Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark
The inn is only a short walk from the beach.
Hotel of the Month, Denmark
A feast for all your senses About halfway up the Eastern coast of Jutland, only 15 kilometres outside Aarhus, is an area that has been popular since the Early Stone Age for many different reasons, among them the quantity and variety of available food options. During the days of hunting and gathering, the people in the Norsminde and Kysing vicinity had their pick of flora and fauna from the lush nearby forests, and a myriad of fish and shellfish from the fjords and the neighbouring sea. In the Middle Ages, a bridge was built to join the two towns, and in the late 1600s, Norsminde Kro was established at its current location.
seaside venue: an amazing hotel, a conference centre, and a modern gourmet restaurant and brasserie with an authentic atmosphere that embodies the location’s history ripe with tradition. Culinary passion and a dazzling smile
By Kathleen Newlove | Photos: Lykke Rump and Jesper Rais
Pedersen, the seventh and current owner of Norsminde Kro, comes from a family of fishermen, but as he is plagued with sea-
Over ten years ago, Søren Pedersen visited Norsminde Kro with a sceptical friend. While Pedersen saw the incredible potential the location offered and began day dreaming about the improvements he could make, the friend advised him to walk quickly away from what could in his mind only be a spectacular failure. Luckily, Pedersen did not take his friend’s advice, and he is now the CEO of this idyllic
Fresh daily shellfish from the surrounding waters.
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Norsminde Kro is situated by the beautiful harbour.
Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark
sickness he was forced to find a different passion in life. He fell in love with the liveliness of hotel environments and became motivated and inspired by food once he began studying to be a chef. He loved it so much that when he arrived in Alsace, France, as a young man to work in a kitchen and was turned away once the owner realised that he had not yet completed his culinary training, Pedersen put on his most dazzling smile and struck up a bargain: he would work the first few months for free to prove his work ethic and talent. He was allowed to stay on and has been an unstoppable force ever since. “Our diverse style combines the old and the new, which means that our visitors get a chance to truly relax while they’re here,” says Pedersen. “There are only about 200 permanent residents in this beach town, so no matter how famous the guest, everyone has a chance to be anonymous.” Ample rooms and 19th century charm The hotel boasts heaps of comfortable rooms, each of them unique in its décor. The bridal suite, one of the most popular rooms, has its own terrace and an amazing view over the fjord. Regardless of your personal taste, you will find a room here that is perfect for you. If you choose to host a conference or event at Norsminde Kro, you can book any of the venue’s different meeting and party rooms. In one of them, you can sit at the original table from the late 1800s where the Alrøe family served up food and drink to waylaid sailors waiting for better weather. As they sat and enjoyed each other’s company, they looked up to check the status of the wind on a nautical instrument mounted on the ceiling. What they did not know was that Mr. Alrøe, not Mother Nature, controlled the wind meter. The arrow only pointed to the desired wind direction when the business-savvy Alrøe deemed the sailors had spent enough money at the bar. Ethical gourmet food Whether or not you spend the night here, the inn has a plethora of food options to
Top: Pedersen and his executive chef collaborate on every aspect of their elaborate menu. Bottom: Each of the inn’s rooms is decorated in its own unique style.
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Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark
suit any palate. The brasserie prides itself on its classic French culinary style, blended with Danish farm cuisine, and even offers a variety of traditional smørrebrød, the open sandwiches most Danes grow up eating. For real foodies, there is a gourmet restaurant at the inn as well. Pedersen is very hands-on in his kitchen but trusts his executive chef with the reigns after they collaborate together on the everevolving menu. Many of their ingredients are from local purveyors. They visit the farms in the area regularly not only to familiarise themselves with the specific taste of each ingredient, but also to ensure the ethical treatment of the animals whose products they serve. But while supporting local trade, they acknowledge the value of delicacies from afar and feature such delights from time to time. Pedersen and his executive chef pick their own herbs from the garden and have beehives on-site, so they are blessed with an abundance of honey. “I always like to say that we actually have about 65,000 employees in the summertime,” Pedersen jokes. For the love of wine The cosy basement room adjacent to the wine cellar is known for its inventive and scrumptious six-course meal complete with wine pairings, dessert and coffee for a price near-impossible to beat. “It’s the
Chef Søren Hansen minds the bees.
best bang for your buck in Denmark,” Pedersen asserts proudly. The house sommelier will not only pair your meal with the perfect grape and vintage, but he will also educate and surprise you with choices you may not have made yourself. “It’s quite a shame that we gain weight and get tipsy from enjoying wine, because it limits how much we can drink,” Pedersen sighs. The sommelier also heads up the Norsminde wine club and wine school, both of which are popular and open to the public. For serious lovers of wine from across the globe, you can have wine shipped to the inn and the sommelier will ensure that it is stored at exactly the right temperature
and atmosphere for the duration of your stay. You can then enjoy your wine in any area of the hotel or its restaurants for a modest corkage fee. Visit Norsminde Kro on your next trip to Denmark, and have Pedersen and his staff personally tell you amazing stories from their history – like the tale about the Australian pilot they briefly hid in their basement in 1943, whose Royal Airforce plane was gunned down during WWII.
Below left: Sommelier Pierre Roland shares his extensive knowledge of wine. Right: The cosy wine cellar offers a spectacular gourmet experience.
For more information about Pedersen, his cookbook, and Norsminde Kro, please visit: www.norsminde-kro.dk
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