copenhagen Archives - Munchies and Munchkins

Last month I set off on a trip to Denmark. I am a little in love with Denmark, well Copenhagen at least as I haven’t yet ventured outside of the capital. This was my third trip inside of 12 months but my previous trips had been all too brief, this time I felt I really got to know this wonderful city. I was invited by Copenhagen Cooking Festival to come and check out the festival and the food scene in the city and what a trip it was!

Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival is an annual food festival that celebrates the Copenhagen gastro scene and Denmark as a food country.The festival offers more than 100 unique events over the course of 10 days in August and there is something for every taste – from intimate dinners with Danish chefs to huge food events with thousands of guests. Famous chefs from all over the world featured in this years festival.

My trip started off with a super speedy check in at the perfectly instagrammable Andersen Hotel before jumping in a cab and zooming off to Israel Plads for the festival opening BBQ. The BBQ was sponsored by Jacobsen (Carlsberg) who had created a pretty pink beer in honour of the occasion, I had my fair share of it during the weekend. We had food cooked in front of us by chefs and foragers such as Thomas Laursen ( www.wildfooding.dk ), Morten Falk ( Danish participant for Bocus D’or ), Henrik Jyrk ( One of the best BBQ chefs in Denmark ) and Karlos Ponte ( former head chef of Noma ) so as you can imagine we were extremely well fed. The weather was drizzly and wet for our first evening but there was a party atmosphere in the tent and we had a wonderful night.

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

The next day began with an early start as I and fellow trip attendee Kim Leuenberger went exploring Copenhagen before the city really woke up, we walked miles along empty streets munching Cinnamon buns. We enjoyed the famous Nyhavn haven area in relative peace and glorious sunshine, if you ever visit the city I recommend getting up early to do this.

After our explorations we met up with the rest of our group and headed off for a day at Christian Puglisi’s Farm Of Ideas festival. This was a really fun experience. Christian established this farm a year ago to be able to produce organic ingredients for his restaurants, I’ll be writing about this a little more later this month so keep your eyes peeled. On arrival at the farm we collected our picnic baskets, complete with blankets, glasses, cutlery and plates and our tokens which allowed us to collect a dish from each stand at the round tent on the farm.

There was a really family vibe at the picnic on the hill, the weather was perfect and well it was a bit special. Atmosphere aside we had some amazing food on offer cooked by seriously talented and successful chefs such as Claus Meyer, Jock Zonfrillo and more. My favourite dish was the potato salad. I mean when is potato salad ever the highlight of a meal? I guess when it is cooked by Claus Meyer, the trick he told me is to cook the potatoes in beer. I am experimenting with my own version of this recipe..coming soon!

I also enjoyed watching Frank Erichsen churning THE most incredible butter to serve with the famous Mirabelle sourdough. Oh and did I mention the Mirabelle ice cream.. OH MY WORD. Raw milk ice cream served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. An absolute taste sensation I assure you.

After the picnic Christian took us on a tour of the farm, explaining a bit more behind the ideas that made it all come together. It was incredibly interesting, I always love listening to someone who is passionate about food and where it comes from and Christian is definitely that. We also got to meet the cows who were responsible for the ice cream we ate after lunch and the mozzarella we enjoyed at our evening banquet. The time taken from when they are milked to when the cheese and ice cream is produced is generally less than 12 hours which is fairly incredible. It ensures the product you eat is as fresh as it can possibly be.

Image credit: KIM LEUENBERGER

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the farm. There were talks from food influencers and chefs such as Darina Allen and Jock Zontrillo which we watched whilst enjoying some natural wine.

Our day finished with the Bæst pop up banquet, Bæst are known for their incredible pizzas ( voted amongst the top 20 pizzerias in the world) and they certainly didn’t disappoint. The fresh mozzarella and charcuterie deserve a mention too. There was such a warm, friendly atmosphere in the banquet area and we enjoyed a LOT of delicious wine and food.

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

We left the farm weary and full of good food and stories. Look out for part two of my trip coming up in a few days which includes a trip to 108 ( Noma), a Michelin food experience, dining at the top of the Culture Tower and the best hotdog in the world contest. Oh and loads more photos of course!

If you are planning a trip to Copenhagen check out my friend Anders Husa favourite food spots.

In October as the leaves hit that wondrous golden, crispy stage and the days were chilly yet not obscenely cold I visited Denmark for the very first time. The home of Hygge is so incredibly inviting that I walked around with a huge smile on my face for the entire duration of my stay. Copenhagen was my destination for this first visit and it captured my heart a little.

I managed to pack a lot into a fairly short stay with an indulgent stay at The Hilton Copenhagen as well as the most fun evening at the beautiful Tivoli Amusement park and gardens.

The Hilton at Copenhagen Airport is a stylish and modern hotel, 12 storeys high with rooms to suit all budgets. The first perk of staying here is that you can just casually stroll in via a walkway directly from the airport terminals, it makes ending your journey so much easier, but this is not your typical boring airport hotel. You see the usual Hilton attention to detail within the lobby and communal areas. The staff at the desk are friendly and courteous and check in is a breeze.

I stayed in an Executive room which allowed for use of the Executive Lounge for the duration of the stay. The lounge offers soft drinks, hot drinks and complimentary snacks throughout the day in an area which is just perfect for relaxation. At night there is a wide selection of alcoholic drinks to choose from also.

The executive rooms are large and airy with a huge comfy bed, desk, tv and sofa as well as floor to ceiling windows. The bathroom is stocked with Peter Roth toiletries and houses a shower AND a bath – an essential in my opinion.

I may have spent a little more time than necessary lazing on this bed and looking out of the window on my last day.

I was lucky enough to try the buffet dinner at the hotel on my first evening and as someone who is constantly disappointed by the quality of buffet food this was a pleasant surprise. All of the hot dishes I tried were excellent, particularly the veal and the pork. The bar staff also make a mean mojito! Breakfast at the hotel was excellent with a varied selection of hot and cold foods on offer. Bonus points go to the Hilton for not only having a separate table of Gluten Free breads and pastries but also a separate toaster – I was really impressed, although I don’t have to avoid gluten, some of my family members do so I am always looking at the ways hotels and restaurants deal with it. The Hilton always make a huge effort in each one I have visited so this was not surprising but impressive none the less.

Once in the city I tried my first Smørrebrød– that is the famous Danish open sandwich. It will not be my last! For those who need to know what is in the photo..its Rye Bread topped with avocado, chicken mayo, the crispiest bacon and asparagus. AHH can I return just for another one?

As the afternoon wore on sugar was needed, and I had the most delicious cinnamon pastry served with super creamy hot chocolate at The Andersen Bakery.

Next up was exploring the scenic Nyhavn area of Copenhagen. It is such a buzzing and vibrant area of the city and I would love to spend more time there just watching the world go by.

There is beautiful architecture everywhere you look, especially the government buildings which are particularly impressive.

On my second day in Copenhagen I spent some time at Tivoli Gardens, I think this may be one of the best parts of my visit. They really went out all out with the Halloween and Autumnal decor and there must have been a thousand pumpkins strewn around, it was by far the prettiest theme park I have been to. Lots of different rides for all ages and the most enticing smells of freshly popped corn, mulled wine and candy floss followed you around. As darkness fell, the park lit up with thousands of lights ( very cosy or hyggeligt I should say ) and I could have spent hours sat looking out onto the water – if it hadn’t been so cold that is!

Apologies for the quality of my photos, I managed to take the wrong lens for my camera and my current phone camera is a little sketchy!

I will be honest, I was a a little sad to leave this beautiful country. I would highly recommend a visit to Copenhagen and a stay at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport, I certainly hope to return at some point, there is so much still I want to see and do.

My stay at The Hilton was complimentary for the purpose of this post. Thank you to The Hilton Copenhagen and Tivoli Gardens for hosting me during my stay.

Copenhagen Cooking Festival 2017 Review Part 1

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Cosy In Copenhagen At The Hilton

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