FANGST Restaurant Take-Over Event Welcomes Bocuse D’Or Finalist As Guest Chef

13 March, 2023, Ballstad, Norway:    FANGST, the innovative, contemporary restaurant located in Hattvika Lodge, Ballstad, in Norway’s picture-perfect Lofoten Islands, is proud to announce that Bocuse D’Or podium winner, Christian Andrè Pettersen, will be making a guest appearance during an exciting Restaurant Take-Over Event from 30^th March to 1^st April.

Christian, who grew up and went to catering college in Bodø, north Norway, knows the region and the origins of its local ingredients well.  In collaboration with FANGST’s regular chef team, he has created a special food journey based on ‘Ferda’, which derives from the Old Norse words ‘å ferde/reise’, meaning ‘to travel/journey’ and was the theme behind Norway’s bronze Bocuse D’Or win in 2021.

The FANGST Restaurant Take-Over will be a unique opportunity to experience some of Norway’s best ingredients transformed into sublime, world-beating dishes by a culinary master, following his life from childhood to success at the Bocuse D’or.

At the heart of the three-day menus is, of course, Skrei or Northeast Atlantic Cod, which is both vital to the economy and integral to the culture of the Lofoten Islands.

Considered by some to be the king of fish, skrei build up more muscle than other cod, due to their annual 1000km trek from the Barents Sea to the inner coast of Lofoten to spawn.  It is no coincidence that the Restaurant Take-Over has been arranged during this migratory period between January and April, known as ‘Lofoten Fisheries’, and at a time when the annual World Cod Fishing Championships also take place in Svolvaer on Lofoten.

Visitors will be able to join locals in celebrating all things skrei, soak up traditional festivities and take fishing trips during their stay, learning about the 1000-year-old sustainable fishing tradition, which has been the lifeblood of Lofoten communities for centuries.

During the three-day Restaurant Take-Over, diners will savour skrei from the local fish farm in Ballstad, shellfish from Helgeland and Trøndelag, delicacies from the Lofoten Seaweed Company, and a selection of fresh produce sourced from around the archipelago and across Norway.

It’s a one-time-only opportunity to experience the culinary expertise and creativity from an international master chef in collaboration with the FANGST chef team.

The event will begin on Thursday 30^th March with a three-course ‘From Childhood to Bocuse’ dinner; price per person is NOK 740 (approximately £60, including drinks).

On Friday 31^st March, diners will be treated to a five-course tasting menu including drinks, at a cost of NOK 1850 per person (approximately £145).  Prior to dinner, there will also be a private wine tasting event, limited to 15 guests, at a cost of around £30 per person.

Finally, on Saturday 1^st April, the eight-course Bocuse d`Or Grand Final tasting menu will be served, paired with Champagne and a selection of wines for NOK 2,550 (£200) per person, including drinks.

Once again, an intimate wine tasting event for 15 guests will precede dinner, and costs NOK 495 (£40) per person.

Diners wishing to stay at Hattvika Lodge can choose from a selection of stylish and comfortable accommodation in restored fishermen’s cottages overlooking Ballstad Harbour, hillside cabins framed by towering mountains, individual seaside suites and an exclusive lodge for two.  Prices per night range from approximately £172 to £645 in a Fisherman’s Cottage, from £293 in a Hillside Cabin, from £516 in a Seaside Suite, and from £680 for the Lodge.

For further information visit:  https://hattvikalodge.no

For a selection of images please visit: https://bit.ly/3yykKWj

Media Enquiries:  Debra Taylor  +44 7956 852197 debra@toucanmoon.com

Ends

 

Notes for Editor

 

1)    History

In 1862 the Jentoft family bought Ballstad and developed this beautiful village into one of the largest fishing villages in Lofoten. They controlled several companies that produced a range of fish products, like fresh fish, fresh and frozen fillets, salted fish, roe for caviar production and cod liver oil. The main product was stockfish, (air dried cod) for the Italian market. The parent company, Rolf Jentoft AS, has been passed down from father to son through five generations, and today the main business is property, trading stockfish and running a cod liver oil factory. The old manor house, dating back to 1862, has been fully restored and is still a landmark on the island. As the old fishermen’s cottages no longer fit their original purpose, they have now been restored and renewed for tourism, and are run by Hattvika Lodge where Guri, a 6th generation Jentoft, continues the history of Ballstad.

 

2)    Travel to Hattvika from the UK

Fly UK to Oslo, Norway then onto Bodø (BOO).  There are regular 25-minute flights with Wideroe fromBodø to Leknes (LKN) Lofoten.  Hattvika is 11 kms / 15-minute drive from Leknes.  There is also the option of a three-hour scenic ferry journey from Bodø to Moskenes or Svolvaer, from where the drive to Hattvika is around one hour 15 minutes.