Latest news with #reindeer
The Guardian
7 days ago
- The Guardian
Foodie Finland: the best restaurants and cafes in Helsinki
Unexpectedly, porridge is a Finnish obsession, available in petrol stations, schools and on national airline flights. But Helsinki's gastronomic offerings are a lot wilder, featuring reindeer, moose, pike perch, salmon soup, herring, seaweed – and even bear meat. And from summer into autumn, Finns' deep affinity with nature blossoms, fusing local organic produce with foraged berries and mushrooms. This inspires menus to feature whimsical fusions of textures and flavours, all straight from the land. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Garlanded with superlatives, from 'friendliest' and 'happiest' to 'world's most sustainable city', this breezy Nordic capital is fast catching up on its foodie neighbours. Enriched by immigrant chefs, the youthful, turbocharged culinary scene now abounds in excellent mid-range restaurants with affordable tasting menus – although wine prices are steep (from €10/£8.60 for a 120ml glass). Vegan and vegetarian alternatives are omnipresent, as are non-alcoholic drinks, many berry based. Tips are unnecessary, aesthetics pared down, locals unostentatious and dining starts early, at 5pm. And, this being Finland, you can digest your meal in a sauna, whether at an island restaurant (Lonna) or high in the sky on the Ferris wheel (SkySauna). Eat, sweat, swim – go Finn! Top of the table in zero-waste cred is pioneering Nolla (meaning 'zero'), which even boasts a designer composter in one corner. It serves regularly changing taster menus (four courses €59, six courses €69) in an old townhouse with a relaxed, hip vibe. Led by Catalan chef and co-owner Albert Franch Sunyer, the 70-seater espouses localism and upcycling: staff uniforms are made from old curtains and sheets, while the base of a wine bottle becomes a butter dish. Nothing goes to waste, whether leftover bread or used coffee grounds (an ingredient in a roasted hay ice-cream). Goose is a recent innovation, roasted deliciously with honey turnips, parsnip puree and hazelnut crumble, while Finncattle carpaccio with a radish and tomato harissa dressing brings an exotic hit. With a Michelin green star, Nolla's easygoing atmosphere and strict environmental policies make it a Not far from Nolla, in the popular central area, is long-standing Muru, one of the first French-style bistros in Helsinki. Masterminded by award-winning sommelier Samuil Angelov, it's intimate, with a slightly worn, rustic edge and eccentricities that stretch to a wine store at the top of a vertiginous ladder. The changing menus (four courses €59, two courses €39) are chalked on a blackboard in Finnish, which any waiter will translate – English is virtually a second language in Helsinki. Depending on the season, you might indulge in a starter of lavaret (freshwater fish) with pickled cucumber, radishes and dill flower, a nettle risotto with rhubarb and parmesan (risottos are Muru's speciality) and end with a luscious pannacotta and strawberry This is where the Middle East comes to Finland – dramatically. Cloistered in a curtained room, 14 diners sit around a kitchen bar to watch Kurdish chef Kozeen Shiwan enact his gastronomic life story. This is represented by 14 meticulously conjured courses – from a single richly decorated olive ('Made in Suleymaniah) to a spicy quail's leg buried in flowers ('Flora's Quail'). Each dish is introduced by the chef's witty patter. Gold rules, too, whether in Kozeen's teeth, his necklace, or encasing a platter of glittering potatoes baked with amba sauce and roe before they sink into a mayo, saffron and olive oil sauce. It's a memorable dining performance (€159), but make sure Kozeen is present on the night you book, and choose wine by the glass rather than the €119 wine Nobody can visit Helsinki without paying homage to Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), the groundbreaking architect and designer who brought functionalism to Finland. After three years of renovation, his monumental Finlandia Hall, an events centre which opened in 1971, now includes a sleekly designed bistro and a cafe. Everything in the building is by Aalto, from lighting to furniture and brass fittings, explained in an illuminating permanent exhibition. On the food front, the bistro (open for dinner Thursday to Saturday) offers typically creative Nordic cuisine with Mediterranean accents (four courses €59, six courses €69, plus à la carte) in a moody interior. For more luminosity, or for lunch, head for Finlandia Café&Wine (open all week), with terrace views over the bay. Self-service snacks and drinks are backed up by a daily lunch special (€14.70) or a copious breakfast (€19.90) – porridge included, of Down on the south harbour, beside a stretch of other eateries, Nokka's spacious warehouse is full of nautical artefacts and enlarged sketches of wild animals. The philosophy of chef-founder Ari Ruoho, a keen hunter and fisher, is to bring Finland's peerless 'wild nature' on to the plate, nose to tail. Apart from the wild meat, there is a huge emphasis on organic vegetables. There are three menus (four courses €89, vegetarian €74, eight courses from €129) and à la carte options. The smoked bream mousse starter with pickled cucumber, cucumber sorbet and a crispbread combining fish skin with dried roe and pumpkin seeds (€24) is a revelation, as is tender roasted reindeer, seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes with grated elk heart. This is ambitious, perfectly honed food that easily justifies its Michelin green Several thousand islands speckle the Gulf of Finland, so there's no excuse not to hop on a ferry for a 10-minute ride to Lonna island. Here, recycling comes with a twist, as ageing military structures now house an eponymous restaurant with bar and terrace overlooking the Baltic. Add to that a beach, a sleekly designed sauna and views to Helsinki and you have a bucolic escape. The 60-seater Lonna restaurant is low key, with bare brick walls and gorgeous Finnish tableware, and is open May to September. Excellent-value menus (three courses €39) change monthly, offering local organic produce and plentiful vegetarian options, such as oyster mushrooms with barley and smoked tomato, or a meaty option such as organic pork with bok choi and trout In an elegant residential neighbourhood, this quirky little restaurant offers a four-course menu (€48) tweaked every few weeks. 'We do what's in season, using French technique and good ingredients from abroad, and only wild game or fish,' says Ilpo Vainonen, one of the two young chefs who are co-owners with sommelier and manager Johan Borgar. Like many of their peers, they make their own bread, which comes with a black olive dip. Every dish is presented superbly: try a starter combining fresh and semi-dried tomatoes framed by hazelnuts, cream cheese and tiny cherries, or an ice-cream in a puddle of olive oil served with a pan of stone fruits poached in rum syrup. Suddenly, a spoonful of raspberry sorbet coated in pink peppercorn appears. As most of the restaurants above open for dinner only, lunch during Helsinki's summer is all about outdoor grazing. Ice-cream kiosks dot the city, while numerous lippakioski (wooden kiosks dating from the 1920s) provide drinks and snacks. Countless cafes include quaint Café Regatta, an old waterside fisher's shack with terrace. The touristy Market Hall offers wide-ranging choices, from reindeer salami and salmon soup to Asian fast food. Inside Oodi, Helsinki's spectacular central library, you can enjoy a bargain set lunch or take snacks on to the panoramic terrace. And as everyone has the right to forage, for dessert head for Central Park to fill your pockets. The trip was provided by Visit Finland and Helsinki Partners. Rooms at NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa start at €150 room-only in August
BBC News
02-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Corby baby reindeer Lars gets ready to join herd
A baby reindeer who was growing up alongside pet spaniels is getting ready to rejoin his herd after he appeared to be starting to think he was a dog. Seven-week old Lars was born on a reindeer farm near Corby in Northamptonshire, but was struggling to thrive as his mother could not produce enough two days, owner Angie Nelson took him into her house alongside her pet dogs and fed him every two hours, with her friend Helen Chown stepping in to pair have been delighted by little Lars' progress, but Ms Chown joked: "When I found him in the dog bed, I thought 'you do need to go back and learn to be a reindeer'." Ms Nelson, who hires out reindeer for events, said when attempts to help his mother produce more milk were unsuccessful, she felt the only choice was to hand-rear said while the nightly feeds were demanding enough, Lars' friendly nature meant he also wanted constant attention and would nuzzle her as she slept with him on the lounge floor. After a couple of weeks, Ms Nelson said she felt comfortable enough to leave Lars in the kitchen at night with her two spaniels and they have been nestling up ever she said it was now time "let nature take over" and move onto the next step of "changing him into a reindeer". Ms Nelson said she was now preparing to choose him an older "buddy" from her herd that could look after him."It's important he becomes a reindeer now rather than a dog so he understands the herd hierarchy and what he shouldn't do," said Ms Nelson."It's about getting that buddy with him, so when he goes out into the bigger herd, he's protected and safe. "He will be looking to the older one for reassurance because I can't spend my entire life in the field, which I probably would." Lars' integration into the herd will signal the end of a busy few weeks for Ms Nelson, who juggled the unexpected arrival in her house with last-minute wedding friend and neighbour Ms Chown was passed the reins during wedding dress fittings and the honeymoon. "I didn't want to get anything wrong because he was so tiny," said Ms Chown. "Then it was just rewarding and, to see him now, he just looks amazing - it's like, 'yes, we've done it', so it's been fabulous."There will also be a lasting reminder of Lars' time with Ms Nelson as he took a starring role in her wedding photos with her groom, Justin Mumford."The animals are the way of life here, so we were going to have the pictures of the dogs in the barn and, of course, I had to have Lars," she added. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
New baby reindeer born at Assiniboine Park Zoo
Cobalt (left) and Navy (right) are shown in undated photos taken at Assiniboine Park Zoo. (Assiniboine Park Zoo/Instagram) Assiniboine Park Zoo has a pair of adorable new residents. Baby reindeer Navy was born May 1 to mother Lucy and Cobalt was born May 27 to mother Whitney. The zoo said all are doing well. The babies are getting more comfortable with their surroundings, staff added, enjoying the sunshine and exploring their field. While zoo visitors are invited to pay them a visit at Journey to Churchill, it may be a while before you can catch a glimpse of the adorable duo. 'While they are little, they may spend more time behind the scenes inside their cozy barns, away from the public.'
CNET
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
Today's NYT Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 12, #1454
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today's Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. We're six months from Christmas, but today's Wordle puzzle answer relates to a Christmas carol. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on. Today's Wordle hints Before we show you today's Wordle answer, we'll give you some hints. If you don't want a spoiler, look away now. Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats Today's Wordle answer has no repeated letters. Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels There are two vowels in today's Wordle answer. Wordle hint No. 3: First letter Today's Wordle answer begins with V. Wordle hint No. 4: Merry Christmas! Today's Wordle answer is the name of one of Santa's reindeer. Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning Today's Wordle answer can refer to a female fox. TODAY'S WORDLE ANSWER Today's Wordle answer is VIXEN. Yesterday's Wordle answer Yesterday's Wordle answer, June 11, No. 1453 was PLAID. Recent Wordle answers June 7, No. 1449: REUSE June 8, No. 1450: LEASE June 9, No. 1451: BOARD June 10, No. 1452: TAFFY
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Most new cars in Norway are EVs. How a freezing country beat range anxiety.
FINNMARK, Norway — Just a few years ago, almost no one drove electric vehicles up here. In this remote region north of the Arctic Circle — where reindeer outnumber people, avalanches can bury roads in winter and sunlight disappears for weeks — 'range anxiety' takes on a new meaning. Today, however, nearly all new car sales in Norway are electric. That's true even in Finnmark, the northernmost region in Europe's northernmost country.
