What you need (Serves 8):

- 4 sticks of rhubarb

- 1 pint (4.5 dl) of water

- 100-150gr sugar

- Juice of 1 lemon (some prefer orange, another alternative)

- 1/2 vanilla pod

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 2 star anise pods

- 4 sprigs of mint or one small fresh ginger root (optional)

What you do:

Peel the rhubarb and cut it into thin slices. Put the rhubarb slices in a saucepan with the water, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, lemon/orange juice and bring to the boil, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Remove the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and star anise, then add the sugar to the pan and stir until it dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. Serve the soup ice-cold with vanilla ice cream (if you’re a purist) or, alternatively, mascarpone, sour cream, or whipped cream, according to your preference.

This is the traditional recipe for Norwegian rhubarb soup. You could add mint leaves for flavouring, or even ginger, for a more oriental-inspired variation – both go very well with rhubarb. Many other recipes for this traditional Norwegian dessert also feature strawberries, so feel free to add them to the mix of ingredients above if you want to give this variant a go – about 400g Norwegian strawberries (nothing else will do of course!) should be sufficient. Enjoy!

You can drive to Utgårdskilen and buy them straight from the fishermen when they return from their day at sea. At Utgårdskilen you’ll find Fjordfisk’s wharehouse and shop, which receive the largest delivery of fish and shellfish in Eastern Norway. 400 tons of the prawns brought in every year are sold ready-to-eat as fresh Hvaler prawns, while a further 600 tons are delivered to the industry for processing (freezing mainly).

Fishing has always been a mainstay of Hvaler’s economy, be it cod, herring, makrell, lobster or oyster. Around 1900 the first attempts to fish prawns with trawlers were carried out in the Oslofjord, and by 1914 all the fishermen in Utgårdskilen on Hvaler used this method. Business was good, and Hvaler prawns were even exported, tinned, to Germany.

The day started early for prawn fishermen, typically 1am or 2am, and it was not unusual for them to be out at sea until 5pm-6pm. The price of prawns varied from place to place, and year to year, but in 1934 the average price per kilo was 62 øre! Today fishermen on Hvaler still work long hours (particularly when the catch is good!), but the price of fresh prawns has gone up somehow – around 150Kr per kilo. Frozen prawns are much cheaper (no doubt because they are easier to handle), and sell for as little as 30Kr a kilo when on special offer – although 60-70Kr is more common.

Try fresh Hvaler prawns in one of Skjærhalden’s restaurants (Første Reis on the harbour serves them with aioli and its own special shellfish sauce), or eat them au naturel, like most Norwegians do, on white bread and butter, with just a dash of lemon juice. Great for a summer dinner with friends, or why not, a posh picnic by the sea – perfect with a glass of chilled pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.

No garden? Not a problem. Pack an engang grill (a little disposable BBQ that you can purchase in most shops for around 20Kr) and off you go. But please take care when lighting it up, and ensure you are well away from trees and grass – it can get really dry in Østfold in summer, and forest fires start faster than you think! By the way, a reminder that there is a fire ban throughout Norway between 15 April and 15 September, so don’t even think of lighting up an open fire anywhere during that time.

- Gudegården: In the town’s oldest house, this restaurant serves traditional food in pleasant rustic surrounds near Møllerbyen. Henrik Gerners gate 6. Tel: 69 20 60 40, http://gudegaarden.no/

- Café Brandstrup: Tasty sandwiches and salads served in generous portions in a gastro-pub style caf right next to Gallery Henrik Gerner. Open late on Fridays and Saturdays. Henrik Gerners gate 7. Tel: 69 25 32 60, www.cafebrandstrup.no

- Peppes Pizza Tollboden: American-style pizzas with a choice of toppings, both traditional and more exotic, in locale overlooking the canal. Alfresco eating in summer, occasionally with live music. Jeløygaten 2. Tel: 22 22 55 55, www.peppes.no

- Marché Rygge Vest: Looks can be deceptive – this unassuming restaurant was recently voted best veikro (roadside eatery) in Norway for the second year in a row. The focus here is on local ingredients and regional recipes. By the E6 at Storebaug. Tel: 69 23 51 00, www.bytheway.no

Kaviar smuggling has as a result become routine every time I fly home as friends and family never fail to ask for some, which is fine when I’m checking a suitcase in, less so when I only have hand luggage with me, as I found out last time I went through custom at Rygge Airport. It turns out kaviar qualifies as a ‘fluid’. Go figure. I must say I fail to see how someone could make an explosive device with a bit of pink fish paste, or how it could represent any kind of serious threat to other passengers (aside maybe from the tube bursting mid-flight on someone’s lap for example?), but the customs people do take these things seriously.

The officer to whom I tried to explain how disappointed the intended recipient of the three tubes of Mills kaviar I had concealed at the bottom of my rucksack did not seem to understand what the fuss was all about. Had it been 11am, not 6am, I might have gobbled at least one of them on the spot, because it really broke my heart for all that good kaviar to go to waste. But that early in the morning, and on an empty stomach to boot, I can’t say I particularly fancied the idea. So the tube ended up in the bin (sacrilege!) and I arrived empty-handed at my destination. Much to the disappointment of my godson, who was possibly looking forward to seeing the kaviar even more than he did me. Yes, life can be tough sometimes…

A few facts about kaviar:

Although called ‘kaviar’, it’s got very little to do with real caviar, other than it’s made with fish roe (no, not sturgeon eggs, but cod roe). The Norwegian version is lightly smoked, salty yet a little bit sweet too, and varies in colour from pink to light orange. The two main brands are Mills and Kavli – I haven’t tried to establish which one is the most popular among Norwegians (sorry, life’s too short!), so I’ll be very biaised and just say that my boyfriend swears by Mills. There! And remember, you’re not supposed to spread the kaviar on the bread with a knife, as you would let’s say pâté or jam, just squeeze it out instead. Last, but not least, a tube of kaviar retails at around 20Kr, great news for anyone travelling on a budget, provided you like fish of course. You could (if pushed) survive a few days on a tube of kaviar and a loaf of bread. You would get many of the nutrients you need too – kaviar’s full of healthy fats, vitamin D and B12, as well as omega 3, and contains 15% protein (although it’s really 75% water). Consumed to excess though, it might raise your cholesterol to dangerous levels, so as with all good things in life – enjoy in moderation