*Advertisement – This article is written in collaboration with Finnair – All opinions remains our own
Recently, we went to Helsinki in order to see behind the scene of the creation of Finnair’s business class menu.
Flying business class to Helsinki – A taste of Finnland
From Berlin we flew to Helsinki business class with Finnair for the second time. This time again the first thing we experienced was the great service on board : very friendly staff, very forthcoming.
The aim of Finnair is for it’s passengers to experience Finland before arriving on Finnish soil.
This is represented by a collaboration of Finnair with Finnish brands such as Littalia glasses used for service in flight or Maku Brewery who created a limited Edition Maku blueberry Beer available on board but also through Finnish meals mixed with flavors inspired by travels!
The business class meal is always a 3 course dinner, this time we had :
Starters
Amazingly tasty Finnish bread with salted butter + fish starter
Main Course
Pea puree with Gulash served with wine
Dessert
Apricot cake with coffee and tea
Finnair business class menu signature created in 2013
It is since 2013 that Finnair offers a signature menu created by star chefs on their long haul flights.
It started with a signature menu made by Pekka Terävä, Michelin starred chef of the restaurant Olo in Helsinki.
Indeed, it makes sense for an experienced chef to create in flight meals as the taste of food changes with the altitude.
We had the chance to eat at three of the Olo restaurant group while in Helsinki : Nude, Ola and Emo. All three restaurants that we recommend you to try if you are Helsinki!
Finnair business class menu created by Star chef Tommy Myllymäki
The actual business class menu was created by star chef and Tv personality Tommy Myllymäki. We had the chance to meet him for lunch and his brand new Spring 2019’s new Finnair business class menu.
The concept of it is seasonality and regionality, an healthy option for the Finnair’s passengers.
One of the challenges for Tommy Myllymäki was to experiment a lot with what still stays fresh, tastes and looks good after it is reheated. He created also some vegetarian and vegan menu options!
Visiting the Finnair Kitchen
While in Helsinki we had the chance to go into the Finnair kitchen and see the behind the scene of how are prepared the meals before the flight.
See the pictures below and here are a few facts!
– The Finnair kitchen is not that big, if you consider how many meals are prepared in one day for all business class flights.
– The production starts early in the morning, but the busiest hours are in the afternoon, when most flights take off.
– The Food is then stored for 1-2 hours before being heated up again during the flight.
PS : Don’t miss my article about what to do if you are on a layover in Helsinki with Finnair!