and to see them return over the years too,” says Frandsen – or the captain, as he is lovingly referred to by staff and locals.

Family and a heartfelt welcome are at the core of CF, both its food and its people. They are self-confessed food nerds, who take everything from their smørrebrød to their evening menu equally seriously. “We want people to get to know Danish food and cooking, and to feel like many of us feel when we sit at our mother’s table sharing a meal with family and friends,” Frandsen explains.

It is about much more than food: the quality is all-important, but the way you eat, the enjoyment and the ritual, is crucial. On their website, they even have suggestions for songs to sing as you toast your snaps and enjoy your food – an element that most Danes recognise from gatherings involving a shared meal.

Snaps does something different “We want to dust off the slightly oldfashioned and outdated image that snaps has, to give it a fresh identity,” says Frandsen. Craft beer from micro-breweries and whiskey from independent distillers are nothing new these days, he argues, but in some ways snaps is. “Snaps does something very different to other spirits,” he says. “It is perfect for clearing the palate

in between dishes and is a game-changer. It sits next to food in a completely different and very playful way.”

Their snaps list currently offers 40 unique tastes and styles, ranging from sweeter ones to savoury or spicier options. Captain Erik is now a snaps enthusiast extraordinaire. “When I first took over CF, I didn’t even drink snaps, so I decided to create one that I liked.”

His first foray into the art of snaps making was the now popular Christianshavnerurten, made with tarragon, which, he explains, goes spectacularly well with their deconstructed, curried herring – a traditional and hugely popular dish on a Danish lunch table or at Christmas.

These days, Frandsen is also partial to their horseradish-infused snaps, the Moby Dick, and enjoys sharing his expertise and passion for snaps making at one of his regular workshops, or ‘snapseskoler’, which concludes with a shared meal and a tasting of snaps. Frandsen is both honest and transparent in what he does and generously shares recipes and ideas.

No frills but lots of thrills “We are contemporary, not modern, and you will find no foam or powder on our dishes,” Frandsen says. The focus is on serving the same food that you might have eaten at home – food that instantly transports you back in time, yet holds you right here in the present because of the way Frandsen and his team recreate the classics. They keep the ingredients the same but make slight changes here and there, the overall effect still being a great taste of nostalgia. The main drive for CF is not to be at the very forefront of experimental haute cuisine, but instead to serve food that you recognise on your plate. What they do try to be is real, honest and with a focus on the full experience of the Danish kitchen.

The food of love “I want our customers to feel like they have had a fantastic home-cooked meal, like it was made by mum and consumed in cosy and friendly surrounds,” explains Frandsen. The Danish concept of ‘hygge’ has become very popular in the UK over the past six or seven years and is absolutely key; the atmosphere and banter between customers and crew of the great ship of CF are as important as the food. “It usually takes me ages to walk to the restaurant, because the locals know me and I them, we chat, we connect and engage with one another,” the restaurateur continues.

Christianshavn Færgecafè is a neighbourhood restaurant, a place for all people, where you can expect excellent, oldschool food done in a current style; where you will always be warmly welcomed and treated to a new and exciting flavour of snaps to sample. So tread the wooden boards of this much-loved local establishment, and it’s pretty much guaranteed that you will leave with both belly and heart completely full.

Snaps workshop. Strandgade evening atmosphere with Erik in front of the restaurant.

Join Erik Frandsen for one of his hugely popular snaps workshops: faergecafeen.dk/snapseskole.

If you can’t make it to Copenhagen, then the ever generous Captain Erik happily shares recipes of some of the firm favourites from Færgecafeen: faergecafeen.dk/opskrift-snaps

Web: faergecafeen.dk Facebook: Christianshavn Færgecafé Instagram: @faergecafeen

Freshly fried fillets of plaice.

Real soul seafood

Thorupstrand Fiskehus, on the northwesterly coast of Jutland, is fast gaining a reputation for excellent, authentic food. They offer the freshest of fish alongside local, artisan produce on a simple yet excellent menu, never compromising on quality or core values.

By Trine Jensen-Martin | Photos: Thorupstrand Fiskehus

The setting for Thorupstrand Fiskehus (TF) is picture perfect, so it is little wonder that visitors flock to this place, distinctly off the well-trodden tourist track, and even less surprising that they keep coming back. Thorupstrand came to the attention of the Danes when the TV programme Gutterne på kutterne (or, ‘The guys on the boats’) aired in 2015, bringing the fishing ways of a group of local fishermen into the spotlight. These days, something else is attracting people to this unassuming fishing village.

(Not just) a piece of fishcake! Thorupstrand Fiskehus is right on the beach, where the fishing boats pull up on the sand. The fishermen bring their catch to the in-house cutting and filleting facilities, where the fish is prepared for the kitchen, and turned into mouth-watering dishes.

Welcome to the shop. Christine behind the counter. Photo: Visit Nordvestkysten “It would be easier to buy 1,000 kilogrammes of ready-made remoulade, but we don’t. We prepare the ingredients and pickle the gherkins that go into our homemade remoulade,” explains Janet Anisimow, one of the two managers at TF. “We can guarantee the flavour and quality of each mouthful.”

It’s not just about the fish; it’s about everything that goes into it. Each dish is meticulously sourced and crafted, and while certainly labour intensive, it is worth it. “We love welcoming our guests and appreciate the support we have from locals and those coming from further afield,” says Janni Olesen, TF’s other manager.

That they talk about guests rather than customers is very telling of this welcoming place. It is unfussy and down-to-earth, so if you want white linen-bedecked tables and fine wines, this is perhaps not the place. However, if you are after fresh

seafood, an unpretentious menu executed to perfection, and a view to die for, then it certainly is. They are refreshingly honest in their approach; the guests collect their order from the counter and eat outside on benches facing the sea and sand dunes, or take shelter in the newly renovated room above the shop, with undisturbed views of the beach.

Sustainable and gentle fishing methods Where TF get their ingredients from, in particular the fish, is hugely important. They only use fish that has been caught in a manner that is gentle to nature, using tools with minimum impact on seabed and wildlife, such as spinning rods, fishing nets and hooks.

Although this way of fishing goes back generations in Thorupstrand, it is now in the spotlight everywhere else, too, as the rest of the world is now moving in a more environmentally focused direction. The boats are also smaller, allowing for fishing closer to the coast, as well as being out at sea for shorter periods, ensuring optimal freshness of the fish caught.

Giving back to the community Thorupstrand is a close-knit community: a bustling place in summer, yet still thriving out of season. “It is important to us to show appreciation to the locals, who have supported us from day one. We are as thrilled when they visit to grab a bite and a beer and sit down to take in the sunset, as when a family of returning tourists come in for their evening meals,” says Janni. “We want to give something back to those around us. We are a mainstay of Thorupstrand and participate in the community wholeheartedly.”

This is where it all comes together: the fishermen and their methods, the local produce and the people; they are creating authentic and wonderful food, with heart and soul, rooted in local tradition, yet with a view to the future. “The building that houses our shop and restaurant is owned jointly by the fishermen in Thorupstrand, and they have chosen us to oversee and manage the place,” the two managers explain. “A percentage of the revenue from TF goes into repair of the building itself, the fishery and the machines,” they add. They work closely together with the fishermen and the local community, and when reflecting on the challenges of not letting their business grow too big, they agree that this is simply not what they ever intended. “It is hard at times, but we are stubborn and stay true to our ideals,” Janni explains. Thorupstrand Fiskehus is a product of its community and not trying to be anything other than what it is. A genuine gem of a place, it is well worth a visit, no matter how far you may have to travel; a shared love of the sea and the surrounding nature is evident in both the people and the food.

Fish‘n’chips. Boats in the sunset. Photo: Visit Nordvestkysten

Web: www.thorupstrandfiskehus.dk Facebook: Thorupstrand Fiskehus Instagram: @thorupstrandfiskehus

Janni and Janet, managers of Thorupstrand Fiskehus. Photo:Torben Agersted

Photo: Frederic Smith

Grills, mead and events at the beautiful Endrupgaard

Annemarie and Mads Hartvig Jensen have each built up their own business at Endrupgaard, the old family farm. All three businesses go hand in hand: Endrupgaard offers the perfect surroundings for hosting events like barbecueing classes and mead tastings, tying the three businesses together beautifully.

By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: JensenGrill

In 2010, Mads Hartvig Jensen founded JensenGrill. In 2016, he took over the family farm, Endrupgaard, and in 2018, his wife, Annemarie Hartvig Jensen, started her company, Underfundig. Running three businesses might sound like an overwhelming task to some, but this couple loves it.

Annemarie worked as a pharmacist for 17 years before she got her degree as a brew master from the University of Copenhagen. During years working at Carlsberg, Jacobsen Micro Brewery and Skands, she grew increasingly interested in mead, which is the oldest alcoholic drink based on fermented honey. “I wanted to make a new interpretation of the old drink,” says Annemarie.

In 2018, the new, fantastic mead was ready and Underfundig was established in the basement of their house in Frederiksberg. “Everything was carried in and out by hand. We produced in 200-litre tanks, because that was the only thing we could fit through the doors,” she says.

Since then, the sales have increased and new products have been added. In 2020, Annemarie was ready to put a new sparkling mead into production. “In order to make that, we needed an entirely different production set-up. The old horse stables on the farm were renovated and made into a brewery, and today most of our production takes place there,” Annemarie explains.

A hassle-free grill In another building on the farm, Mads is producing his JensenGrill products. His interest in barbecueing came after spending time in Australia, where he became a bit of a barbecueing enthusiast. Then he brought his new passion back to Denmark. One thing that always annoyed him was the hassle of using charcoal and the missing flavour from the gas grill. With his background as a product developing engineer, he decided to design and produce his own grill in 2004.

The design and functionality combining gas, charcoal and a smoker in one unique

unit is still the cornerstone among all the JensenGrill products today. “I have taken the best from all worlds and eliminated the hassles. Use the gas to ignite the charcoal, use it as a traditional gas grill, or transform it into a smoker. You never run out of heat when barbecueing on charcoal, as the gas burner can always be used as a supplement. A handle in the front adjusts the distance between the charcoal and the grate, giving you perfect heat control,” Mads explains. “Design is a personal matter, but I have made something very unique. It’s minimalistic and beautiful, and I think it fits our proud Scandinavian tradition.”

Everything is made using high-quality materials, and the few parts that wear out over the years can be easily replaced, giving you a grill that lasts for a very long time. “Once you have tried JensenGrill, you will never look back,” Mads asserts. “The functionality and flexibility are extraordinary; a grill from JensenGrill is a must for every foodie. Each grill is carefully designed and hand-built here at Endrupgaard.”

Sparkling mead, barbecueing techniques and activities in the park “Endrupgaard has a gorgeous view overlooking Esrum Lake, and we already have both my production and my wife’s mead production here, so creating events that include both businesses was a natural addition,” says Mads.

Whether you are looking for a company activity, something to do with your friends, or a weekend activity for the family, the barbecueing classes are always a huge hit among visitors. A grilling class will teach you a range of tips and tricks about grilling, plus you get a unique opportunity to try a JensenGrill. “Making food is always a nice social activity. In the summer, you can use our park, tennis court or football goals to play games or have a little competition, if you need a social activity on top of the food and grilling,” says Mads.

During 2022, the couple also plans to expand the events on Endrupgaard to include mead tastings, and to collaborate with locals – so stay tuned, as there will without a doubt be an event for you.

Web: www.endrupgaard.dk www.jensengrill.com www.underfundig.dk Facebook: JensenGrill UNDERFUNDIGmjød Instagram: @jensengrill @underfundigmjod YouTube: JensenGrill

Photo: Frederic Smith