Iceland Invites the World to Dinner Marked by the Launch of Eldhús- Iceland's little house of food

LONDON, February 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Iceland is inviting tourists to take part in a 12-day culinary road trip in Eldhús; Iceland's little house of food. The journey will start in Reykjavik and continue through black sand beaches and snow-capped glaciers, celebrating Iceland's finest foods along the way. 

     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20120229/515313 )

Tom Sellers (of Noma fame) will become one of the Head Chefs of Eldhús and will be accompanied by his maître-d, Heimir and fellow Icelanders in the exclusive venture, which will seat only six diners per evening.

In October 2011, Iceland became the first country in the world to open up its doors to invite tourists in for a unique Icelandic experience. Following a national address from President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, hundreds of Icelanders pledged their individual invites on inspiredbyIceland.com.

A compelling response from tourists saw holidaymakers flock to the island to take part in the boundary pushing experiences. An insight into Icelandic food was a hugely popular offering and the President himself invited tourists over for Icelandic pancakes with him and his wife Dorrit.

Continuing with the popularity of food, Iceland is now planning to make its mark on the globe as an inspirational destination for food loving tourists offering visitors a unique food experience. Eldhús; the little house of food which has been built from scratch, will be travelling across the most remote and extreme areas of Iceland seeking out the best of Icelandic fare.

Designed to encompass traditional Icelandic charm, Eldhús, which is Icelandic for kitchen and literally translates to 'Fire House', is complete with a turf roof and will be an intimate 2 x 4.3 meters only seating six diners around one single table each evening. Its very own Icelandic butler, Heimir, will accompany the house on its expedition and will welcome guests each day.

Launching to the public on the 7^th March 2012 it is the latest project from Inspired by Iceland and is aimed at food loving tourists - specifically those who are yet to realise how evolved Icelandic gastronomy has become.

Tourists are invited to dine at the exclusive venture via the Inspired by Iceland website (inspiredbyiceland.com) from 2pm today.

The impending food journey has already inspired world-class ex Noma chef, Tom Sellers who will be in Iceland to participate in the launch of Eldhús and will follow the house's journey in a bid to take Icelandic inspiration back to his own soon-to-launch restaurant in London.  

"I am exceedingly intrigued by Icelandic cooking. The people of Iceland are passionate about food but we don't hear about it all that much outside of Iceland itself. They're a creative country and by being creative with food we are beginning to see interesting food trends emerge. Traditional delicacies are clearly still important to their food culture but Icelandic food has taken a modern turn. They have access to some of the freshest ingredients in the world and the cooking is simply outstanding. Iceland should be proud of this and show the world what they can actually do," says Tom.

The Icelandic community will also be encouraged to open their kitchens to tourists for a wealth of culinary experiences as part of the Inspired By Iceland invitation program.

"In Fall 2011 we opened up our doors to tourists and shared unique experiences which you can't find anywhere else in the world. Now with Eldhús and also our own kitchens, we have the wonderful opportunity to do this again and share the delights of our evolving food culture," says Inga Hlín Pálsdóttir, Director, Marketing & Visit Iceland at Promote Iceland.

Notes to editors

Inspired by Iceland campaign is a public private act - between the Icelandic government, City of Reykjavik, Icelandair, Iceland Express, ISAVIA, the Travel Industry Association and the Federation of Trade & Services. Around 130 companies are involved. Promote Iceland is the developer and the executive of the campaign.

Contact:

Inspired By Iceland http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com

Promote Iceland http://www.promoteiceland.is

Islenska http://www.islenska.is

The Brooklyn Brothers http://www.thebrooklynbrothers.com

For further information please contact Laura Wood or Katie Hancock at The Brooklyn Brothers on +44-207-734-3007 or email [email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Inspired By Iceland