Swapping her homeland of eastern Finland for the wild beauty of Northumberland has been made easier for Anne Ebdy who, alongside her enthusiastic kitchen team, is recreating some of the country’s most-loved dishes to join the menu of The Boatside Inn near Hexham.
Drawing on Nordic traditions of foraging, preserving and cooking with the seasons, Anne and the kitchen team explore recipes that bring together the flavours of her homeland alongside the pub’s much-loved classics.
The connection is about more than individual recipes: foraging, curing, pickling and cooking with seasonal ingredients are all part of the food traditions Anne grew up with, and work naturally with Northumberland’s local produce. Examples of dishes to grace the menu include the comforting creamy salmon and potato soup (a Finnish classic known as lohikeitto); gravlax with pickled onions features cured salmon which reflects the Nordic tradition of preserving fish, while the sharpness of pickled vegetables balances its richness; and Nordic pork and beef meatballs, Anne’s specialty, draws on the comforting meatball dishes enjoyed across the Nordic countries. Her gel made from locally foraged rowan berries brings a Northumberland touch to the Nordic pairing of savoury meat with tart fruit; while Anne’s own family recipe of blueberry bake with vanilla sauce celebrates the home baking that’s an important part of Finnish food culture.
Launching in time for Christmas parties, these Nordic favourites will sit alongside traditional Christmas dishes, running from 2 December to 9 January, with further Nordic dishes and seasonal specials appearing each week on the specials board.
