Sea buckthorn: my latest foodie obsession. I was introduced to these golden gems a few weeks ago when I met Seth of Cornish Seaberry who is growing a few acres of the beautiful berries at a site just down the lanes from us. Seth came across sea buckthorn when he was travelling in the Himalayas, where they were used as a tonic for altitude sickness. Intrigued by the superfood, he discovered they also grow wild within Cornwall, and over the past couple of years he has been juggling his day job as an agronomist and family life with a young daughter alongside growing, harvesting and gradually building his seaberry business.
Tart and tangy, these berries pack their punch not only on the flavour front, but their status as a superfood is assured when you examine their credentials: each berry contains 190 different nutrients including ‘vitamins (A, B, C, E); essential fatty acids ( omega 3,6,9 ) along with omega 7, which as a plant only appears in sea buckthorn and macadamia’ (The British Sea Buckthorn Co).
I’ve started to play around with the berries, using them in smoothies, making compote, I have flash fried them from frozen with oils and spices and served them with vegetables such as cauliflower, and this morning I made some oat slices to serve to guests at one of my massage courses. This recipe is very versatile, you can easily swap the dried and fresh fruit for alternatives - and it happens to be vegan, sugar free and can be gluten free if you opt for GF oats. I am always inclined towards the savoury, but if you have a sweeter tooth a drizzle of honey could be added to the top before serving, or mixed into the recipe before cooking.
A tasty, family-friendly snack that celebrates these local gems? I’d love to know your thoughts …
Tia x
Sea buckthorn oat slices
Makes 16 - 20 squares
Ingredients
200g oats
180g dried fruits, chopped small (I used a combination of dates and raisins)
100g sea buckthorn berries (I used them from frozen)
200g apple purée (see recipe from Deliciously Ella at the bottom of the page - I made then batch froze this in autumn using apples from the orchard)
Handful of flaked coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp ground ginger
Method:
Heat oven to 180 C.
If using apple purée from the freezer, take it out the night before to defrost.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Leave for 20 minutes to allow berries to defrost and the wet ingredients to soak into the dry.
Press into a greased baking tray, approx 22cm square
Bake in oven for approx 50 minutes until becoming golden. Check while cooking to ensure they don’t burn.
After removing the tray from the oven, place a knife around the outside to prevent sticking to the sides, then leave to cool before cutting into squares and removing from the tray. By leaving to cool the slices will keep their shape rather than falling apart while still hot.
Notes:
This is a very flexible recipe - play around with the dried fruits (I used a combination of dates and raisins as that’s what I had in the store cupboard) and fresh fruits such as blueberries in summer work well too.
If you prefer a sweeter flavour, you could drizzle the slices with honey or melted dark chocolate.
Apple purée recipe (from Deliciously Ella)
The quantities below will make you a stock of apple purée that you can use in multiple meals or save in the fridge or freezer.
Ingredients
10 apples, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Method
Place the apple pieces in a large saucepan and cover the bottom with a couple of centimetres water.
Cook the apples for about 40 minutes, until they’re very soft.
Drain any remaining water and place in blender or food processor with maple syrup and cinnamon. Blend until smooth and creamy, then put into storage pots and place in fridge (for up to five days) or freezer.