Dorthe Fjord Tarbensen's family has been farmers on the family farm near Søndervig for 500 years. The west coast of Jutland is thus embedded deep in her.
- My heart beats for West Jutland, you can safely say, says Dorthe and continues:
- I think nature is so exciting here. Here is beautiful, but also harsh. We who live here have to live a little "upwind" out here in the salty western wind that permeates everything and makes things a little more challenging.
Products formed from the salt of the North Sea
Dorthe and her husband Jens Larsen have followed in the family's footsteps and have kept cattle for many years. It was the sale of the meat that was the starting shot for the Vestkystens Gårdbutik. Today, the store sells a large selection of items, but common to all is that they are carefully selected with Dorthe's West Jutland heart.
- I want to sell products that are shaped out here in the salty North Sea environment, where everything requires a little extra, she explains.
An example is the North Sea cheese from Thise Dairy, which can be bought in the store. The cows that supply the milk for this have been grazing in the outermost fields out to the North Sea, and this gives it a unique, salty taste. The family's own beef cattle, white Charolais, also grass on the fields right next to the North Sea, and the farm shop's home-baked rye bread has got a North Sea twist in the form of seaweed.
Ingredients from West Jutland
Every morning Dorthe and Jens get up early and bake all the baked goods for the shop. Dorthe bakes the store's cakes, and Jens the store's two breads: the turmeric bread and seaweed rye bread.
- With the products we take in from other producers, I emphasize that they are locally produced and that they contain West Jutland raw materials that can be found out here in nature, Dorthe explains.
You can therefore find ice cream and jam with sea buckthorn, tea with dunes roses, and schnapps with heather.
- We do not have many flowers out here in the sand, but the ones we have are so nice and can be used for so much, Dorthe explains.
The local view is a popular
- It is my and Jens' opinion about quality food and the love for the ingredients of West Jutland that are behind everything in this store, says Dorthe.
And it seems that many share their tastes. In any case, the local products are extremely popular.
- We also have a lot of spirits. Some of it is imported here by local West Jutlanders, other spirits are actually made here, and I can clearly see that what sells best is what is "most West Jutlandic", where you can clearly see on the label that it is from here, says Dorthe.
Generally the guests in the farm shop are very curious about the origin of the products, and one does not go disappointed from here. The staff is happy to tell the good story behind each product. There is great interest in tasting the specialties of the West Jutland area, and customers want to know exactly where everything comes from.
- We like to tell about our exciting products, and people welcome the stories they can pass on when they are at home, says Dorthe from the shop, where you can be served a small bite of West Jutland.
