Take a "brake" for Jurassic hospitality Enjoy some juicy ham and crispy rösti in the “Métairie du Milieu de Bienne”.
Intro
On bike route 44, mountain bikers ride by numerous locations that might give them reason to pause: curious cows that stand in the way and the tempting “Métairie du Milieu de Bienne” with its crispy, buttery rösti and delicious juicy ham. Let’s start with this last point: the excellent food ...
Chasseral Nature Park
Located in the triangle between Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Biel/Bienne, the summit of the Chasseral is both the high point and centre of the nature park. The reserve covers 387km2 - 1% of the surface area of Switzerland – and a total of 21 municipalities.
Hint
There are 50 Métairien (farm restaurants) in the Bernese Jura alone, the countryside equivalent of an urban food mile.
The young Krähenbühl family has been running the “Métairie du Milieu de Bienne” for four years along with a country inn and guest house, bringing it to exactly its 58th year of existence. In addition to taking care of guests, the Krähenbühls also take care of 200 young cows, 20 horses, 10 chickens, a dog and a cat.
The “Métairie du Milieu de Bienne” is in an idyllic location at an altitude of 1,400 metres in the Chasseral Regional Park, a 387 square-kilometre nature reserve situated in the triangle formed by Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Biel. From Thursday to Sunday the Krähenbühl family serves its Chasseral plate, the ingredients for which come exclusively from their farm or from the local region.
A long-standing tradition
We do without modern comforts and a lot of leisure time.
The young family has realised its deepest dream. Nowadays it is hard to find young people who are enthusiastic about running a Métairie.
For some farmers, having guests means not only additional income but also human interaction, because often the nearest neighbor lives more than one kilometer away.
The country inns and guesthouses are sometimes hundreds of years old
It is not known exactly where the word “Métairie” comes from. However, a “Métayer” was a tenant farmer who looked after the herds on the mountain pastures in the summer. The first recorded histories go back to the 14th and 15th centuries.