Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2019, Blaðsíða 41

A ‘Shroom Trip
For The Whole
Family
Behind the scenes at Flúðir’s Farmer’s Bistro
Words & Photo: John Rogers
Mushroom Farm &
Restaurant
Visit Flúðasveppir and Farmer’s
Bistro at Garðastígur 8 in Flúðir, and
online at farmersbistro.is.
The sleepy, pastoral town of Flúðir
has seen an influx of visitors in re-
cent years. Previously known as a
quiet farming community with an
abundance of geothermal water at
its disposal, in recent times Flúðir’s
proximity to the Golden Circle route
has seen enterprising locals turn
their minds towards entertaining
tourists. The Secret Lagoon bathing
spot has become a runaway success
with thousands upon thousands
flooding through its doors
each year, and now other
tourist-facing businesses
are mushrooming around
it. In the case of Farmer’s
Bistro, quite literally.
T h e F l ú ð a s v e p p i r
mushroom farm is the
on ly mushroom farm
in Iceland, producing
an astounding 11 tonnes
of che s t nut , but t on ,
and portobello mush-
rooms each week, and
employing 45 people in
the process. In line with
the town’s welcoming
spirit of opening its doors to the
public, today Flúðasveppir offers
a tour of the farm, followed by a
meal in their smart new farm-to-
table restaurant, Farmer’s Bistro.
Steaming heaps
Our guide on the tour is Ragnheiður,
the daughter of the owner. We’re
led through the process backwards,
starting with a series of long, dark
rooms with endless shelves of
white button mushrooms balloon-
ing up from the soil. Ragnheiður
cuts a fresh mushroom for us to try:
it’s light, creamy, and absolutely
delicious.
Next, we see the process behind
the end result. We’re led to a barn
through a maze of hay bales—the
factory burns through 80 a week—
to a large warehouse where the
next batch of fertiliser is being
prepared. To speed up the fermen-
tation process, chicken manure is
added to the hay, resulting in huge,
dramatically steaming heaps of fu-
ture fertiliser. Having grown up
on the farm, Ragnheiður is very
familiar with this oddly alien hay-
scape, and plunges her hand into
the pile, pulling forth a steaming
clump that emits wisps of smoke
like a Hollywood special effect.
Waste not want not
But that’s not the most impres-
sive thing on the tour. As we walk
back to the lobby, we’re filled in
on the zero-waste policy of the
farm. Nothing at Flúðasveppir, it
seems, goes to waste. “Unbeauti-
ful” mushrooms are sliced and sold
as pizza toppings; water is recycled;
old crop and soil are recompost-
ed and sold in bags for gardeners
and houseplant enthusiasts. This
best-practice mentality has led to
visits from international industry
groups, all keen to replicate Flúðas-
veppir’s sustainable, environmen-
tally friendly model.
Farm to table
After the tour, we arrive back at the
Farmer’s Bistro. The farm also pro-
duces bell peppers and all kinds of
other vegetables, all of which fea-
ture in the menu of the bright, spa-
cious restaurant. Mains vary from
lamb—presented here as a tasty,
spicy, filling wrap—to chicken sal-
ad with tangy ginger dressing, and
a veggie steak that makes the veg-
etarian on our tour scribble down
the recipe. Everything is
locally sourced, and comes
with abundant servings of
fresh lettuce, pepper and
tomato.
Of course, mushrooms
feature too. The “gourmet
buffet” option comprises a
bowl of delicious mushroom
soup w ith house-baked
bread and a selection of sal-
sas and tapenades. A mush-
room ice cream dessert (yes,
it’s a thing) is the cherry on
the cake.
Next time you go for a
spin around the Golden Cir-
cle, be sure to add a dash of green by
dropping by Farmer’s Bistro—and
be sure to get some mushrooms
and a bag of that mycelium-infused
soil to take some of Flúðasveppir’s
fertile magic home with you.
41The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07— 2019
A steaming chicken-poop fertiliser pile. Yum!
After the farm tour: the feast
“Ragnheiður
pulls forth a
steaming clump
of hay that emits
wisps of smoke
like a Hollywood
special effect.”
ÓÐINSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND
SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons
2.390 kr.
MOULES MARINIÈRES
steamed mussels from Breiðafjörður
2.600 kr.
FISH OF THE DAY
chef´s special
3.890 kr.
Lunch offer from 11:30 - 14:00 1.990 kr.
EST. 2012REYKJAVIK