In the Herring Surprise series, the winner was announced as Liisa Vainio's Herkkusilakka from Taivassalo. The jury was impressed by its classic and fresh taste. The second place in the series was awarded to Johanna Kellgren's Lemon Herring from Pellinki, and the third place went to Pirjo and Reima Salonen's Dill Herring from Taivassalo.
The winner of the Pickled Fish of the Year category was Leif och Gerd Bergman from Geta, Åland. The second prize went to Pirjo and Reima Salonen from Taivassalo, while Magnus Nyholm from Tirmo came in third. When rating the products, the judges paid
special attention to the nuances of flavour and mouthfeel. All the award-winning products are available at the vendors’ stalls as long as the products last.
The panel of judges consists of Mia Hafrén, President of the Martha – Finlands svenska Marthaförbund r.f. association, Jonna Hurskainen, Head of Production at Helsinki Biennial, Pieta Jarva, Strategic Director at Baltic Sea Action Group, Jyrki Lappalainen, University of Helsinki’s Baltic Sea Expert, Miro Maaranen, member of the Helsinki Youth Council, Esa Nikunen, Director General of the Environment Services of the City of Helsinki, Minttu Perttula, Project Manager of the Helsinki Maritime Strategy, restauranteur Ville Relander, Noora Shingler, journalist, responsibility influencer, Baltic Sea activist and social media publicist at the John Nurminen Foundation, Deputy Mayor Anni Sinnemäki and Petra Tuominen, Food Editor at MTV3.
“The panel's work was enthusiastic, and we got to experience a variety of interesting flavors – traditional and surprising new tastes. The discussion was lively as we got to explore the nuances of the different flavors. Appearance and texture also mattered", explains Mia Hafrén, chair of the panel of judges.
The Helsinki Baltic Herring Market will be held at the Market Square until Saturday, 7 October. The stalls will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Sunday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. After the Baltic Herring Market on Sunday, 8 October, the Market Square will host the 36th Traditional Sailing Day.