Among industrial companies, cultural institutions, and educational centers in Birk, lies the cultural hotel Højhuset. The surrounding fields provide the hotel’s restaurant with vegetables and meat based on the "farm to table" principle.

When Højhuset was acquired in 2016, the fields came with it. At the time, Højhuset had a farmer employed to maintain and cultivate the land, but when he sought new challenges, Højhuset had to find another solution. The choice fell on Landeriet, a special STU educational offer for young people interested in agriculture. Today, an employee from Landeriet, together with the young people, ensures that the land is cultivated with everything from cabbage to flowers, and with grazing sheep to maintain the wilder areas.

Previously, Landeriet had only supplied eggs to Højhuset, but here was the opportunity to establish a new and mutually enriching collaboration. Today, Højhuset's land is a very special "classroom" and playground for young people with agricultural expertise. At the same time, it gives Højhuset the opportunity and expertise to run an ambitious farm based on organic principles and supply their own kitchen.

A collaboration between industrial kitchen, education, and agriculture

Through mutual understanding and respect, communication is ongoing between the kitchen staff and Landeriet. This means, among other things, that coffee grounds are turned into fertilizer, and there is always an awareness of what the season and the farm have to offer in terms of raw materials. As a result, the chefs are creatively challenged when the day’s harvest is delivered through the back door to the kitchen, and everyone’s skills are used in the best possible way.

The individual kitchen staff also have the opportunity to bring their expertise and interests into play for the benefit of guests and job satisfaction. This means that one employee works with food waste, while another has a special focus on climate-friendly meals.

A small, loving nudge for guests

Højhuset's dining concept is largely built on the legacy of the old folk high school. Therefore, they invite guests to communal meals, often with a lack of meat on the menu. The communal dining is tied to the events that Højhuset otherwise hosts. This means there is an opportunity to gather around a good meal, where the kitchen and ingredients inspire a storytelling of the short journey from the fields and greenhouse outside.

However, there was some hesitation when lamb became part of the menu. Was it too much to serve lamb from the sheep visible just outside the window? The answer was no, as it turned out. On the contrary, guests experience it as a testament to respect for the animals and the good life they live before being served.

Thus, the goal is to surprise and inspire a meaningful meal, always presented by the kitchen staff at the communal dinner.

Building on a legacy

Højhuset, with its half football field in agricultural land, is not self-sufficient but has made significant progress. They emphasize the legacy they stand on because the fields were already used for farming when Højhuset operated as a folk high school.

The principle of growing what one can, along with the folk high school tradition of communal dining, is therefore followed at Højhuset. And with Landeriet’s ambition to educate young people through meaningful practice, the spirit of the folk high school continues in a beautiful union. Not as a remnant of the past, but as a great example of how synergies and collaboration are the way to create a better future.