The key elements are always as local as possible .

Briefly tell us how you work with sustainability at Speilsalen?

We focus on local produce as much as possible, if the quality matches our standards. Most of our ingredients are from the Trøndelag region with others from the rest of Norway. Typical ingredients we source from abroad could be truffles, sake, citrus, and so on. But the key elements are always as local as possible. Seafood and meat are always of Norwegian origin, with animal welfare being taken into account and served in appropriate amounts to minimize the environmental impact. Our dairy products are organic and from just a few hours away from us. A typical menu always features at least one vegetarian dish and just one meat course; if even that. Being a part of the Britannia Hotel, trimmings and leftovers are easily distributed and reused and, as such, our actual food waste is kept low. We also preserve seasonal specialties in order to use them off-season, rather than purchasing a lesser product from abroad.

How do you work with food waste? Do you have guidelines and goals in regards to waste?

We are lucky to be situated within a greater unit (the Britannia Hotel) and, as such, leftovers and potential food waste are easily redistributed before they turn into actual waste and have to be thrown away. We also preserve Norwegian ingredients when in season, like puréeing and freezing things such as last year’s apples in order to utilize them later as a sorbet. Trimmings of meat and seafood are turned into a different element on the plate, or used for a stock or a sauce. In general, we don’t really throw away that much as we can either use it ourselves or give it to another department in the hotel.