Article updated with flights taken May 2024 – see dates underneath pictures
I was very much looking forward to this flight as it was the first time I was to fly on their new long-haul business class product – yes I was excited about their new seats but not as excited as I was about trying the new Finnair business class food. Finnair was already one of my favourite airlines for food, both in their lounges (my reviews of their Platinum Wing and Business Class Non-Schengen) and onboard. So I was looking forward to see the new changes and if their attention to good quality food still stood. And the answer is yes – the food quality was still outstanding and the meals were delicious. I enjoyed the food on the flights (and of course the seats) so much that I didn’t hesitate to fly them again in May of 2024 when the opportunity came up to fly them again when I had to head to Europe.
But was the food nutritious? Lets have a look at the Finnair Business Class food.
Finnair Business Class Food menu- 2023 and 2024




Main meal service
Refreshments were served prior to take off, including Finnair’s famous blueberry juice, water and champagne.
After takeoff the cabin crew offered a pre-meal drink and snack, and took orders for the main meal service. The snack on both legs of the flight was a small dish of almonds. While the almonds were delicious, (and very nutritious), I was very disappointed that an amuse bouche was not served. Prior to covid when I had flown on Finnair, I had experienced some delicious amuse bouche served prior to the main meal service. On both flights in 2024 almonds were served as the pre-dining snack as well and again I was disappointed it was not an amuse bouche. Amuse bouche would have been more inclusive as well to help people with nut allergies fly more safely.


The first two courses (two cold plates and a warm plate) came out together on the same tray which I didn’t like. This happened in both 2023 and 2024. I like savouring the foods served and take my time with eating to enjoy the experience and when 3 dishes come all out at once then I find the main meal starts to go cold by the time I get to it. It would be much better for the starters to be served on their own and then have the main meal come out. It feels lazy to have them all served together. I can understand this with the HND>HEL flight since it left approx. 10pm, however the HEL>HND flight took off at just before 6pm and so plenty of time to serve the courses separately.
But looking to the dishes themselves – just outstanding. All dishes were delicious on both flights. (Check out the main meal service on Finnair in my other blog)
2024 Finnair Business Class Food
I ended up accidently choosing the same main I had the last time I flew – the beef and mushroom stroganoff. I had forgotten I had this dish last time I flew with them – the description obviously appealed to me both times. And again it delivered – it was one of the most delicious main meals I have had on a flight. I only wished it had more broccoli – 1 broccoli floret is not enough when broccoli is included in the menu description. Unfortunately the crusted beef I had on the flight from Helsinki to Haneda was not as good. The red wine sauce and roasted vegetables were really great however the beef was terrible. I was expecting something like a beef wellington when the description was ‘crusted’ however the pastry was soggy. Absolutely soggy! And also kind of mushy.
I found the cold plates in 2024 were still quite innovative flavours that included both Finnish flavours and Japanese flavours. I especially found the dishes from Helsinki to Haneda delicious. The cold plates that were served were:
- HND>HEL: Braised duck with watercress and lotus root, and Marinated pink shrimp with eggplant puree.
- HEL>HND: Shrimp tartlet served with cold smoked salmon, rainbow trout row, pickled cucumber and fennel; Kale hummus with summer vegetables, pickled radish and Vasterbotten cheese flakes


2022/2023 – Finnair Business Class Food
The beef stroganoff was one of the nicest main meals I have ever had on a flight. The rice was cooked to perfection and the sauce was so flavoursome with plenty of tender meat (not grisly). The braised venison was also incredibly delicious – the amount of port wine sauce was perfect and the risotto was not gluggy and very tasty. The venison was very tender and tasted lovely. The vegetables in both dishes were cooked really nicely.
I found the cold plates were really innovative flavours that included both Finnish flavours and Japanese flavours. The cold plates I had were:
- HND>HEL: Braised duck with watercress and lotus root, and Marinated pink shrimp with eggplant puree.
- HEL>HND: Vasterbotten cheese mousse with pickled kohlrabi and seaweed caviar, and Salmon sashimi came with apricot miso and pickled shimeju mushroom.


The salmon sashimi and the Vasterbotten cheese were my favourite cold plates (below).


A small cheese plate was served after the main meal with two types of cheese (a blue and a hard cheddar-type cheese). It was served with thin rye crackers which have a lovely complementary flavour to cheese (especially a creamy cheese). The cheese plates were similar 2023 and 2024.


Nutrition comment for 2023 and 2024
The almonds served just after take off were a very healthy snack – especially since a multi course meal was on it’s way. Almonds are a good source of monounsaturated fats (a type of healthy fat) and vitamin E (an antioxidant). These were more nutritious than a packet of processed rice crackers or crisps.
Dark, dense rye bread and crackers were on offer as a side with the main meal service. These are generally a more nutritious option other than the standard white bread/water crackers. From a nutrition perspective what I like about rye crackers/dark dense rye bread is they are generally higher in fibre compared to say a water cracker (which are commonly served with cheese plates on flights). Fibre is important for good gut health and this is especially important when flying. Flying can cause bloating and gastrointestinal upsets, and so we want to ensure adequate fibre and water intake generally in our diets and also while travelling. It may be some people need individualized advice on fibre intake when in the air (if they have especially bad gastro symptoms) and may need to change the types of fibre they eat/reduce the amount when flying. But in general many of us don’t meet the recommended 30g of fibre a day and so regularly including higher fibre foods often is important. So if you travel often, keeping a good overall diet is important – on the ground and in the air.
While flavour is so important when eating a meal at altitude (due to changes that can happen with how we taste), it can sometimes be hard to balance this with the nutrition of a meal. Some meals can be drowned in sauces which can add unwanted calories, fat, sugar and salt. The main meals each had a sauce and the amount was complimentary to the meal, providing amazing flavours, but without making the meal more unhealthy.
Second meal service
Similar to the main meal service, the second meal was served all on one tray too. On both flights this second meal was a breakfast meal. There was also no choice – there was only one breakfast meal available so bad luck if you didn’t like it. The breakfast meal had both a small hot dish and continental breakfast item. Even with this variety I still don’t like that there is no choice. And the hot meal portion is tiny.
In 2024 and 2022 flights the breakfast was very similar with the hot dish being Eggs Benedict. I don’t like hollandaise sauce and there was a bit too much on top of the dish for me. There were two poached eggs and only one half an English muffin which was warm but not toasted well (it was soggy). The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sausage was nice.

The scrambled eggs tasted terrible and had an awful texture. They also looked like they were in scoop shape. The potato croquettes were soggy and had a very sticky texture. The plain yogurt was delicious and I loved the blueberries on the fruit plate.

The souffle dish was nice – lots of spinach in the souffle and on the side. The hashbrown was soggy but surprisingly tasty – I usually hate soggy foods on flights that are supposed to be crispy. But this hashbrown ended up being more like a hash bake and tasted quite nice.



Nutrition comment
Unfortunately the dark rye options available during the first meal service were not offered during the second meal service in either 2022/2023 or 2024. Breakfasts were served with a croissant and small white roll which are both generally low in fibre and quite processed. Croissants are also quite energy dense due to all the butter and pastry layers. It was good to see some salad included with the cheese and cold cuts, if only a small amount. The poached eggs were a nutritious breakfast, however hollandaise is a high energy sauce made with a lot of butter. If you enjoy hollandaise then have a small amount for flavour – you don’t have to eat it all. While the sausage was delicious, sausages are a processed meat and so should be limited in the diet.
Snacks
The snacks were similar on both flights. There were a range of snacks including crisps, chocolates and cereal bars available anytime throughout the flight at the front of business class and also in the new bar area. The staff also brought around snacks including fruit salad.

No Finnair flight would be complete without Karl Fazer chocolates. These are my all time favourite chocolates. Finnair introduced me to these chocolates when I first flew with them and it was love at first bite lol. Good thing is they are served in bite sized pieces and so you can enjoy small portions at a time. There were larger chocolate bars served but to help reduce the temptation to eat the whole bar (or a number of bars) then these individually wrapped bite size pieces are better.

Final thoughts Finnair Business Class Food – Haneda Tokyo, Japan to Helsinki, Finland (return)
I loved the new Finnair Business Class food menu – the delicious Finnish flavours and the food quality were mostly outstanding. However I really don’t like how the new business class food service serves all the meals at once on the one tray – regardless of the time of the flight. I find this lazy and it makes the main meal go cold (or encourages you to eat fast). It would be great if they could serve more vegetables with their meals and serve the courses separately, but overall I find the meals themselves really enjoyable with many nutritious qualities.
If you are thinking of flying with Finnair you might like to check out my reviews of their Platinum Wing and Business Class Non-Schengen lounges.
NOTE: All pictures of Finnair Business Class food flying on their A350 are my own and I review the food from the menu I was given and the food I ordered on my flight. There may be different options available at other times.