This post is an informative journalistic coverage of a PR event with editorial & reportage elements that do not aim to promote any business, organisation, product or service.
Today - on the day of publication- I am a member of Ruokatoimittajat ry (Finnish Food Writers' Association), and attended this PR event as a food writer (not as an influencer).
11 December 2024 - Helsinki
Today I headed to Helsinki to join a press lunch that will bring me to Finland's national landscapes with each bite. While we all preparing for the holiday season, something great is brewing behind the scenes for the new year: a new TV show, 'Illallinen Kansallismaisemissa' (translation: 'Dinner At The National Landscape') will debut on Epiphany Day!
The Valio-sponsored programme is an opener to the brand's 120th anniversary year, while aiming to bring together Finland's beautiful national landscapes, local flavours and Finnish food culture. The host through 8 episodes will be Finland's Top Chef 2012 competition winner & restaurant owner: Teemu Laurell. The programme highlights an important message: locally produced food is truly colourful, versatile and tasty when we really understand it.
In each episode, chef Teemu explores the farms at the edge of Finland's national landscapes while revealing interesting stories of the dairy production with the help of the farmers. The day is crowned with a memorable dinner, attended by both the farm owners, their star guests and friends they have invited to the table set in the magnificent landscapes. The chef shows the preparation of each dishes served at the dinner, and the recipes will become available on Valio's website right after the show airs.
Illallinen Kansallismaisemissa' will debut at 20:00 on 6 January 2025, on MTV Katsomo and the MTV3 channel, and a new episode will be released on every Monday.
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Before the event continued with the tasting experience, we learned the secrets of the chef's buttermilk sauce, also known from his prominent restaurant, Teller. With the permission of the chef & Valio, I share the recipe below:
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup (150g) Valio Keittiön crème fraîche
- 225 ml Valio AB piimää buttermilk
- 1.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- Instructions:
- Mix the ingredients in a bowl and let it rest for 10-15 minutes
- Add the buttermilk dressing to salads before serving
- Tip: you can also make a larger batch and store it in the fridge - this way it is ready to use.
After this fun activity we gathered around a beautifully set table and enjoyed some delicious bites from a menu designed by chef Teemu Laurell himself.
- Main course:
- tomato salad and chilli vinaigrette
- green salad with buttermilk sauce
- prime rib and lovage-caper butter (or roasted celeriac and lovage butter)
- Dessert: creamy curd cheese foam, jammed blueberries and oat crumble
During lunch, we previewed an episode of the new program and met Ville and Jonna Nieminen, whose farm, MaitoRantala is featured in the show. The event continued with a great chat at the table where the chef and the farmers shared interesting behind-the-scenes details about the production which took place during the summer - amazingly enough, the filming of the mostly outdoor scenes were interrupted by rain only once!
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
I had the pleasure of attending this PR event and learning more about the important mission of this new TV programme.
You can find more insights and photos on my Instagram.
Thank you so much to Laura Saukkonen and Valio for inviting me to this event, and I feel honoured by the kind hospitality of all the brand-representatives present. I also appreciate the opportunity to whip up a buttermilk sauce with the legendary Teemu Laurell, whose seasonal and local-ingredient-inspired recipes I'll certainly follow in the show at the beginning of 2025!
DISCLOSURE
The organiser has not set any special criteria and has not initiated any financial/alternative compensation that would require the creation of any written or visual content related to this PR event nor the promotion of any products/services in exchange for attendance - but I decided to share my experience anyway as I think you'd enjoy exclusive insights from my recent gastro adventure. Any PR products/samples/food, drink/services/raffle prizes handed out by the organisers, other participants or exhibitors (if applicable) were not a form of compensation, nor part of an exchange agreement.
