The Designers and Farmers Project, a collaborative food design project between farmers and designers which two of our farms took part in, is currently being exhibited at Spark Design Space in Reykjavik as part of the Icelandic design festival DesignMarch.  
 
Farms Hali in South East Iceland and Vogafjós in North East Iceland participated in the 4-year project which ended in 2011, resulting in the production of various types of innovative food products.
 
The Hali project
Hali in Suðursveit, South East Iceland, is a farmer‘s guesthouse offering accommodation in three cosy houses near the Thorbergssetur Centre . The Thorbergssetur Centre exhibits the work of Thorbergur Thordarson, a 20th century Icelandic writer from Hali, along with the history of the place. The restaurant at Thorbergssetur is open all year round, serving local produce.
 
The farmers at Hali, Þorbjörg and Fjölnir have been involved in fish farming from 2002 and specialise in arctic char production. They also have 100 sheep and use the meat for home cooked meals at the restaurant such as traditional meat soup and lamb paté. Þorbjörg and Fjölnir also grow their own vegetables using geothermal energy. They are very knowledgable about the history of writer Thorbergur and are willing to share their knowledge with guests. 
 
The Designers and Farmers Project at Hali resulted in a menu inspired by writer Thorbergur‘s tastes and interests. For example, Thorbergur loved cinnamon buns and one can find these sweet things on the menu today together with another new product, rye bread roll cake filled with lamb paté or arctic char and drizzled with either beetroot or orange-carrot sauce!
 
The Vogafjós project
Vogafjós is a farmer‘s guesthouse located by Lake Mývatn in North East Iceland. Vogafjós also has a café in the cowshed offering local produce and a chance for guests to watch the milking of the cows. 
 
For the Designers and Farmer‘s Project, farmer Ólöf Hallgrímsdóttir wanted to develop a new concept for the café based on a product they called „Mýbiti“, a healthy locally produced slow/fast-food. „Mýbiti“ was made from rye bread, shaped like a ball, with various fillings. The inspiration for the ball shape came from marimo, a rare type of algae found in Lake Mývatn. 
 
Visiting Hali or Vogafjós
Why not experience Hali or Vogafjós for yourself and perhaps enjoy some of these unique products or other tasty local produce? Contact us for more information and bookings or explore more about Hali and Vogafjós on our website.

The Exhibition and Project – more information
The exhibition of the Designers and Farmers Project at Spark Design Space will continue until 19 May 2012. For more information visit the websites of the Designers and Farmers Project and Spark Design Space.

Photo: www.designerandfarmers.com