Year ater year Denmark dominates the World Happiness Report rankings. First place in 2016, second in 2017, and last year coming in at a cheerful number three, there’s no dampening the Danes’ high spirits. Bornholm, an island perched in the middle of the Baltic Sea must play a part in this, I think, as I step of the 16-seater plane onto an impeccably tarmacked runway, and gaze out across the Baltic Sea. Small and perfectly formed, Bornholm’s place in Danish hearts has long been cemented. Manicured lawns lead up to paint-box coloured cottages, rippling wheat ields glow gold in the fading aternoon light, and streaky clouds drape themselves across the sky.
And then comes the food. Thanks in large part to an abundance of innovative local producers, Bornholm’s culinary scene is booming. From honey to herring, bacon to berries, food on the island is so lavoursome that the country’s most lauded culinary addresses use Bornholm as their larder. The island itself ofers up far more that its share of ine dining: places such as Stammershalle Badehotel on the north coast, and two Michelin-starred Kadeau in the south have catapulted it into gastronomy’s premier league. It may appear as no more than a pinprick on a map, but Bornholm’s bucolic charms and exceptional Scandi cuisine have earned it a place on the world stage.
Mother and son cycle close to the Baltic coast RIGHT FROM TOP: Family on a beach between Strandmarken and Dueodde; bright houses in Gudhjem; one of Bornholm’s iconic round churches
IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY