Tantalise your taste buds in North Jutland

Surrounded by miles of by pristine coast, Denmark’s fertile North Jutland is well known for serving up a superb array of locally grown specialities and freshly caught seafood making it a top destination for a gastronomic break.

Get a taste for the region in North Jutland’s capital city, Aalborg, where a plethora of excellent eateries provides an enticing introduction to the regions many and varied flavours.

Tantalise the taste buds with famous celebrity chef Morten Nielsen’s Danish fusion tasting menu at the highly acclaimed ‘Morten’s Kro’ (mortenskro.dk); savour ‘slow food’ Italian at SanGiovanni (sangiovanni.dk) relish French inspired cuisine with a distinctly Danish twist at Rosdahls (rosdahls.dk) or more simply take a seat in the sunshine at the brassiere styled Mundgott (mundgott.dk) and tuck into freshly plucked Limfjorden mussels.

Venturing into the countryside, holidaymakers can visit some of the many smallholdings and organic farm shops that are open to the public to get a real favour for what has made this area into one of Denmark’s biggest culinary destinations. There’s a huge variety of produce - try some of the local specialities such as freshly picked cowberries, wild woodland mushrooms, Vildmose potatoes sprinkled with locally produced ‘Stensalt’ (saltcenter.com), wild boar air cured ham, traditional beech wood smoked venison (raevhedenaturprodukter.dk), Nibe’s famous Lindegaard dairy’s goat cheese and RYAA ICE from Denmark’s oldest dairy Aabybro Mejeri (ryaais.dk).

Exploring the colourful fishing villages along the Limfjorden strait that flows through North Jutland, see the impressive daily catch firsthand as fishermen unload their haul onto the docks. Join in Løgstør’s annual Mussel Harvest Celebrations or the July Mussel Festival (2 – 4 July 2009) to get your fill of local shellfish or head to the well-known coastal harbour of Skagen where you can see the local fish auction and eat as much fish as you like during July’s’ Great Fish Buffet’ (toppenafdanmark.dk).
More serious seafood lovers might also choose to head further out to sea to the island of Læsø which, in addition to its heather fed lamb, heather honey, organic pork and famous Læsø salt (sydesalt.dk), plays host to the annual Læsø Langoustine Festival (8 August 2009). Overflowing with langoustine and attracting over 3,000 feasting spectators, skilled and famous chefs compete to win the revered ‘Golden Langoustine Claw’ as lucky bystanders savour the results.

Complementing North Jutland’s superb ingredients and local dishes, the region also makes some of country’s most delicious brews, including Denmark’s famous ‘drink with a kick’ – Aquavit (aalborgakvavit.dk). Distilled in Aalborg since 1846, this schnapps is only one of the many varieties of delicious “eau-de-vies” to be tasted throughout the region.

For something a little less feisty, North Jutland’s local microbreweries serve up an excellent selection of ales. Drop in for a pint at Søgaards (soegaardsbryghus.dk) in Aalborg or Nibe Bryghus in the nearby market town Nibe (nibebryghus.dk) and sample one of the fastest growing consumer industries in Denmark. And for those who prefer wine, North Jutland’s first commercial wine producer Glenholm Vineyard (glenholm.dk) in Naesby offers the opportunity to enjoy a Bueto (dry red) or Limosa (sweet dessert wine) amongst the vines.

To totally immerse oneself in the region’s gastronomy opt to stay in one of the many picturesque and historic inns (‘Kro’) or hotels. Established in the 12th Century by King Erik Klipping to offer weary travellers a comfortable bed and hearty meal, this age-old sentiment holds. Serving up traditional dishes in award-winning style with the promise of excellent lodgings, feast on freshly caught pan-fried plaice with a mixture of cowberries, gooseberries and cranberries at Skagen’s Broendum’s Hotel (broendums-hotel.dk) or try the seasonal delicacy of Stenbiderrogn - Danish caviar with blinis and local crème fraiche at Aalbæk Gl Kro (aalbak-gl-kro.dk).

With so much to sink your teeth into, North Jutland serves up a menu that will have holidaymakers spoilt for choice.

Getting there

Norwegian airlines offers direct daily flights from Gatwick to Aalborg in under two hours from as little as £30 one-way including taxes (norwegian.no). To find out more about Inns in North Jutland go to krohotel.dk, visitnordjylland.dk or visitdenmark.com/uk. Car hire is possible from Aalborg airport (all.dk).

For more information on Aalborg and North Jutland go to: visitaalborg.com and visitnordjylland.dk

For more information on Denmark see: visitdenmark.com/uk