The head chef reveals that the deliciously spicy mulled wine served by the restaurant gets its unique taste from a touch of pear, rum and star anise.

“The first thing we do in the morning is heat up the mulled wine, which is then left to brew throughout the day. Three or four hours of simmering give it a really intense flavour,” Antti admits.

Mulled wine, or “glögi” as it is known locally, is one of the most popular Christmas treats, and the restaurant goes through a lot of it in one day.

Sipuli is also known for its great mustard. Katariina Töyrylä is responsible for preparing the restaurant’s famous cognac mustard.

“Katariina’s cognac mustard is perfect with Christmas ham and sausages. We also cook our hams with the same mustard,” Antti says.

Everything else is also prepared from fresh ingredients supplied mainly by local producers.