Originally, these allotments were created for the poor who could not afford their own summer cottage out in the countryside and to allow them to grow their own vegetables. In the way of things, these allotments became highly sought-after by the rich as well and there are long waiting-lists in each city.

I spent a few hours walking around one of these allotment gardens, while the weather was still warm.

In the first hostel I stayed in, I met a very nice South Korean guy visiting from Italy, Kim Hee Won. We chatted for a while, and then went our separate ways. I ran into him again later at the market on the waterfront, where I bought peas and blueberries.

Together we got the ferry out to Suomenlinna, one of the many small islands in the bay of Helsinki. Once a sea fortress protecting the city from invaders, it is now popular with day-trippers and artists, who live and keep studios in the buildings which were once barracks.

Kim Hee taught me how to use my camera much more carefully, and I am very grateful for his help. Here are some nice photos from the island.

My cinnamon rolls reclining in glory, delicious with coffee or vanilla custard

By popular demand, I am putting up the rather gisted recipe I used for baking these lovely little sweet breads.

The dough

• 250 ml warmed milk
• 1 tsp yeast
• 150 g white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 100 g butter diced and softened
• 800 g strong flour

Mix the above in a bowl, adding a little more flour if the consistency is not right. It shouldn't be sticky, but not dry either. Knead the dough for ten minutes  and then put it back into a greased bowl to let it rise until it has doubled, under clingfilm.

Take the dough out, punch it down and then roll it out flat. You want a big rectangle, longer than it is wide, less than half a centimetre thick.

The filling

• 20 g butter (softened)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Spread the butter evenly and thinly on the dough, then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon (preferably mixed). The quantities are to-taste, but you don't want to overpower the flavour of the dough itself.

Now roll the dough up, long side first. Roll it as tight as you can. Pinch it together a bit at the top, and now it's time to cut. Cut alternating diagonals so that you get triangles. Don't make them too big. Squeeze them down a bit from the top, and then lay them out on a tray, sitting on baking parchment. Leave them to sit for about two hours, under cling-film or plastic bag, giving them time to double in size again. I put them beside the fire, which helped them along.

The coating

• 1 egg
• pearl sugar

Give each one a good coating of egg-wash, and then sprinkle pearl sugar on top. Pearl sugar is that expensive-looking white sugar like hailstones which you get on brioche and challah and Swedish patisserie. I didn't have any, so I made some by sprinkling water onto a plate of caster sugar, and then let it dry by the fire.

Put them in an oven pre-heated to 225°C for 10 to 12 minutes (until they are golden-brown). Take them out and set on a cool rack with paper towel on top.

Enjoy hot or cold with coffee, vanilla cream from IKEA or even tea.