• Mere om smagen af Fyn
• Anders Granhøj Restaurant No. 13

At least, that is the opinion of Anders Granhøj, who runs a restaurant in Svendborg. Come along on a tour of the gourmet landscape of Fyn.

The taste of Fyn. It sounds nostalgic, but in fact it is not. It’s a trendy reality, because Fyn is at the very forefront of flourishing farm shops, fine ingredients and innovative delicacies when it comes to food and taste.

Anders Granhøj knows a thing or two about this, because he left Fyn in the mid-1990s to work as a chef in France. His experience of southern Europe was quite a revelation to him… was it really possible to give such high priority to food? Could ingredients really be as good as that? This was all new to him.

“When I returned home five years later, I knew I had to make an effort to stand out by finding some unique ingredients. I began by identifying producers of exceptionally good meat, vegetables, potatoes and cheeses. It seemed perfectly natural, but tracking them down was hard work. For a start, there weren’t very many; secondly, they lived in a kind of obscurity,” Anders Granhøj explains about starting up in 2001.

The reality is completely different today. In the meantime, the name “Smagen af Fyn” (“The Taste of Fyn”) has been given to an association of producers with a real passion for promoting and organising all the quality products of Fyn and making them more accessible to restaurants, private customers and tourists alike. There is now a strong, very positive focus on the regional delicacies and the many anecdotes that typically go with them.

“The mild climate and the excellent soil are unique to Fyn. These are good conditions for producing exceptional goods – all that is required is the will to produce them. But when you put your heart into it, the quality generally follows. In fact, it really boils down to spreading the good news: here’s another great product from Fyn,” Anders says.

“There’s been a lot of good news like this in recent years. It’s really heartening to see,” the chef adds. He is equally proud of being part of a development that means his restaurant can help to relate the anecdotes about the produce that is intrinsic to a great meal.
“But it’s not just about gourmet food. It’s every bit as much about insisting on the best for everyday Danish meatballs. I’ve noticed this more and more,” he comments.

• Recipe - Fresh Fjord Prawns
• Recipe - South Fyn line mussels

The growing interest in good produce is manifest in the many new farm shops that keep appearing. Culinary tours are organised for special interest groups and tourists, and Anders Granhøj believes it is only right that people should start to think a bit more about what they eat:

“Good ingredients are essential for good food. You can’t conjure up a great taste – it’s there from the outset. Little by little, Fyn has attained a very high standard when it comes to ingredients and the restaurants that promote them – I would definitely say the best of Fyn is comparable with France,” he says.

Naturally, as one of Fyn’s ambassadors of good taste, he is delighted to see that these efforts are paying off. There are gourmet markets in Odense and more than 50 quality-controlled farm shops throughout Fyn are members of “The Taste of Fyn” association, and a number of initiatives each year promote the message, including Kulinarisk Sydfyn (Culinary South Fyn), Smagens Dag (Taste Day) and “Folkemiddage” events, meals made for the public by the island’s best chefs who prepare inexpensive food with the very best, top-quality ingredients – from Fyn, of course.

“As a chef and an advocate of better food in general, it’s lovely to see workmanship and food culture making a comeback after a long difficult period. When Sinai Landmejeri dairy suddenly becomes famous for its cheeses, it’s not because they’re doing anything new. Quite the opposite – they’re using a method that’s 50 years old, combined with tons of experience. But that’s just how you go about producing the best smoked cheese in the world. Similarly, Skiftekær potatoes are quite simply grown in special soil, which gives them a unique buttery taste… it’s not difficult; it’s about respecting crops and respecting nature. Or beef from Nørhavegaard on Langeland, or the world’s best chicken from Allégården on Søndersø, and so on…”

Anders Granhøj can talk for hours about the produce that is not only his daily bread as a chef but also his personal passion.

“There are so many discoveries and great anecdotes when it comes to food – it’s really that simple – and you have to be wholehearted about it.”

Nørregård in Aarup is situated between Assens and Odense, and Nørregård is in Aarup. Besides selling organic beef, there is a grocer’s shop that only sells organic produce. Fresh vegetables from the fields and freshly baked bread from Nørregård’s own bakery are sold in the shop. Fruit and vegetables are supplemented with produce from other growers.
Nørregård, Nedermarken 8, DK-5560 Årup. Open Tues and Fri 10 am - 5 pm.
www.norregaard-is.dk

Nørhavegård. This farm produces the finest kind of beef – steer beef. The animals grow more slowly and as a result of this slower growth, the texture of the meat is finer and more tender. Nørhavegård has been included in the Slow Food Guide since 2002 and the Eat Guide 2003, and supplies meat to some of the best restaurants on Fyn. Nørhavegård is run organically.
Nørhavegård, Søndre Landevej 34, DK-5900 Rudkøbing. Open every Friday from 12 noon - 6 pm.
www.norhavegard.dk

Hestehavegård near Gislev in the east of Fyn sells produce including Danbo cheese, dairy products from Jersey milk, veal and sliced veal. The shop is open Thursdays and Fridays 9 am - 5 pm, Saturdays 9 am - 1 pm.
www.hestehavegaard.dk


 

On the little island of Strynø off Svendborg are Øksenæbbegård farm and Øhavets Syltetøj (“archipelago preserves”). The varieties available at the moment are blackcurrant, gooseberry, raspberry and strawberry/rhubarb. Production methods are careful and organic, and the jam is already widely acclaimed well beyond the boundaries of Fyn. A true delicacy.
See www.ohavets.dk

Another island delicacy is Skarø ice cream – made on Skarø, sweetened with birch wine and made using organic cream. No sugar and only the purest ingredients.
www.skaroe.dk


‘Det lille brænderi’ (“the little distillery”) near Svendborg specialises in top-class local brandies in the same sort of league as calvados or Alsace Eau de Vie. See
www.aquavitaesydfyn.dk

• Gårdbutikken Steensgaard

There are lots of superb dairies on Fyn: Grambogård, Løgismose Mejeri and Sinai Landmejeri are some examples with exceptional produce. Sinai has been in existence since 1867 and produces cheeses including Seniorita, Svenbo, goat’s cheese and smoked cheese. The Sinai farm shop is open Thursday 1-3 pm, Friday 2-5 pm and Saturday 9 am - 12 noon. Several cheeses from these dairies have won awards.
See www.grambogard.dkor www.loegismose.dkor www.sinai-landmejeri.dk

Gårdbutikken på Steensgaard
Offer a fine selection of meats and cheeses: STEENSBO - Danbo-type 45+ with/without caraway & 20+
HAVARTI - Geniune old-fashioned Havarti 45+
DANSK HERREGÅRDSOST Emmenthaler-type 45+
Open: Thursdays and Fridays:  13 - 17
Saturdays and Sundays 10 - 13
Steensgaard 7, 5642 Millinge

Summerbird and Konnerup & Co. on southern Fyn are the two best-known chocolate producers on Fyn, www.summerbird.dk  and www.konnerup-co.dk.

But l’Artisan from Søndersø on northern Fyn is also well worth noting, www.lartisan.dk
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Fyn is very rich in vegetables and lovely fruit. Skiftekær Økologi is one of the first and largest producers, but the markets in Svendborg and Odense every Wednesday and Saturday are great places to find good fruit and vegetables. Roadside kiosks on Fyn also offer plenty of good-quality items.
www.skiftekaer.dk

• Bestil Guide til Fynske Fristelser

Guide til Fynske Fristelser (“Guide to Funen Temptations”) about the many tempting culinary experiences on Fyn. You can order the book here. price DKK 75

Slow Food Dansk Kulinarisk Guide 2007-2008 is available for DKK 99 from www.booksforcooks.dk  
The guide contains an overview of the best produce in Denmark. Divided into regions, it contains relevant, in-depth articles about kitchen utensils, the top 20 wine shops in Denmark and other exciting things.