Darina Allen: Three highlights from my MAD trip to Copenhagen

Irish Examiner

14-06-2025

MAD Food Symposium may just be the most exciting and inspiring avant-garde food event in the world – it's certainly up there – often dubbed the Davos of food.
It brings together a global community, some of the most innovative minds in hospitality, to discuss and shape the future of food, explore new ideas and gain new perspectives.
Held on Refshaleøen, an island just off Copenhagen, we jumped on a boat at 8am, arrived to a cheering welcome from the MAD team.
Over the bridge and onto the island, we found two huge circus tents, one with long tables piled high with a breakfast feast – flaky breakfast pastries from Hart Bageri, an onion quiche smothered in grated cheese, crispy capers and thyme leaves, and breakfast bun with slivers of Comté cheese, segments of pomelo and superb, batch brew coffee from Cafeología in Chiapas in Mexico.
And so the two-day event began. Launched by chef-founder René Redzepi, one inspirational speaker after another interspersed with coffee breaks, artisan beer and tea from Henrietta Lovell's, The Rare Tea Company sourced from ethical tea gardens around the world.
The rooibos tea, not usually my favourite, was a new experience.
Lunch was from Anajak, and cooked by the MAD Noma team, dishes from the ever-evolving restaurant of the same name in Los Angeles. Chef-owner Justin Pichetrungsi gave us delicious tastes of his Thai and Mexican flavours.
The theme of MAD 2025 was 'Build To Last'. Thomas Keller, chef of The French Laundry and Per Se in New York discussed what our legacy could be.
Roman Krznaric, the philosopher and author, asked, how can we be good ancestors?
Four young Icelanders —wild salmon guides —spelled out the true cost of the farmed salmon industry on our health and the environment and pleaded with the 700-strong audience not to buy or serve farmed salmon.
Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express in London, whom I wrote about in my column here on May 24 2025 recounted her incredible story…
The second MAD Food Symposium breakfast was a Mexican array by Rosio Sanchéz, one of the most beloved chefs and restaurateurs in Copenhagen.
Lunch was a feast celebrating 'nose to tail' eating from the iconic London restaurant St. John established by Fergus Henderson, Trevor Gulliver and Jon Spiteri in 1994.
Roast marrow bones, parsley and caper salad and flaky sea salt, a wondrous chicken and ox tongue pie and the legendary Eccles cakes with an aged Lancashire cheese. Go online to madfeed.co to see extracts from the speakers.
Apart from MAD, there are many other delicious reasons to visit Copenhagen. Aside from the many Michelin-starred restaurants, there are neighbourhood restaurants, cool cafés, wine bars and smorgasbord places.
Book ahead to bag a table at Restaurant Schønnemann (Est 1877). I failed to get in despite offering to lay tables and wash up!
But I did return to Atelier September, a perennial favourite of mine. The bakery scene is amazing too. Don't miss Lille Bakery, Alice, Juno and Louise Bannon's Tír…
My best new find was Bar Vitrine. I loved every bit of the small menu and was mesmerised by the selection of natural wines. I also returned to Ved Stranden 10, another timeless, consistent and delicious wine bar serving many natural wines by the glass...
We packed all of that into just four days, plus a bit of shopping too in Nørrebro and don't miss the best cheese shop in the ostehandler (cheesemongers) and the posh Torvehallerne Food Market.
Trine's Prawns with Dill
Trine Hahnemann shared this recipe for a simple smørrebrød. 'When I have time, I like to peel the prawns myself. I love to buy several kilos of them, invite people over and have a long lunch, everyone peeling them for their own smørrebrød.'
Servings
4
Preparation Time 
10 mins
Total Time 
10 mins
Course 
Main
Ingredients 40g homemade mayonnaise
½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
300g good-quality cooked peeled prawns
4 large slices of rye bread
1 fat spear of fresh green asparagus
freshly ground black pepper
a handful of fresh dill sprigs
1 lemon, sliced
Method
Mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Place the prawns on the bread, then spoon the lemon mayonnaise. Shave the asparagus into ribbons with a vegetable peeler.
Put a tangle of the asparagus strips on the mayonnaise. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, add the dill sprigs and serve with lemon slices.
Bar Vitrine's Fermented Chili Salsa with Corn Chips
Bar Vitrine at Møntergade 5 was my most exciting new find.
Course 
Side
Ingredients Kimchi Base:
30g glutinous rice flour
400g water
100g red chilli
100g garlic
250g shallots
30g ginger
10g degi chilli powder (a distinctive Indian spice made from a blend of colourful red capsicums and Kashmiri red chillies)
10g kashmiri chilli
500g pear
100g sugar
37g salt
Fermented Chili Salsa:
20g loquats
20g white peach
20g blood orange
30g datterino tomatoes, peeled
30g kimchi base
Corn and Fenugreek Chips:
So delicious to nibble.
150g cornmeal
50g cornstarch
7g salt
1000g water
15g fenugreek
Method
Kimchi Base:
In a saucepan, combine the rice flour and water and cook into a thick paste. Blend all the remaining ingredients with the rice paste in a Thermomix until smooth. Seal into vacuum bags and ferment for 7-14 days.
Fermented Chili Salsa:
Cut the loquats, white peach, blood orange and tomato into 8mm dice approx. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients with the kimchi to make the salsa. Top with crushed roasted corn and chiffonade of fresh coriander.
Corn and Fenugreek Chips:
Combine the cornmeal, cornstarch, salt and water and cook on medium until thick and cornmeal is completely cooked out. Add the dried fenugreek and spread onto parchment in a thin layer and dehydrate at 65°C overnight. Fry at 220°C until crispy and puffed. Crush a couple to sprinkle over the salad and pop into a serving bowl to serve on the side.
Serve the salsa in a bowl accompanied by the corn and fenugreek chips.
Charlotte's Nordic Seed Crackers
A brilliant recipe for those seedy crackers we all love. Delicious simly with butter, cheese or smoked salmon.
Preparation Time 
40 mins
Cooking Time 
1 hours 10 mins
Total Time 
1 hours 50 mins
Course 
Baking
Ingredients 200g sunflower seeds
130g pumpkin seeds
70g flax seeds
70g sesame seeds
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 teaspoon salt
450ml water
poppy seeds and sea salt for sprinkling
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan (300°F/Gas Mark 2).
Line the two baking trays with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together (should be the consistency of watery porridge). Allow the mixture to sit and thicken for approximately 30 minutes.
Divide in half and spread as thinly as possible on parchment paper.
Sprinkle with sea salt and poppy seeds on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 70 minutes until dry.
Store in pieces in an air-tight tin. Keep dry, pop into a hot oven for a few minutes before serving to crisp them up.
Seasonal Journal
Ummera Smoked Products
Some brilliant news on the food front, I've just heard that Ummera Smokehouse is back in operation with Sorin and Inna Cernelea at the helm.
They will continue with the production of the prize-winning classics — Smoked Organic Salmon, Smoked Chicken, Smoked Bacon, Smoked Silverhill Duck, Gravadlax and Smoked Organic Picanha Beef - can't wait…
Green Saffron Curry Powder
Arun Kapil of Green Saffron, based in Midleton, Co. Cork has just added a new spice blend Crackin Curry Powder to his offerings.
They ethically source their sustainable spices direct from partner and family farms all around India.
The fresh spices travel at top-speed from these family farms in India (with 100% traceability), making the trip from 'source to sauce' in just a matter of weeks.
Check out his monthly column in An Editions (imprint online magazine Ars Notoria) at arsnotoria.com
Read More
Darina Allen: Three recipe highlights from the Ballymaloe Festival of Food