Experience the taste of Telemark

Telemark's sprawling and varied landscape from the coast to the high mountains of the north, not only invites to great adventures in nature but is also filled to the brim with fresh produce and exciting dining experiences. Here you can enjoy the taste of the sweetest honey, feel the warmth of the sun as you walk along vines and in lush orchards, meet happy and free-ranging animals, explore bustling food festivals and be transported back to grandma's kitchen through traditional recipes.

Food production is flourishing all over Telemark and new, exciting producers are entering the scene every year. The colorful dishes and delicious flavors of Telemark's restaurants may be a foodie’s dream; however, nothing would be possible without our local producers.
Traditional family recipes are still a source of great pride and inspiration, but modern processes and machines now make Telemark's flavors easily accessible to everyone. Fresh and inspired, yet imbued with local history, there is no doubt that the food produced here will touch your heart.

Fresh delights from the sea

Along the pier in Langesund, Valle and Kragerø you can buy fresh fish and shellfish straight off the boats. When the sun peeks out during the summer months, sit down in the outdoor terrace, take a deep breath of the salty sea air and enjoy local fish & chips or a shrimp sandwich accompanied by the most amazing views. And when it’s time to make your way home, be sure to bring with you some freshly made fish pudding, fish gratin or fish cakes from producers such as Kragerø Sjømat.

It's not just delicious seafood you will find along Telemark's coast. Right in the center of Langesund, Vaiva and Øyvind have run Langesund Ostemakeri (cheese factory) since 2017. The couple who fell in love at a dairy farm in Valdres now have a factory, storage facility and a shop, all in the same building. Take your time and sample the delicious cheeses, which are made by hand from local milk, and flavored with short-distance flavors such as chives and sea salt.

Just across the street you will find the cozy Langesund Landhandel. A café and shop in the middle of the square where you can buy quality products from local producers such as Langesund Ostemakeri, in addition to an exciting selection of organic produce, freshly baked goods and the shop's own sourdough bread.

Traditional flavors in Urban Telemark

If you continue along the coast, past Langesund and towards Porsgrunn, you will soon reach "Ikke Bare Brød", an organic bakery and delicatessen with a focus on the old, healthy grains. Here, all stages of production are equally important, from the farmer who grows the grain to the freshly baked goods. 

At Borgestad in Skien, you can taste kling, one of Telemark's oldest and proudest food traditions. Telemark kling is a tasty lefse that can be made with potatoes or only with wheat flour and semolina. Klingeling specializes in kling and flatbread, made completely without additives, according to family recipes that have been passed down for generations.

At Candis, a colorful ice crem shop in the center of Skien, you can be tempted by a large selection of ice cream, sorbet, bubble waffles and vegan donuts. Everything is made from scratch from local produce and with inspiration from Iceland, the owners' home country. Here you ca create your very own ice cream and follow the production of all the goodies through the window inside the store.

Make sure you are free the last weekend in August when Candis, Klingeling and around 100 other producers gather for Mersmak in Skien, a bustling food festival with up to 50,000 visitors. Enjoy your town out in the sun with fellow foodies and taste exciting dishes from all corners of the world.

If you’re in the mood for some superfoods, try Norsk Kombucha, which is hand-brewed and bottled in small volumes at Hoppestad Gård, just north of Skien. Kombucha is thought to date as far back as year 220 BC. in China where its «magical properties» were to ensure immortality and was referred to as «elixir for a long life». The fermented beverage can contribute helpful bacteria and is naturally organic. In addition to kombucha, you can also buy sprouts grown on the farm that is constantly looking for innovative solutions to use the soil in the best possible way.

Continue north, out of Urban Telemark towards more rural surroundings, and you will find Siljanhjort deer farm. Here you get local and fully traceable food of the highest quality. If, on the other hand, you just want to meet the deer, you are welcome to get in touch. Bring carrots, extend your hand and enjoy the incredible experience when the animals come running towards you.

Farm to fork in Fruktbygda

Follow Norsjø out of Grenland and you will reach Fruktbygda (the fruit village), an idyllic cultural landscape right in the heart of Telemark. Norway's version of Tuscany is a network of producers who have joined forces to create one unique brand identity. This passion and joy for their craft has resulted in many award-winning products both nationally and internationally. And cozy farm shops welcome you with a large selection of self-produced and local food treasures you will not be able to resist.

If you love beer and cider, be sure to stop by Lindheim Ølkompani. Ingeborg and her husband Eivin are fourth generation fruit farmers, and in 2013 they also started brewing beer and fermented their apples to cider. The following year, Lindheim was named the world's fifth best new brewery, and today Belgian- and American-inspired beer is produced from local ingredients, both with and without fruit.

At Lien Gård, which is beautifully situated on the edge of Norsjø, Arild and Linda Renate produce fruit, berries and honey. With solid craftsmanship, the raw materials are processed into products of the highest quality, to give you the great flavors that have long been missing from the mass-produced versions. Lien Gård's products are also served in several of Telemark's best restaurants, such as Provence Restaurant in Bø.

Another producer with long traditions is Epleblomsten, a small family-run business at Sauar Gard, known for its good apple juice. The family has run the farm, which has roots dating back to the Middle Ages, for over 250 years. All apple varieties are pressed separately, and no additives are used, not even sugar or water. You literally can’t get closer to eating a fresh apple straight from the tree.

At Lerkekåsa Vineyard you are invited to romantic accommodation in large oak barrels between the vines. The farm is one of Norway's first vineyards with over 700 young vines growing outside. Join a real Norwegian wine tasting in the "wine barn" where you will also learn how the grapes are transformed into beautiful wine.

For a slightly different farm experience with both fruit, art and culture in focus, stop by Nyhuus Farm and Gallery. Taste their award-winning plum jam, which won the "årets grønne foredlet" in Det Norske Måltid for the good balance between acidity and sweetness. Or let yourself be tempted by unique interior items in the gift shop and inspiring art exhibitions during the summer months and around Christmas time.

Animal welfare in focus

Holte Farm, idyllically located in beautiful Drangedal, is a family-run farm where meat and eggs are produced from chicken, goose and cattle. Here the philosophy is simple, all the animals must come from their own farm and the operation must be based on ecological principles and good animal welfare. You can taste beautiful duck confit made with duck from Holte Gård at Merci in Porsgrunn, one of Grenland's best restaurants.

For the purest and sweetest honey, make your way to West Telemark where the family business, Bigård in Bandaksli, produces real Norwegian honey. Bandaksli is a completely ecological area without any pollution where the bees can feast on wildflowers that are neither fertilized nor sprayed. Enjoy honey and berries surrounded by stunningly beautiful nature and cozy villages, just a two-minute walk from the Telemark Canal.

On the farm Raundalen, Gro and Olav run LEGA Gardsysteri & bakery. The dream of producing its own goat cheese came about in 2009 when the first cheese house was completed on Nedre Lega, where the goats graze in the summer at 930 meters above sea level. The mountain cheese from LEGA is a real goat cheese produced from fresh morning goats’ milk according to an old tradition. In addition, you can be tempted by baked goods such as pizza crust baked over fire, crispbread and kling.

In the cultural landscape between Nutheim and Natadal, on Rørtveit Gard in Flatdal, Gunleik and Kathrine produce meat from sheep, cattle and pigs. In addition, the farm also produces milk and yarn from the wool of their colorful sheep. If you enjoy a meal at Tuddal Høyfjellshotel, you will most likely get to taste some of the quality ingredients from the farm that Gunleik took over as a 19-year-old.

Along the road between Rjukan and Møsvatn is Bergstaulen, you can stop buy a visitor center run by Stordalen Gardsbruk. Meet goats, Telemark cows and wild sheep or taste white goat cheeses and sour cream, as well as traditional baking such as flatbread and Tinnlefse. And, of course, Barbro's full fat brown cheese that won the title "the world's second-best cheese" during the World Cup in 2018.

LEGA and Stordalen Gardsbruk are just some of the proud food producers you can meet at Rjukan Matfestival. Take advantage of free admission, both during the day and in the evening, and enjoy local delicacies to pumping tunes from live bands. Bring good friends, make a weekend out of it and immerse yourself in local food culture at one of Telemarks most exciting regional festivals.