Hurtigruten, the leader in iconic Norwegian coastal voyages, has partnered with Justine Schofield to launch Norway Gourmet, an eight-part series that follows the Australian chef along the coast it has sailed since 1893. The series premieres on SBS Food on Monday 26 October at 7.30pm and streams on SBS On Demand.
Filmed on board and ashore in May, the series joins Schofield as she sails Hurtigruten’s Original Coastal Express voyage, before heading north on the Svalbard Line, a Signature Voyage from Bergen to Longyearbyen. Along the way, she meets the fishers, foragers, farmers and chefs who supply the ships, and prepares dishes inspired by what she finds.
“Norway was culinary territory I’d never explored until Hurtigruten invited me. Norwegians are so proud of their food and produce, and it was incredible to see how the producers and chefs along the coast are honouring their traditions and the environment. I’ve come home really inspired in my own kitchen, and I hope viewers feel that same pull to see this stunning coast and try its cuisine for themselves,” said Schofield.
Highlights of the episodes include:
- In Tromsø, Schofield tries a reindeer hot dog with crispy onions and pickled beetroot at Raketten, a kiosk bar in the town square that has been trading since 1911.
- In Reine, on the Lofoten Islands, she meets Tamara Singer and Angelita Eriksen of Lofoten Seaweed, who hand-harvest around 16 tonnes each spring, including a truffle seaweed that she uses in her kitchen today. Their seaweed is also used in the soaps on board.
- Further north, Máret, a third-generation Sámi reindeer herder and Hurtigruten’s Sámi Culinary Ambassador, introduces Schofield to reindeer tongue served in coffee.
- In Longyearbyen, Schofield cooks with chef Alberto Lozano at Huset, the Hurtigruten Svalbard-owned restaurant where he harvests salt from the local rocks, makes his own soy sauce and works with local hunters and fishers.
- Above the Arctic Circle, Schofield marvels as guests try stockfish ice cream at the onboard café and sip Havets Bobler, a sparkling wine aged on the seabed that surfaces covered in barnacles.
- The series also tracks what happens to the food after it leaves the plate. At Stamsund, Schofield sees how food waste from Hurtigruten’s ships is composted into fertiliser for local farms, whose produce then goes back on board to the ships’ chefs.
“The food served onboard is so fresh as it is sourced from the local ports as we sail along the coast. Our chefs call ahead to see what’s available, and that shapes the menu for the days that follow. It means a guest might sit down to a meal of cod, that landed that very morning, in a port they sailed into a few hours earlier. For Australians who are yet to discover Norway, there’s no better introduction than tasting it, and Justine has captured that beautifully,” said Damian Perry, Managing Director, Hurtigruten APAC.
