The National Research Institute of Animal Production, in partnership with the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Tourist Organization, organized two study trips as part of the operation “Choose Food and Trip” on the “Niech Cię Zakole” trail. The first trip, “Dobrzyń Tasting Tables – on the Culinary Trail” took place on 13 October 2022, and the second, the “Expedition for Forest Goods” on 20 and 21 October 2022. A total of 30 participants from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship took part.
The “Dobrzyń Tasting Tables – on the Culinary Trail” was attended by pupils from the Chemical School Complex in Włocławek (subjects: tourism organization technician, nutrition and food services technician). The trip is targeted at the young who tie their future careers with tourism and cuisine. School curricula fail to educate in regional cuisine and rapidly developing culinary tourism. The trip makes aware at least some of the future graduates of the local catering market needs and the attractive niche of culinary trails. Pupils can familiarize themselves with three different culinary offers in three catering entities that represent various profiles: agritourism at the “Zagroda pod Zachrypniętym Kogutem” with agricultural retail trade in dairy and poultry; Mirosława Wilk’s “Tradycyjne Jadło” caterers with home-made bread; and Pałacyk Gozdawa with cuisine inspired by manorial roots. All the three entities base their offer on their own, local raw materials, but every one is attractive all its own. A show and mini-workshop were held based on the accepted programme at each of the visited sites. Pupils contributed to “Dobrzyń Tasting Tables” according to the culinary profile of each site.
The “Expedition for Forest Goods” was attended by students of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management; Faculty of Ethnology; Faculty of Humanities). This target group was offered a trip highlighting natural and landscape aspects, including herbalism and gifts of the forest, in this case Bydgoszcz Forest. The idea was to get them involved in creating and popularizing the outdoor offer made in symbiosis with nature – the world of plants and forest goods. This year two new entities joined the trail: “Makowe Lato” with its herbal offer and “Hotel Dobre z Lasu” of the Solec Kujawski Forest District. Thus the offer was enriched with natural, landscape, herbal and forest aspects. The trip led from the “Makowe Lato” herbal garden, via the Lower Vistula River Valley including Strzelce to the Bydgoszcz Forest, where the students were presented with the “Forest Goods Table” offer; a seminar presenting the “Niech Cię Zakole” trail offer and a moderated discussion were held. This resulted in a proposition to create a tourist package based on the “Hotel Dobre z Lasu”, where tour parties could be housed and offered tourist and culinary attractions combining the potential of the Bydgoszcz Forest and Lower Vistula River Valley with the cities of Bydgoszcz and Toruń. In the Solec Forest District, the following attractions could be provided and included in the package offer: a walk with a forester educational trail; planting a forest with outdoor snacks; mushrooming with workshop; and botanical walk with forest fruit picking and workshop.
