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A Wild Larder at the Water's Edge

Where the Scandinavian coast frays into granite, bog and shingle, late summer leaves the hillsides heavy with two berries that most cooks in Britain never get their hands on. Cloudberries glow amber in the moss; sea buckthorn hangs in tight orange clusters on wind-bent bushes above the tideline. Together they are the wild larder of the north — honeyed and floral in one case, ferociously tart and citrus-bright in the other. Both reward a little knowledge before you start cooking.

Cloudberries: The Amber Ones

Known as multebær in Norwegian, hjortron in Swedish and lakka in Finnish, cloudberries ripen from late July into August on wet, acid ground, often within sight of the water. Each plant carries a single berry, and a good patch is a closely guarded family secret, so a litre takes patience to pick. Ripe berries are soft, deep gold and faintly translucent; unripe ones are hard and scarlet, and will never sweeten on the windowsill.

The flavour sits somewhere between apricot, raspberry and honey, with a tart edge that survives cooking. Cloudberries are naturally high in pectin, which means they set into jam almost by themselves — a relief if you have ever stood over a pan of strawberries wondering why nothing is happening.

• Simple jam: weigh the berries, then use 400–500 g of sugar per kilogram. Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring only at the end, and pot while hot. The set is soft and spoonable, which is exactly right.
• Multekrem: fold cooled jam through lightly whipped cream with a little vanilla. Serve with thin almond biscuits or warm waffles.
• With game and cheese: a spoonful cuts through roast venison, duck or a salty brown cheese on toast.

If you buy them frozen or as a purée, taste before adding sugar — shop-bought versions vary wildly in sweetness.

Sea Buckthorn: Sharp, Bright and Stubborn

Sea buckthorn, or havtorn, grows on dunes and shingle from late August, and many pickers wait until after the first frost because the berries lose a little of their bite. They are small, orange and packed tight against vicious thorns, which is why most people strip whole branches rather than pick berry by berry. The flavour is bracing: passionfruit, grapefruit and something faintly oily. That oiliness is real, and it is part of their character.

They are extraordinarily high in vitamin C and deeply staining, so wear an apron and keep pale worktops clear.

• Juice: press or simmer and strain, then sweeten cautiously. Diluted with sparkling water it makes a bracing cordial; reduced with sugar it becomes a syrup for cocktails and desserts.
• Curd and sorbet: use the juice in place of lemon in a curd, or churn it with a little sugar for a sorbet that tastes like a cold sunrise.
• Savoury sauces: simmer juice with a little sugar, a splash of vinegar and a knob of butter to make a glossy sauce for mackerel, salmon, pork belly or duck.

Sieving matters: the pips are hard and woody, and the juice thickens as it stands. A fine sieve and a little patience will pay for themselves.

Pairing the Two

They work best apart as often as together. Cloudberry is sweet, soft and generous; sea buckthorn is bracing and lean. Where they meet, balance matters: a cloudberry cream with a few drops of sea buckthorn juice sharpens the whole thing, while a sea buckthorn sauce sweetened with a spoonful of cloudberry jam becomes rounder and more interesting. Keep the sugar light and let the tartness do the work.

Practical Notes from a Northern Kitchen

• Freeze first: freezing berries overnight and thawing them releases juice and softens the skins, making mashing and sieving far easier.
• Avoid aluminium and untreated cast iron. The acidity in both berries reacts with them and spoils the colour and taste. Stainless steel or enamel is ideal.
• Store jam in small jars. A little cloudberry jam goes far, and opened jars keep better in the fridge for a few weeks.
• Buy frozen or as purée if you cannot get to the coast. Frozen Scandinavian berries are often better than tired fresh ones, and purées are consistent.

Bringing the Coast Home

You do not need a picking trip to cook this way. A jar of cloudberry jam in the cupboard and a bottle of sea buckthorn juice in the fridge will cover most of what follows. Start simply: warm waffles, whipped cream and a spoonful of amber jam. Then push further — fish, game, a sharp little sauce, a sorbet for a hot afternoon. These are flavours built for short northern summers, and they taste just as good at a British table.