Ingredients:
1kg sea-buckthorn berries
2 tsp salt
500g sugar (or to taste)
200ml water
Method:
Pick over the berries, wash thoroughly then dry and freeze for at least 7 days (this reduces the bitterness). After a week, add the berries to a pan along with the salt (this also counteracts the bitterness).
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the fruit are soft. Mash the fruit then strain through a double layer of cloth. Wring the cloth to extract as much juice as possible.
Return the juice to a pan, add 350g sugar and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust for sweetness (I like mine quite tart) then reduce until the mixture is syrupy. Transfer to a bottle and store in the refrigerator.
This syrup makes an excellent topping for waffles and pancakes or can be used as a flavouring for cakes and desserts.