Catering Services at Salpaus

In Finland, millions of lunches are prepared and eaten every year in schools, staff canteens and lunch restaurants. Professional and commercial kitchens in both the public and private sectors can influence the choices and tastes of their customers. All pupils in Finland have access to free school meals, and choosing the ingredients used in school kitchens is an important decision.

Salpaus Further Education is one of the largest vocational education providers in Finland. Salpaus has three campuses, located in Lahti, Heinola and Asikkala in the Päijät-Häme region. Catering outlets are an important part of everyday life for students and staff, but they also provide a learning environment for catering students. Around 2,300 lunches are prepared at Salpaus every day. Porridge made with organic oats is offered free of charge to both students and staff every morning.

The Environmental Programme of Salpaus Further Education Catering Services includes sustainable development goals, as well as an assessment of the environmental impact associated with the running of the services. Sustainable development is an important part of teaching at Salpaus, and it is also taken into account in other areas, such as choosing suppliers and setting energy-saving targets. In terms of social sustainability, the use of student catering outlets as learning environments and the importance of staff as role models are emphasised.

Domestically produced plant proteins are used at Salpaus on a regular basis. Special attention is given to the taste and texture of the dishes that include plant proteins. The staff at Salpaus want to encourage both adults and young students to try domestically produced plant proteins, since they are seen as a key part of the future of food production in Finland. Minced beef and broad bean lasagne, broad bean stroganoff and minced beef and pea Bolognese are just some examples of the dishes that have been served at Salpaus.

The staff have developed new recipes which are available to all users of the Finnish-language version of the Jamix ruokatuotanto software. New and improved recipes are being developed all the time. The development work carried out at Salpaus ties in with the InnoRuoka initiative and the Luomussa vara parempi – ruokaa ja digi hyötykäyttöön initiative, which started in early 2019. The detailed recipes produced during the development projects help with the planning of weekly menus and allow for accurate estimates of the amounts of ingredients needed.

Supporting local producers and having access to good-quality local produce are important to us at Salpaus and to Finns in general. The traceability of ingredients from the field to the fork helps to ensure that we can continue to enjoy clean and safe food produced domestically.

A wide range of catering and restaurant services

Students at Salpaus can develop their skills both in catering outlets used by students and staff and in teaching restaurants open to the public.

At Salpaus, a porridge breakfast is provided free of charge to all students and staff every morning from Monday to Friday. The porridge breakfast is so popular that there are queues at the doors. The purpose of the breakfast is to bring students and staff together around the same table and to give everyone a good start to the day. Many of us don’t have breakfast at home, and some of the students have long journeys to school. The porridge is made with domestically produced organic ingredients.

Students from Salpaus have prepared and served food at a wide range of events, including the Jukola Relay orienteering event, the President’s Independence Day Reception, the National Veterans’ Day celebrations and the Nordic Business Forum. The food served at the annual Salpaus Village Party for students and staff has included fish balls made with locally sourced fish, broad bean pitta breads, vegetable and barley risotto, pea hummus and other dishes made using domestically produced plant proteins and other sustainable ingredients. The food served at the Nordic Business Forum and the President’s Independence Day Reception included broad bean biscuits developed at Salpaus.

When ingredients and suppliers are chosen, it is important to consider the entire production and supply chain from the field to the fork. Professional kitchens should produce environmentally sustainable food, and they should try to influence their customers’ choices with their approach and attitude. Improving and promoting sustainability requires skills and know-how, but above all it requires genuine commitment and a willingness to ensure that future generations can enjoy healthy, balanced and environmentally sustainable diets.

Providing learning environments for future professionals

The catering outlets and teaching restaurants at Salpaus provide students with opportunities to gain valuable practical experience. The students are guided and supervised by professionals who are qualified and experienced in their field of study. For example, future chefs help to prepare the main dishes while future bakers make the bread served at lunch. Practical work experience is part of the curriculum.

Salpaus Further Education Catering Services provide the students with an example of a sustainable food service. Salpaus trains tomorrow’s professionals who have adopted the principle of sustainable development during their studies. In addition to working in a traditional kitchen, the students also have an opportunity to work at major events.

Domestically produced plant proteins

The staff at Salpaus Further Education have been developing plant protein recipes for professional kitchens and bakeries since 2016. They have tested new ingredients and modified the recipes to suit the processes and methods used in professional kitchens. They have taught skills and know-how to external parties and to Salpaus students, who will use what they have learnt in their future jobs.

The staff at Salpaus wanted to increase the use of domestically produced plant proteins and to give everyone a chance to try them. Vegetarians and vegans can today choose from a wide range of plant protein products, including peas, lentils, beans and tofu, but of these products only the dried and frozen peas used in pea soups, salads and warm dishes are typically produced domestically.

Plant proteins are important for the Finnish food and farming industry. Their use in professional kitchens creates demand. Plant proteins support the current nutritional recommendations, and they are an excellent source of protein. Using domestically produced plant proteins reduces carbon footprints and costs. Another important aspect is the nitrogen fixation ability associated with most legumes: the plants take nitrogen directly from the air and release it into the soil when they die, which saves energy and reduces the need to use fertilisers.

Today, domestically produced plant proteins are available in quantities required by professional kitchens. Many kitchens have previously used broad beans imported from abroad. At Salpaus, yellow peas, broad beans and soy beans have been sourced from Arola Farm in Pornainen.

Testing domestically produced plant proteins in Vege-Grilli products

The Vege-Grilli concept was developed together with experts from the InnoRuoka initiative. It has been used as a marketing channel to increase the visibility of domestically produced plant proteins, and it has given the students and staff at Salpaus an opportunity to explore street food made with plant proteins.

The falafel and hummus served at Vege-Grilli are traditionally made with chick peas. The idea was to test whether domestically produced yellow and green peas could be used in these dishes instead of imported chick peas. The first falafel were made for the Village Party event organised for Salpaus students and staff in autumn 2017. They were introduced to the general public at the Jukola Relay in Hollola in June 2018, and Vege-Grilli became an instant hit at the event. Staff and students prepared around a thousand falafel portions using domestically produced organic peas.