Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | De 5 Gaarde
Schackenborg Castle.
An intoxicating fairy tale Once upon a time, five beautiful manor houses lay gently tucked away within the luscious rolling hills of Jutland and Funen. Bastions of tradition, the houses and grounds had been integral to the local area for centuries, yielding home-grown, high-quality produce even as the dark tide of mass-produced and cheaply churnedout food and drink descended upon a hapless nation. By the time the good people of Denmark awoke, riding on a wave of New Nordicism and a longing for good, local produce, De 5 Gaarde (‘the 5 Farms’) were ready to greet them with honest, tasty crops and some of the finest drops of alcohol in the kingdom. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: De 5 Gaarde
In 2001, De 5 Gaarde – Constantinsborg, Frijsenborg, Gyllingnæs, Wedellsborg and Schackenborg – banded together in order to combine traditional, ethical farming with modern agricultural expertise. The families who owned them were heavily invested in the local area and in Danish farming, and they realised that joining forces would be the best way to ensure the survival of their high-quality produce while ensuring good prices for their customers. “One of my favourite things about my job,” says general manager of De 5 Gaarde, Claus Hviid, “is that I get to work with these passionate, dedicated families and individuals who care 26 | Issue 110 | March 2018
deeply about their land and animals. They really know their stuff, but they’re always open to learning more and experimenting too.”
Stately spirits De 5 Gaarde produce everything from mustard to poultry and are certified by GLOBALG.A.P., the worldwide organisation that sets standards for safe and sustainable farming. Two of De 5 Gaarde’s most valued outputs are their wheat and barley yields. “We get a lot of fun and tasty stuff out of our grain,” Hviid explains. “A few years ago, we brought out our own speciality beers, and our spirit produc-
tion has been going strong for over a decade.” The range, which includes gin, vodka, bitter and, of course, schnapps, is known as Schackenborg Spirituosa. As most Danes know, Schackenborg Castle has been the home of the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Joachim, and his family. Along with Troels Holch Povlsen and Count Bendt Wedell, he was one of the founders of De 5 Gaarde in 2001. All three continue to play an active role in De 5 Gaarde, which is owned by them and the Schackenborg Fund. “It was Prince Joachim’s idea to start producing spirits, and he’s actually come up with the idea of all four current varieties,” says Hviid. “And many of the ingredients come from Schackenborg’s grounds, so it was natural that the spirits should be named after that castle. There’s a lot of Schackenborg in the bottles.”
A good soak and a twig of oak “The schnapps is produced from barley, the bitter from wheat, and our gin and vodka are made from a mix of both