Eckerö Linjen food philosophy

For the chefs on board M/S Eckerö, there is an early start every morning to prepare the food that will be served to the ship's guests during the day. But no matter what time of day you enter the kitchen, you are always greeted by the aromas of something simmering in the pots or cooking in the oven. Most of what is served in the ship's restaurants is made from scratch on board, everything from stocks to slow cooking.

"The meal will be a positive overall experience to take with you from the voyage as a good memory", says chef Joakim "Jocke" Nordberg and welcomes you to the world of food on M/S Eckerö.

The work in the kitchen consists of a lot of craftsmanship and for us it is important to use good and, as far as possible, locally produced ingredients in the cooking. Then it becomes more homemade and you get a greater feel for what you are preparing compared to if you use mass-produced products, says Joakim Nordberg.

For example, mushrooms from the forests of Åland are used in cooking. Much thanks to a diligent helper, namely one of Eckerö Linjen's retired commanders, who every autumn goes out into the mushroom forest to pick mushrooms for the ship.

Close cooperation with local producers

M/S Eckerö's head chef handles all the purchases of ingredients for the kitchen and they are constantly working to find new local producers to collaborate with. In this way, they build up close contact with the suppliers and are given the opportunity to be involved and see how the production itself works and control the quality of the product. Knowing the history of the ingredient creates a sense of pride and knowledge among the chefs, which leads to a good end product.

"Using local ingredients is both environmentally friendly and a way to keep track of the origin of the products. The local producers are very proud of their ingredients and make sure that it is handed over to people who take care of it in a good way. That's why it's not just us who make demands on them, but it goes both ways," says Tomas Berlin.

Really tasty food

In total, there are between 9-20 chefs, depending on the season, who work in the kitchen and prepare the food that is served in M/S Eckerö's four restaurants. In order to develop and keep up with current trends, they constantly discuss new ideas with each other and work continuously with skills development. Among other things, by bringing in external inspirers, such as the Swedish chef Paul Svensson, who has visited the ship on a number of occasions.

In food creation on board, we combine different tastes by one coming up with one thing and the other another. We bounce different ideas off each other, which eventually result in a dish that is served in our restaurants. In this way, everyone in the kitchen is involved in the creation of the dishes.

*"Our common goal is to serve the best food in at the Sea of Åland, and the best thing about this job is actually when a guest is very satisfied with what you have cooked for them. Then you feel a happiness in your body," says Joakim Nordberg. *

To conclude, the common thread and clear guideline in everything when it comes to Eckerö Linjen's cooking is quite simple – It should taste good for real!

We strive to reduce food waste

Food waste is food that is thrown away that could otherwise have been eaten, unlike waste that is things that are not meant to be eaten, such as shells, bones, kernels and coffee grounds.

We at Eckerö Linjen have a saying that food should be good for real. Our goal is for our food to taste good but also do good. Food production around the world causes a major environmental impact and not everyone has access to enough food. Producing and cooking food that is then thrown away is an unsustainable waste. One of the UN's global sustainability goals is to halve food waste by 2030. Eckerö Linjen wants to be involved and strive to achieve that goal.

For a long time, Eckerö Linjen has had a strong focus on choosing local ingredients of good quality. Through more active work to inspire people to make better use of their food and throw away less, Eckerö Linjen can help ensure that there is enough food for more people without increasing the environmental impact. The most environmentally friendly food is the one that is eaten!

As a guest at Eckerö Linjen, you can help us reduce food waste, below are some thoughts you are welcome to take with you:
• Pre-book your meal so we can more easily plan how much food we will prepare for the day. You also get a lower price for the meal in the buffet when booking in advance online.
• In the Kafé Käringsund where home cooking is portioned, please tell us how big portion you can eat. You can always get more if you don't get full!
• It's betetr to go twice! Enjoy the good food in Buffet restaurant Bornholm, but feel free to go and get food more times from the buffet than take more than you can handle the first time.

If you have any questions about the food on board, don't hesitate to contact us!