‘Midsummer’s eve was believed to have been a time of magic’

The early fog rose off the fields as the morning moist evaporated into the air and the birds began their morning routines by feeding their babies. The countryside is calm and quite, only the birds are chirping and the wind is gently gushing through the leaves of the birches. I have my rubber boots on and the hem of my dress is dragging through the damp ground that is soon dry as the sun begins to warm up. Today is midsummer, the most celebrated holiday in Scandinavia. Most people leave the city to the countryside this time in the summer, spend the day connected to nature at their cabins. The sauna is on and we are ready to relax…

There is a special feeling only a summer solstice can bring. The sun was a bright orange colour at night-time that barely set into the horizon as I was taking my evening swim. Traditionally, I made a flower crown from blueberry and lingonberry branches and we ate dinner by the lake. We picked lots of wild flowers for the table and got a beautiful bouquet of peonies from our neighbour’s garden. Dinner was a traditional seaside style menu of shrimp toasts and char grilled fish on the campfire and summer style vegetables. The air is full of summer magic today and nature is at it’s most blooming state.

Seaside Skagen

• 1 cup peeled shrimps
• 1 spring onion finely chopped
• Juice of lemon/white pepper
• ½ cup cold smoked salmon finely chopped
• 2 boiled eggs chopped
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1cup sour cream
• ½ cup chilled dill

Mix all the ingredients together and place on top of toast. Garnish with seasonal radishes, black pepper, dill and shrimps.

Grilled whole fish

• Whole fish
• 1 lemon (cut into slices)
• Herbs of choice
• Marinade (mix together olive oil, chopped garlic, chilli and parsley)
• Salt/pepper/oil

Place the marinade all over the fish and the lemon wedges and herbs into the cavities of the fish. Place onto a iron grid and let it cook over a charcoal fire turning it once around for about 15minutes on both sides. Add salt and pepper to taste and more lemon.