Tareq Taylor's Nordic Cookery

Far above the Arctic Circle, Tareq explores the wild country around Jokkmokk. Jokkmokk is a town steeped in the traditions of the Sami, Sweden's indigenous people. Their adaptation to what the land provides has meant the cuisine they eat is as extreme as the weather.

Tareq is in his hometown of Malmö - Sweden's third largest city. Built up on the backs of the herring in the sea, the town is now a centre of culture and technology with a bridge connecting it to Copenhagen. The food scene here is inspired by the traditional seafood dishes and the large immigrant population whose recipes have given Malmö a new energy.

Tareq takes a late autumn trip along Finland's southern coast. He stops in the capital Helsinki to see how the city food culture is about to be discovered by the rest of the world, and dives into the freezing waters around Ekenäs, the south's most beautiful resort town. The winter may be approaching but the land and sea still provides amazing opportunities to work with local food.

Tareq heads out to Åland, a group of 6700 islands situated between Sweden and Finland. For hundreds of years, Åland's shipping fleet was the envy of navies around the world, and their sea trade was encouraged by the seafood, grains and fruits that thrive on these islands. Tareq prepares recipes to reflect Åland's unique cuisine.

Bergen is a thousand-year old city built on the back of the seafood trade, especially cod. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in northern Europe, Bergen has emerged from various plagues and pirate invasions to become a centre for the finest seafood in northern Europe. Tareq heads into this winter wonderland to see the curious cuisine that has developed in western Norway.

Tareq arrives in Kiruna, over 200km north of the Arctic Circle. With the weather getting down to -30C, this does not deter the locals to be outside for sport and food preparation. Tareq takes part in snow picnics, firing up the smoker, and using snow and ice as part of the recipes he prepares.