Sustainability
Forget about sad sausages and soggy chips. Over the past decade, our ferry food has undergone a transformation, moving far beyond the days of prefab fry-ups. Our Food & Beverage team’s latest initiative, ”cook fresh on order”, quickly became a hit on our Irish Sea north routes and the roll out to the rest of the fleet is underway.
“The effects are astonishing. Our ingredient purchases have reduced significantly, we waste so much less and the chefs get to do what they are supposed to do: cook really good food that is served to our guests, and not the bins”, Rikard Persson says.
The “cook fresh on order” initiative is an evolution of the “cook fresh onboard” program introduced about a decade ago, which marked a shift from buying prefabricated food to preparing meals directly onboard. The foundation for the cook fresh initiative was established three years ago, when we standardised menus across the fleet, enabling the start of databased decision making gathered from the actual restaurant sales. By tracking our sales, we gained the intelligence needed to develop the production forecast tool. This is now being used to plan the mise en place levels in our onboard restaurant kitchens.
“Theoretically, we knew that this would work, but it has been great to see it in action. Instead of quiet kitchens with dishes being retrieved from warming cabinets, the cooking stations are now bustling with culinary activities. Mashed potatoes are piped, chopped fresh parsley is drizzled, and each plate receives a meticulous final touch – just like in any restaurant kitchen”, Rikard Persson explains.
Alongside the “cook fresh on order” launch, the Stena Line Culinary team was formed. It’s a group of chefs from all the regions who collaborate to ensure the highest quality of food across the fleet and inspire each other with local cuisine. The next agenda plan for this team is to get together for a three-day long cook-off to determine next year’s core menu. Like cooking competitions, the proteins, carbs and vegetables are pre-selected, and it’s up to the chefs to use their skills and imagination to craft the very finest plates around these items. All for our guests to savour throughout 2025. Although, one of the dishes on the existing menu is non-negotiable.
“The meatballs will stay because of their popularity and because they are part of our Swedish heritage. However, we will introduce a new version made with half meat and half yellow split pea mince, to reduce our environmental footprint and to give our customers the option to choose more sustainably if they like to”, Rikard Persson says.