Aalan farm The Aalan farm can be found in the Lauvdalen valley that is surrounded by majestic mountains, where goats freely move up and down in the summer. This has been the domicile of Tove and Knut for the past twenty years. What was once a small goat farm with a herb garden has now grown into a farm feeding as many as 200 goats. Every summer, tourists flock here to buy cheese and hike the mountains. With more awards than one can count, Tove and Knut’s cheeses have gained widespread recognition. Those who have no time to visit the farm can taste their cheese at several Lofoten restaurants, while the farm is also a chief cheese supplier to the Norwegian cruise line called Hurtigruten.
In a small café that is open in the summer, guests can sit down and smell the scent of freshly-picked herbs while observing the cheese production process. Thanks to collaboration with a few other farms in the valley, parking spots are now available for anyone who would like to try out one of the hiking trails in the area. While it is possible to hike individually, visitors can hire a guide to either travel on foot or to embark on a horseback ride. All this can be combined with local culinary experiences from the farms.
Paleo Arctic Those who cannot stay long at Lofoten but would still like to experience the amazing food are strongly advised to reserve a breakfast table at the Paleo Arctic restaurant in Svolvaer. The breakfast buffet includes food harvested from the sea, mountains and land. Smoked lamb and whale meat are combined with locally produced cheese, salt cod, pickled herring, classic Norwegian waffles with brown cheese, and smoked cod caviar.
“The pasturage in the mountains is pure and of high quality, which gives the milk its special character. This, in turn, gives the cheese its special flavour. Although we use traditional recipes, we develop our craft by relying on innovations from other cultures. That is the secret behind our cheeses,” explains Tove.
We now have tourists coming here not only in the summer but throughout the entire year. It is incredibly exciting to know that people want to come here even during the dark days of the year
Maren Anna In the tiny fishing village of Sørvågen on the Moskenesøya island, we met up with chef Tommi and his friend Petter, who is a fisherman. Several times a week, Petter heads out to catch fish, either on his own or with tourists, and delivers his catch to the restaurant. As we were there during the cod season, which lasts from January to late April, we were fortunate enough to accompany Petter on one of his fishing trips. The feeling of catching our own cod from a perfectly calm ocean with the sun beaming down is something we will never forget. In the evening, we sat down at the restaurant and savoured the fish that was caught right off the coast the very same day with love and our newly-developed skills which we knew would provide enough material to create a lifelong memory. As a young man, Tommi Bjørnsen left Lofoten to move to the mainland and learn everything he could about the art of cooking. After spending several years mastering his craft at some of the famous restaurants in Oslo, he returned to Lofoten to take over the Maren Anna restaurant in Sørvågen, which had been run by his parents. “With local ingredients typical of Lofoten and experience acquired in the French cuisine, I serve what I love the most, the Nordic cuisine enhanced by influences from all over the world” says Björnsen. Petter Thoresen runs the Nordic Fishing Adventures. He offers everything from fishing trips in the duration of 3–4 hours to complete adventure packages with overnight stays, where one can prepare the fish they have caught together with chefs from Maren Anna.
“If I could, I would spend all my time on the boat, but as things stand now, I am usually here only six out of seven days” remarks Thoresen with a laugh.
From the sea to land and the table
The ability to make use of the resources offered by the sea and the mountains has always been important at Lofoten. In the past, such lifestyle was more of a necessity, but now it is a way of keeping the tradition alive and demonstrating the amazing diversity that can be experienced here.
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