In late July the bogs of Lapland are dotted with small amber berries, and people head out in rubber boots with buckets and mosquito nets. The cloudberry is the most prized berry in the north: Finns call it lakka or hilla, and its flower appears on the Finnish two-euro coin. You’ll find cloudberries in one form or another all year round, most deliciously on a plate of hot pancakes.

What makes it special

The cloudberry grows on open bogs across northern Finland. Each stem carries a single berry, which turns from hard and red to soft, juicy and amber when it’s ripe. The taste is tart and sweet at the same time, with a hint of honey and apricot, and the seeds are large enough to notice.

The harvest varies enormously from year to year. The plants flower in early summer, and a single frosty night at the wrong time can ruin the crop across a whole region. The berries also ripen within a short window of about two weeks, and picking them means walking on wet bogs among mosquitoes. That’s why cloudberries are expensive and sometimes called Lapland’s gold.

When and how to pick them

In Lapland, cloudberries usually ripen from mid-July to the first half of August, depending on the summer. A ripe berry is amber, soft and comes off easily; red ones aren’t ready yet.

Under Finland’s everyman’s rights, anyone may pick wild berries, also on private land, as long as you keep away from yards and don’t cause damage. In some nature reserves, access can be restricted, so check the local rules.

A few tips for the bog:

  • Wear rubber boots and bring mosquito protection. Bogs are wet, and mosquitoes are at their worst in July.
  • Take a map or GPS. Open bogs look alike in every direction, and it’s easy to lose your way.
  • Pick only ripe berries and don’t trample the plants. Locals have their favourite bogs, so be considerate.
  • Eat or process the berries soon: fresh cloudberries keep only a few days.

If you’d rather not pick, fresh berries are sold at markets and roadside stalls in August, and frozen berries and jam are available all year.

How cloudberries are eaten

  • Cloudberry jam, often just berries and sugar, is the most common form.
  • Warm leipäjuusto (often nicknamed “squeaky cheese” in English) with cloudberry jam is a classic Lappish dessert. Read more in our guide to Lappish food.
  • Desserts: cloudberry parfait, ice cream and cakes appear on the menus of many Lapland restaurants.
  • Cloudberry liqueur is a Finnish favourite after dinner.

Cloudberry pancakes (lakkaletut)

One classic way to eat cloudberries in Lapland is lakkaletut: thin pancakes fried in a hot cast-iron pan, served straight from the pan with cloudberry jam and whipped cream. Outdoors they’re often cooked over an open fire, which somehow makes them taste even better.

You’ll find them:

  • in kota cafés along ski trails and slopes, for example in the fell resorts of Levi, Ylläs, Saariselkä, Pyhä and Luosto: the classic reward halfway through a day of skiing
  • in cafés on the fell tops, together with campfire coffee
  • on safaris and reindeer farm visits, where pancakes are often part of the meal by the fire
  • in cafés and restaurants as dessert, and at markets and events in summer and around Christmas.

Pancakes are a Finnish favourite in general, so you’ll also see them with strawberry jam. For the Lapland version, choose cloudberry jam.

Make them yourself

In a cabin with a kitchen, lakkaletut are easy to make. For about 15 small pancakes:

  • 500 ml (2 cups) milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 30 g (2 tbsp) melted butter, plus butter for the pan

Finnish recipes use decilitres: 1 dl is 100 ml.

Whisk everything into a thin batter and let it rest for half an hour. Heat a pan well, add a little butter and pour in a thin layer of batter. Fry until golden, flip, and serve at once with cloudberry jam and whipped cream.

Taking some home

Cloudberry jam is a good souvenir, and you’ll find it in Lapland’s supermarkets and gift shops. At airport security, jam counts as a liquid, so pack the jars in your checked luggage.

Browse cabins and villas with a kitchen for your own pancake evening, or stays open in July for picking season.