Åpent Bakeri/Open Bakery is the place for me to meet friends for lunch. There are now 4 bakeries in Oslo but the first one is still my favourite, it was established by Øyvind Lofthus and Emmanuel Rang in 1998 in Inkognito Terrasse, behind the palace close to the French School. Three years later they bought the old Plaza Bakery at Damplassen in Ullevål Garden City, close to the university. If you have been watching the British television series “The Hairy Bakers” – two charming men with long hair who love their bikes as much as baking – you have seen Åpent Bakeri’s second premises and their passion for bread. If you have missed it you can see the video clip on their website: hairy-bikers-apent-bakeri. The photo exhibition on the walls, for sale, keeps changing and is always worth studying, see below.

My lunch choice will be a müesli roll with butter or their homemade jam together with a cup of tea, see the photo below. Åpent Bakeri has a burning interest in baking, hence encourage their bakers to take part in the Norwegian National Baking Team and has for the last two years been taking part in establishing a bakery at Haiti to be run by Haitian women themselves. They are incredibly busy and have published two books in Norwegian: one on bread simply called “Brød og Surdeigsbaking” and one on pizza. I was very happy to buy their first book for my husband who is into baking, to my utter delight! When in Oslo do visit one of their bakeries, taste and enjoy – just as I do!