(Updated May 2024)
Having flown Finnair many times to places throughout Europe over the years, I have taken quite a few business short-haul flights with them. So I thought it was time I wrote up my latest experience of Finnair European Business Class food for you to see.
Main Meal Service – May 2024
Before take off cabin crew offered a bottle of water to all business class passengers. The main meal service began promptly after takeoff with one meal choice for breakfast available. There was a hot dish of scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage and hashbrowns, a side dish of cheese, ham, tomato and lettuce, a bread roll, and a fruit salad. The scrambled eggs had a really funny texture to them. They were not light a fluffy but really dense and almost had the feel of a scoop (like a scoop that had scooped them into the dish). The tomatoes were delicious and seemed to be semi-dried tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes. The hashbrowns had a really sticky texture and were not very crispy.

Flying back from Hamburg to Helsinki was a dinner time and saw similar service with a bottle of water offered prior to takeoff, and then the main meal service beginning just after take off. The main meal was a chicken schnitzel with sliced potatoes. The side dish was smoked fish and carrots with a creamy green dressing. The meal was incredibly tasty, however the schnitzel crumb was soggy. The potatoes were not creamy but had a slight tangy taste to them which went really well with the schnitzel.

Nutrition comment
I was disappointed at breakfast time that there was no dark rye bread on offer, only white bread. Dark rye is a good source of fibre and I really enjoy the dark rye usually served on Finnair flights, the texture and is really dense and chewy with a strong flavour.
The smoked fish was a lovely side dish – the fish was like sardines. The cabin crew did mention the name of the fish but I could not catch it with the Finnish accent and the noise of the small plane I was on. But sardines are quite high in omega 3 fats and so a fish like this may have similar levels as they looked similar. Small fish like this can also have small edible bones which are a good source of calcium. It would have been great to see some colourful vegetables in the schnitzel dish. There was some small greens in the potato but this was more like a flavouring. Some colourful vegetables in their own right on the dish would give a nutrition boost. The carrots in the side dish were great – but not enough.
Main Meal Service – June 2023
The main meal service was served just after takeoff. There was just one meal choice available, however there were a range of breads to choose from. The meal was a hot meal served with a side of bread and a packaged sweet muffin.
The hot meal from Helsinki to Hamburg was an Indian type chicken dish (similar to Butter Chicken) served with rice and lentils (like a dahl).

The hot meal from Hamburg to Helsinki was chicken with a creamy sauce, served with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and Brussel sprouts, and it was delicious. (Check out the main meal service on Finnair in my other blog)

Nutrition comment
The lentils were a great addition to the Indian chicken dish – not only a lovely flavour but a great source of plant protein and soluble fibre. Just be careful – if you suffer from bloating from legumes then try and make sure you haven’t had any other bloating foods before eating lentils on a plane. The peas were more like a garnish in the rice, would have been nice to have a few spoonfuls in the dish. It was quite a carbohydrate heavy dish with rice, lentils and peas all in the one dish, and then slices of bread on the side. Other less starchy green vegetables would have been a better inclusion.
The chicken was good quality in the creamy chicken dish from Hamburg – it seemed to be all chicken breast with no gristle or fatty pieces. The carrots and Brussel sprouts were very soft but still flavoursome. Unfortunately there was only about 1 serve of colourful vegetables with this meal – I had hoped there would be more to provide more nutrients. A little too much mashed potato when compared to the amount of coloured vegetables – they nearly were more like a garnish. I chose the dense rye bread which is higher in fibre than the white options and also most likely more slowly digested. I avoided the muffin – it looked sticky through the package which to me suggests it was really sweet.
Final thoughts on Finnair European Business Class Food
The Finnair European business class food I have had over the years has been delicious. I find the food quality usually a standout. The exception has been the breakfast I just had flying Helsinki to Hamburg in May 2024 – the hot dish was not great. While the food quality is usually quite good, they could be a little more balanced in terms of nutrition. Just after covid in January 2023 I had one of the best salads I have ever had while flying travelling Finnair European Business Class. For a fairly short flight this was a delicious meal with good quality food, that was incredibly nutritious.

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 in Helsinki, and also their long-haul business class.
NOTE: All pictures of Finnair European Business Class food on their Embraer E190 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.