Flavors of the Brodnickie Lakeland 2026 — a guide to local products

The Brodnickie Lakeland has long enticed visitors with its lakes and forests, but 2026 has the chance to become the year of local flavors as well. More and more farms, restaurants and processors are focusing on authentic regional products, and tourists increasingly ask not only “where to sleep?” but also “what to try here and where to buy it?”.

This guide to local products of the Brodnickie Lakeland 2026 will help you plan a tasty trip — from a list of regional specialties, through places to buy them, to ready-made routes for gourmets and an introduction to the Brodnickie JO portal.

Section 1: Overview of regional products and dishes

Traditional products from farms and small processors

Many small farms still operate in the Brodnickie Lakeland, producing food within short supply chains — often “from field to table” within a few kilometers.

1. Honey and bee products
- multifloral honeys from forest and meadow areas (Brodnica, Zbiczno, Brzozie),
- linden and buckwheat honeys from apiaries located near forests and cultivated fields,
- beeswax candles and bee pollen as local souvenirs.

What to look for: a label with the apiary address, information about the origin of the nectar sources (forests, meadows, buckwheat).

2. Cold cuts and meats from small smokehouses
- sausages smoked in traditional wood-fired smokehouses,
- hams and bacon smoked for long periods, often from their own herds,
- blood sausages and pâtés with the addition of local herbs.

Tip: ask for products “from today’s smoking” — they are often available only on specific days of the week.

3. Dairy and artisan cheeses
- quark cheeses from small dairies and farms,
- rennet cheeses that mature (cow, sometimes goat),
- churned butter (traditionally whipped), cream with a high fat content.

Increasingly you will also find flavored cheeses with additions like wild garlic, herbs from home gardens or sun-dried tomatoes.

4. Vegetables, fruits and preserves
- potatoes, carrots, beets and cabbage from local fields,
- apples, plums and cherries from orchards around Brodnica and neighboring communes,
- cold-pressed juices, preserves, plum jam,
- pickled cucumbers and cabbage fermented in barrels.

In 2026 more farms will also offer preserves without added sugar and vegan products (e.g. bean spreads, hummus made from local legumes).

Flavors of the lakes and forests: fish, mushrooms, game

1. Fish from the lakes of the Brodnickie Lakeland
- fresh: zander, pike, perch, bream,
- smoked: whitefish, trout, eel (where available),
- fish in vinegar or oil marinades as a takeaway souvenir.

Look for fish farms and fry stands that clearly state the fish origin (specific lake, rearing pond).

2. Mushrooms and forest produce
- fresh mushrooms in season (porcini, bay boletes, chanterelles),
- dried mushrooms packed in small bags — ideal to take home,
- blueberries, bilberries, cranberries — fresh or as juices and preserves.

3. Game
Restaurants and agritourism farms increasingly offer:
- wild boar goulash,
- roast venison,
- game pâtés.

These are not products you usually buy “to go” in a store, but they are worth trying on site.

Local dishes worth trying

Although the Brodnickie Lakeland does not have a single “signature” dish like oscypek in the Tatra Mountains, certain dishes recur on local restaurant and farm menus:

• fish soup from lake fish – often made from a stock of several fish species, with vegetables and herbs,
  
• dumplings with local fillings – e.g. buckwheat and quark, cabbage and mushrooms,
  
• potato pancakes with mushroom sauce from nearby forests,
  
• roast duck with apples from local orchards,
  
• yeast cakes with seasonal fruits (plums, berries, apples).

In 2026 more places are also focusing on plant-based cuisine based on local products – cream soups from vegetables, salads with grains, dishes with lentils and beans.

Section 2: Where to buy — markets, farms, shops and restaurants

Markets and fairs with local products

If you wonder where to buy regional products in Brodnica and surroundings, start with the markets:

• Brodnica municipal market – regular stalls with vegetables, fruits, dairy, cold cuts and honeys. The largest selection is usually on Friday and Saturday mornings.
  
• Seasonal fairs and festivals in the communes of the Brodnickie Lakeland – during harvest festivals, crop celebrations or local festivals there are stalls with preserves, bread, cakes and handicrafts.

Practical tip:
When planning your trip, check commune websites or social media for current fair dates. In 2026 more events will also be collected in one place on the Brodnickie JO portal.

Farms and agritourisms with their own products

Many agritourism farms in the Brodnickie Lakeland offer:

• breakfasts with their own products (eggs, cheeses, cold cuts, bread),
  
• the possibility to buy preserves “from the home pantry” (jams, juices, pickles),
  
• culinary workshops (bread baking, dumpling making, vegetable fermentation).

How to find such places?
- ask at local tourist information points,
- check accommodation descriptions (look for words: “own products”, “homemade preserves”, “regional breakfasts”),
- in 2026 more of them will be marked as JO Partner in the Brodnickie JO system.

Shops, delis and outlets with local food

Besides markets and farms, you can find local products in:

• small grocery stores – they often have a shelf with products “from local suppliers”,
  
• regional delicatessens (in Brodnica and larger towns) – with a selection of cheeses, cold cuts, honeys and preserves,
  
• farm shops – small sales points at farms, often open at specific hours.

Tip:
Look for labels like “local product”, “from the Brodnickie Lakeland” or — in later project stages — Brodnickie JO stickers and QR codes, which confirm membership in the regional network.

Restaurants and cafés focusing on the Brodnickie Lakeland cuisine

More and more gastronomic venues in the region consciously build menus based on local products. What to look for when choosing a place for lunch or dinner?

• information on the menu: “we use local products”, “we cooperate with farms from the Brodnickie Lakeland”,
  
• marked seasonal dishes – e.g. “chanterelle soup from the forests of the Brodnickie Lakeland”,
  
• the possibility to buy products to take away (e.g. jars of preserves, honeys, coffee from a local roastery, if one operates nearby).

In 2026 restaurants involved in the Brodnickie JO project will be able to display a list of local suppliers they use in their profile — making it easier for tourists to make informed choices.

Section 3: Gourmet routes — day and weekend proposals

One-day route: “Flavors around Brodnica”

For whom: for people who have only one day but want to feel the atmosphere of local flavors.

Suggested plan:

1. Morning – market in Brodnica

   • buy fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy and cold cuts,
     
   • talk to producers – ask if they sell at the farm.

2. Late morning – visit an apiary or farm

   • honey tasting,
     
   • possibility to buy fresh honey, pollen, beeswax candles.

3. Lunch – restaurant with a local menu

   • choose a lake fish dish or mushroom soup,
     
   • ask the staff where the products come from – you will often hear specific village and farm names.

4. Afternoon – walk by the lake and coffee with local cake

   • a café or guesthouse with homemade pastry (apple pie with local apples, yeast cake with fruit).

JO version 48 (when the portal launches):
In the Brodnickie JO app such a route can be a ready-made scenario — with points to visit, a map and benefits (e.g. a small discount on honey after lunch at a partner restaurant).

Weekend route: “From field to table in the Brodnickie Lakeland”

Day 1 – Brodnica and surroundings

• Morning: shopping at the market, a short city walk, coffee with local cake.
  
• Noon: transfer to an agritourism farm with its own products – check-in, lunch made from regional ingredients.
  
• Afternoon: workshops (e.g. bread baking, dumpling making, pickling cucumbers).
  
• Evening: dinner by the bonfire with local cold cuts and cheeses.

Day 2 – lakes and forests

• Morning: walk or kayak trip, picnic with products bought the day before (cheeses, bread, vegetables, fruits).
  
• Noon: lunch at a fry stand or restaurant with fish from local lakes.
  
• Afternoon: visit a farm with preserves (juices, jams, pickles) – purchases for the road.

Practical tips:

• Call farms in advance – many operate seasonally or require reservations.
  
• Ask about vacuum packing for cold cuts and cheeses – they are easier to transport.
  
• If traveling with children, choose places with attractions (mini zoo, playground, opportunity to feed animals).

Themed routes: honey, fish, mushrooms

In 2026 the Brodnickie JO will also plan themed routes that can be followed on the portal map:

• Honey Trail of the Brodnickie Lakeland – apiaries, honey shops, restaurants with honey-based desserts.
  
• Lake Fish Trail – fry stands, fish farms, points selling smoked fish.
  
• Mushroom Trail – farms offering dried mushrooms, restaurants with mushroom dishes, autumn culinary events.

Each point on the route can be marked as a JO Partner, and a tourist — by scanning QR codes — will collect visits and unlock benefits (e.g. discounts on future purchases, a free coffee with cake, a small jar of preserves).

Section 4: Producer–gastronomy–JO portal cooperation (product promotion)

Why joint promotion is key

Today many producers and restaurateurs operate separately: 10 communes, separate budgets, scattered information. The result? A tourist who asks about the Brodnickie Lakeland cuisine often encounters outdated or fragmentary data.

The Brodnickie JO project, developed by Brodnickie.io, aims to change this:

• one portal and app instead of many scattered sites,
  
• a shared region map with local recommendations,
  
• JO Partner profiles for producers, gastronomy and attractions.

How cooperation works in practice

1. Local producer
- joins the program,
- declares a benefit for the tourist (e.g. 5% discount on the second purchase, a small jar of jam after three visits),
- receives a profile on the portal and a QR code to place in the farm, shop, or stall.

2. Gastronomy (restaurants, cafés, agritourisms)
- displays a list of local suppliers in its profile,
- offers benefits (e.g. a free dessert with local fruits when ordering a regional dish),
- encourages guests to visit other JO Partners – a system of recommendations and mutual referrals.

3. Tourist
- finds places on the portal map or in ready scenarios (e.g. JO 48, JO Przygoda),
- visits a producer or restaurant,
- scans the QR code, which records the visit and activates the benefit.

This way tourist traffic circulates around the region instead of stopping in one place. Everyone benefits: the producer, the gastronomy and the whole region.

Role of the 1st Tourism Forum on the Brodnickie Lakeland 2026

For this system to work, conversation and common rule-making are needed. That is why on 21 October 2026 in Zbiczno the 1st Tourism Forum on the Brodnickie Lakeland will take place:

• Location: GOKSiR in Zbiczno, ul. Młyńska 6, 87-305 Zbiczno, at 10:00.
  
• Purpose: to build a joint offer and a portal promoting the Brodnickie Lakeland — including local products and cuisine.
  
• For whom: accommodations, gastronomy, attractions, rental services, guides, event organizers and everyone involved in the region’s tourism.

At the forum you will learn, among other things:

1. Why the region needs a joint JO portal.
   
2. How partners, profiles and QR codes work.
   
3. What benefits the system provides to tourists, partners and the whole region.
   
4. What JO 48 and JO Przygoda are and how they can promote local products.
   
5. What the implementation plan looks like and how you can join it.

Important:
- registration for the forum is not a registration of an object nor a declaration of participation in the project,
- attendance at the forum is informational — after the meeting everyone will decide for themselves whether and in what role they want to join.

To participate, simply leave contact details on the Brodnickie.io page — you will receive a confirmation of registration and details about the date, place and program.

Summary

The Brodnickie Lakeland in 2026 is not only lakes and forests, but also an increasingly well-organized culinary scene: honeys from forest apiaries, cheeses from small farms, fish from local lakes, preserves from orchards and gardens, and restaurants that consciously build menus based on regional products.

If you are planning a trip, use this guide to:

• plan purchases at markets and farms,
  
• choose restaurants that focus on the cuisine of the Brodnickie Lakeland,
  
• arrange a one-day or weekend gourmet route.

If you are a producer, restaurateur or run accommodation — join the conversation about joint promotion of the region. Register for the 1st Tourism Forum on the Brodnickie Lakeland 2026 via Brodnickie.io, learn the assumptions of the Brodnickie JO portal and decide what role you want to play in building the Brodnickie Lakeland flavor brand.

JO! Discover – and show others – local products of the Brodnickie Lakeland 2026.