Food Philosophy at Fretheim hotel

A food experience

With us, the meal shall be a part of the hotel experience, whether you are hosting an event with a customised menu, chooses from the a la carte menu or buffet in restaurant Arven, being served a snack to your meeting, or simply just have breakfast before leaving.

Our menus are seasonal and based on traditions with a modern touch. Here you can be sure to get food prepared with first-class ingredients that are also as short-distance as possible.

-We mean that it is more sustainable to offer hand-picked blueberries from a local farmer, than organic blueberries which must be shipped in from California, says (former) Head Chef Bjarte Finne.

The drinks menu is put together to complement the meal, with carefully selected wines, local beers, and juices. Our skilled waiters are happy to help choosing fitting drinks for the food you have chosen.

Short-travelled

That the food we serve is as short travelled as possible, is one of the basic principles in our food philosophy. Both sustainability and animal welfare are central, and we work closely with a number of local producers who share our values.

With us you get to try goat cheese from Undredal, cured meats and bacon from Haugen Gardsmat, fresh vegetables from Sogn Jord- og Hagebruksskule, berries from Lærdal and meat from Tveite Gard.

We are part of the network Smak av Kysten (Taste of the coast) and among other things, we get halibut from a land-based fish farm by the Sognefjord and shellfish from the coast outside Bergen.

Varied drinks menu

It is not only the food who is locally produced. With the amount of fruit farms along the Sognefjord and the Hardangerfjord, it is no wonder juice and cider from the area have become popular.

Beer brewing has long traditions in Western Norway, and the last few decades beer has gained momentum. There is even a brewery in Flåm, and some of their beers are off course to find on the menu.

The wines may not be as local, but they are carefully selected to fit the current menu. Whatever you prefer, we are certain you will find something that suits your taste.

Produce in season

To always be able to offer our guests natural food made of the best and freshest produce, we base our menus on what is in season at the time and traditional cooking methods. In winter fish and shellfish are at their best and root vegetables with good longevity are important ingredients as accompaniment. Traditionally in Norway, food was cured, smoked, and canned to last through winter, and you will find these methods on our menus.

In spring, life starts to germinate and grow. Spring vegetables like asparagus, fresh herbs, and shoots such as spring onions, are central. Summer is time for fresh vegetables, berries and fruits here by the fjord. We get fresh produce from Lærdal, and we work with Sogn Jord- og Hagebruksskule (acgicultural school) in Aurland that delivers produce especially for us. Autumn is the time for mountain-grazed lambs, game, root vegetables, and apples. Perfect for chilly evenings!

Goats in focus

Did you know that the coat of arms of Aurland municipality is a goat? It is not for all to manoeuver up and down the steep mountains by the fjord, but goats are skilled climbers. According to our enthusiastic chef, goats are in the area’s DNA. What could possibly be more natural than using this precise animal, which is otherwise little used in the Norwegian kitchen, as the menu’s red thread? In restaurant Arven it comes in different forms depending on the season, meat, milk, and cheese are all used. Even for dessert.

Promoting cultural heritage

Food production, culture, and cultural heritage go hand in hand. We want to contribute to a vibrant local culture and biological diversity in the world heritage area. When we support local producers, they can focus on operating on a scale appropriate to the area. The landscape around the Nærøyfjord and Flåm is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List precisely because it has been maintained without major interventions on nature in modern times.

We want to bring back products and ingredients that have nearly been lost. For example, production of various animal breeds which traditionally was important for the area, but lately almost have disappeared due to modern farming. The old cattle breed, Vestnorsk fjordfe, is a good example. This is a type of cow that have not followed modernization, but in fact is very well suited for grazing in the mountainous area by the fjord. Deforestation is not a problem in Western Norway and without grazing animals, the landscape rapidly gets overtaken by bushes and trees.