An invaluable supply of raw produce
During the past decade Samsø has built up an impressive range of restaurants. They all have in common the fact that they are based on the many excellent raw ingredients available on the island. You simply don’t get food fresher than that available on Samsø.
Text by Rasmus Palsgård
I’ve come to Samsø throughout my life and every summer I’m reminded just how good fresh Samsø ingredients really taste. Can a cauliflower really be so sweet and nutty in taste? Can a strawberry be so red, intense and balanced? Yes, on Samsø they can and I well up from tasting a freshly dug Linzer potato from Langemarksgård with cold butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. It is simply magical.
Unique access to the raw produce
Fortunately the island’s best restaurants have all realised this and over the past few decades they have happily moved away from deep-fried and frozen foods and devoted themselves to the island’s many edible jewels. Copenhagen’s top restaurants undoubtedly have much to offer but when it comes to freshly harvested vegetables, they come up short compared to Samsø’s restaurants, which can pull the ingredients directly out of the soil and serve them to their guests a few hours later.
A solid base
As mentioned, much has happened in recent years on the restaurant front and it pleases me to see that the island today has a reliable selection of eateries that take their ingredients and guests seriously. Nothing beats a summer evening in the sun on Skipperly’s terrace, where you can indulge in fresh fish and freshly harvested potatoes. The many classic dishes hit the mark and they are served without fuss of any kind.
Even in Tranebjerg, which has not hitherto been known for good restaurants, you will find interesting places to have your lunch or dinner. At Samsø Madkulturhus they even took up the fight and offered a small bread selection based on good flour and sourdough and at Samsø Madsnedkeri local organic raw produce from the island’s growing number of growers were held in high esteem.
Over the past couple of years, Nordby has flourished, thanks in part to Lars Damgaard Hansen, who moved his grocery store Smagen Af Øen to Nordby’s high street. Here you will find all the best specialities that Samsø has to offer as well as excellent freshly baked rye bread. You can also enjoy the goods in the in-store cafe.
Opposite you find Work.Play.Nordby. a permanent pop-up restaurant, where changing eateries pop up throughout the season.
A few metres further up the street, Anette and Lasse serve simple, honest and well-prepared food based on the island’s best produce and Nordby can yet again boast a nice selection of eateries.
In other words, Samsø has become a real dining island and I look forward every time I board the ferry.
- Rasmus Palsgård is a trained journalist and despite his young age has established himself as one of the country’s leading food and wine writers.
- You can follow him on his blog, www.feinschmeckeren.dk, as well as in newspapers and magazines, including Gastro, to which he is a regular contributor.
- Rasmus is the jury president for the new Nordic restaurant list 360, which focuses on how the region’s best eateries work with sustainability.
- Rasmus is also a passionate home cook and in 2016 he reached the final of MasterChef.
- Furthermore he has a close relationship with Samsø where he has come throughout his life. His mother was born and raised on the island and thus freshly dug Samsø potatoes have been a regular part of dinnertime when in season.
Last updated: 09/02/2021 14:29
