nyppon soppa

Swedes love their chilled fruit soups, the most celebrated of which is the infamous Nyppon Soppa which are rosehip berries. I don’t expect you to pop to your local super market for a punnet of rosehip berries, these little berries may be growing wild practically on your front door step, and trust me, there is nothing more satisfying than foraging for food that is free. Make sure you know what you are picking, please do not eat anything that you are not sure about, the internet is a great tool to help identify wild fruits. Rosehips do not break down like conventional fruit but they do release the most wonderful perfume, the flavour is a cross between rhubarb and apple, though it is not tart so requires help from a couple of trusty lemons. I know that fruit soup does not sound like everybody’s idea of heaven, but try it with a lick of cream, you may surprise yourself.

You will need:
600 g rosehip berries
1600ml of water
The juice of 1 ½ lemons
8 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoon of corn flour

Measure 1500ml of water and pour into a sauce pan, add the rosehip berries and sugar, cook for 45 minutes with the lid on.

Using the remaining 100ml of water dissolve the corn flour into it, make sure that the water is cold because it will not dissolve properly if it is warm.

Add the lemon juice to the rosehip berries followed by the corn flour solution, stir well until the corn flour has turned the soup from opaque to clear and thickened. Turn off the heat and sieve to separate the berry solids from the soup. Allow the soup to cool and serve with a swirl of double cream. It’s fruit heaven.