Buurebrunch, Spettlinthof, Benken

Brunch

190 kilograms of potatoes, 40 kg of bacon and a thousand eggs is what the family Hofstetter goes through every Buurebrunch on the Swiss National Day at their farm. A mere 35 minute drive from down town Zürich, after navigating over some back roads we arrive at a modern farm, where a large-scale operation to feed approx 500 diners is in full swing. Three parking attendants expertly guide you to a spot on a large meadow. Luckily for expert drivers like myself, no advanced maneuvering is necessary.

It’s 08:58 and a small queue has formed in front of the entrance and precisely 2 minutes later the doors open. A small sticker for 28 CHF on your coat identifies you as having paid for the breakfast. Simple benches & tables are available and woman in traditional costumes circle around serving coffee. The buffet is a small feast. Eggs (sunny-side up), bacon, roesti, meat, cheese, bread, zopf, jams, honey, Birchermuesli, Ribeli, butter, cakes,… literally anything that’s vital for breakfast if you’re going to chop wood for the rest of the day is available.

Surprisingly the roesti dish was pretty good. A sole gentleman was juggling 8 pans on as many burners, mass producing roesti, but not without waiting to make sure every serving was perfect. In a stoic matter he presided over his non-stick pans, inadvertently instilling the lesson “good things come to those who wait” on the hungry diners. The level of salt is where it should be, the crispy / soft balance of the potato strips is perfect and the slight wait makes you long even more.

The poorest gentleman was the one running the bacon station. Frying 40 kg of bacon all cut into small strips, is a feat which deserves credit. We truly hope he’s married, because there’s simply no way, that after spending 5-6 hours frying bacon, that any woman in the next few weeks will go out on a date with him. Like the pig farmer in “Waking Ned Divine” he’s bound to smell rather interesting for days to come. But… he sure knows how to cook a great slab of bacon!

Another honorable mention goes out to the Birchermüesli. Apparently a few of the farmer’s wives from the region meet a day ahead of the brunch to come up with a huge vat of the muesli. And unlike many other version the color is rather white, which is a good sign. This implies that the taste comes from the ingredients and not just from some artificial fruit yoghurt!

Good food, low price, authentic feeling – what more could you ask for ?