Food tour in Helsinki

This June I had the opportunity to participate in a food tour arranged and guided by Heather,who originally is from Tasmania but has been living in Helsinki for a long time and knows the city so well. We met in the morning under the Stockmann clock,  a popular meeting place in Helsinki, From there we proceeded downstairs to Stockmann Herkku,a fabulous big food store situated on  the ground floor of the huge Stockmann department store.

Everything looks so delicious and beautifully arranged in Stockmann Herkku. Here we have Carelian pies;traditional pies eaten throughout Finland.

Cakes

Cabbage rolls in the ready-to eat food department.

Muumin coffee!

Specialty oils in Herkku

Fresh fish

We had some lovely salmon topped with pepper root and cream  on delicious  rye bread 

Our next stop was Kuppi& Muffini, a charming cafe  and bakery on Kalevankatu,

where we had porridge,topped with berries,fruit puree,cinnamon and maple syrup.There are lots of toppings to choose from  for your porridge. The porridge was so good and filling;no wonder Heather had told us  not to eat any breakfast prior to the food tour;D

From there we walked to Kaartin Kotikauppa,a small but amazingly well stocked grocery store in the Ullanlinna neighborhood in Helsinki. In the picture you see Aarre,the owner of the shop; the shop was a life-long dream of Aarre,a former journalist.

So many different beers in such a small shop! Kaartin Kotikauppa also has many local products on the shelves:from small local bakeries, smallest coffee producer in Helsinki and many other interesting products,

Kaartin Kotikauppa from outside. The store is situated in an old,beautiful blockhouse,just opposite to the the St.John's Church.In Aarre's store we tasted Moomin chocolates,lovely apple cider and some savory and sweet pastries.You eat  a lot during  Heather's food tour !

Next in line was the Alko shop on the southern Esplanade street. Alko is a government owned alcoholic beverages retailing monopoly,and this shop that we visited  is a small and beautifully designed Alko shop.Heather told us about the government controlled alcohol policy in Finland and about Finnish berry liqueurs.

Then on to the Old Market hall where we had delicious cheese from Tuula's cheese shop.

Cheese made by a small dairy in Helsinki. 

On our way to our next stop we passed the market square.

Our next stop was not about food but about the famous Finnish design. We entered the beautiful flagship store of Iiittala on the northern Esplanade street.

This store is fascinating and one could easily spend hours there ;just looking at all those beautiful products.

How about some Moomin mugs?

Part of the Bryggeri terrace

We then went to Bryggeri , a brewery -restaurant for some beer and food.

The beers were beautifully presented.

On the menu was Bryggeriwurst and sauerkraut,but those who don't care for meat can have this lovely dísh of Carrots baked in an orange glaze with chevre cheese and emmer wheat.

Our last stop was Hymy Raw Food Cafe,where we had coffee and this absolutely divine tasting raw cake with lingonberry.

Our food tour with Heather lasted over 4 hours and during that time we got to see many interesting places and taste some great food that is available in Helsinki. Taking part in Heather's food tour is a great way to know Helsinki through its food culture .Heather is a charming and very knowledgeable guide and I enjoyed every minute of her food tour;)