From the moment I walked in I was amazed at the change. I’m a fruit and veg fanatic these days and drooled all over the new section. Ingredients which were hard to find before are now prevalent. 3,000 won for a dragon fruit or only 2,000 for a coconut or passion fruit. Even avocados are only 2,300 each now. I never thought I would see these kind of exotic ingredients at such low prices.

Next I popped over to the meat selection. Homeplus stocks an amazing brand now called Mr Beaks which do all manner of proper flavoured sausages, steaks, and packed meat. They even have marinated fresh lamb chops!

The dried goods selection has made an amazing transformation too. They now have all the spices of the world. I didn’t have a look at every single one, but they had an amazing selection, plenty of cumin, dill, and chives. Compared to three years ago when all they had was rosemary, parsley, and curry powder it’s a huge step up. I also noticed cloves in the reduced section, so it might be a good idea to get in early for the mulled wine.

I was also a bit excited to see they have a giant pick and mix selection, until I found out that it’s not technically pick and mix. They have tiny prepacked sachets, though for only a few hundred won each, you could just get lots! They also have Haribo finally, although still no Tangfastics, but it’s only a matter of time!

Probably the best section was the Tesco’s Finest Range. The change here was incredible. Gourmet ketchup, cherry compote, Tuscan olive oil, orzo pasta,  a variety of Swiss chocolate bars and much much more.

And look at these little beauties I found in the freezer. At 8,000 each they aren’t cheap, but they are proper English Ice-creams. Made in the West Country where I am from, Madagascan vanilla, West Country Fudge, Coconut and Mango, Passionfruit and Jaffa Orange, and Stem Ginger. I got the jaffa orange and passionfruit sorbet which was scrumptious and well worth the price tag.

They even had a couple of other proper British items lurking like Heinz baked beans and shortcake biscuits!

Anyway here is what I ended up with, came to about 100,000 which isn’t cheap but I bought lots of luxury items so I think I did quite well overall.

Parmesan, Emmental, Giant pot of yoghurt, 2 pineapples, 300g of quality chocolate, sorbet, steak, croissants, prosecco, blackcurrant jam, black beans, and cheese sticks to name a few. I couldn’t even imagine finding these items 5 years ago and now my shopping basket was filled with them. I am one happy although slightly poorer camper indeed!

The Homeplus I visited is the one located at Gubeundari station on line 5. This was decently sized Homeplus but not giant. So hopefully they should have some these items at your nearest one too, although stock will vary from store to store.

After going for a walk around Namsan park last Sunday, I stumbled across this place. Yes I went for a walk on Sunday morning, it’s shocking I know but I had to get out of the house. It was the end of the 5 days vacation and I had spent the entire day before dying of a hangover and gorging on junk food and if I hadn’t gotten out of the house I would have gone stir crazy. A Sunday morning walk would never usually be my cup of tea so please don’t judge me.

Anyhow we stumbled across Chunk of Cheese, usually I wouldn’t be caught dead on that hill. Not because I’m too cool for school, just that I generally tend to try and avoid hills. Chunk of cheese is, shockingly, a cheese shop. With over 80 different varieties of cheese they have a huge selection which rivals that of Shinsegae and the foreign food mart. Including some rather good English Cheddars.

I’m not sure it’s worth an out and out trip if you live miles away, but if you live around this neck of the woods it will save you going to Itaewon. It will also worth a peek if you are in the area for dinner. They have lots of anti pasti style things too like salami, olives, wine etc. So if you’re hosting a fancy dinner party or wine and cheese evening then this would be the place to go. Sadly I can’t afford to host wine and cheese parties, but I’d certainly like to. I hold out of date hummus and vodka cocktail nights instead. I’m sure they will catch on any day now.

If you want to visit them personally Chunk of Cheese is located at 31-1 Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan-gu. Or you can call them on 02-795-3079 if you want to inquire about a particular cheese. They are also on Y-not Takeout. So if you live locally, you can have your cheese delivered direct to your door, isn’t that amazing!

Urghhhhhhhhh I can’t move. I am filled to brim with free coffee, juice, smoothies, beer, ades, and free food samples. I am now seriously paying the price for overindulging in all those goodies. You would think with all that sugar I would be bouncing around like a beach ball… But no, although I do look like one.

The expo is on for the next four days so there is still time for you to go and enjoy all the freebies. When you first arrive you will need to fill out a form, unless you have pre-registered. I would advise you go as early as possible as when we left the expo there was a huge queue. They do have a special queue just for foreigners though which was far shorter than the K0rean one, so be sure to hit that one.

Once you have your pass it’s time to go enjoy the show. At this point we were all desperate for a coffee, there were dozens of places to choose from but I went to the Metier stand and they made me this amazing ice vanilla latte completely for free! There were a lot of big brand coffee stalls in the franchise part where you can buy a coffee, but there are tonnes of smaller places just waiting to give you the free coffee of your choice.

As we walked around the stalls we were given cup after cup of coffee and other juice like beverages. There were smoothies, ades, juices, dutch coffee, drip coffee, and frappes. I took them all. It’s hard to turn down a freebie right?  Most of the stalls also had their products on sale for very reasonable prices too.

Whilst perusing we even came across a Jordan’s cereal stand. I love my muesli and if I didn’t make my own I would have been raiding the shelves to get this good old taste of home.

Be sure to head to the 1kg Coffee stand, where packs of coffee beans are only 1,000 each. Although they limit each person to 2. I got the Mexican Fair trade and Kenya AA.

As we neared the end of the exhibitors we decided to take a walk and look on the other side where all the franchises were. And it was samples galore!!! Anywhere there was a queue of five or more people we knew there was free food to be had. The fist place we hit up was Frypan. I love their chicken, so getting some for free was amazing.

At first I was grabbing anything in site, but with less and less room in my belly I started to become more discerning. There were dozens of ddeok-bokki stands, more chicken than you could count, pork cutlets, pizza, ice cream, gelatto, and sliced roast pork. There were even 3 places giving away free beer. And a lot of people were partaking despite the fact it was a Thursday morning (Fat Girl included).

Food glorious food, it was very cool. There was all manner of coffee machinery and paraphernalia for making every kind of coffee imaginable so if you are on the look out for a new grinder or a whipping siphon you will find it here. But I know you dear readers are mostly in it for the free food and drink like me. They actually gave me these goodies as part of my press pack.

So if you are at a loose end this weekend be sure to hit up the show and get your gorge on. Held at COEX from April 10th-13th, tickets cost 10,000 per person, but you can easily make that back in samples. For more details check out the website.

If there’s anything that gets my morning started right, it’s a nice cup of coffee. Without coffee in my body I really fail to function well. Coffee is such a personal choice, but for me it has to be an ice vanilla latte. If I’m counting calories I’ll go with a hot americano, and if I’m not a mocha frappuccino with whipped cream and a shot of Kahlua!

Now Seoul has no shortage of coffee shops unless you happen to work in Sangil-dong like I do and there are none, literally none! Okay there is a Paris Baguette but they don’t make an ice vanilla latte and their ice latte is tiny, so tiny it’s about two sips worth. On a Friday I’m a venti girl! And by the time I add my own vanilla syrup at work it never dissolves properly. I have serious coffee problems at work. So much so I’m considering bring my espresso machine from home and buying a mini fridge to keep milk in. That or I may invest in a bottle of Dutch coffee. I really love that stuff.

Anyway, enough of my problems and on to the Coffee Expo! It’s not just for coffee shops or business owners, it’s for the coffee loving public like yourself. Tonnes of stalls selling all things coffee related. See what’s new, buy some hand roasted beans, a coffee machine, some  flavoured syrup, a cool mug, the list is endless. You will also get to see all the professionals at work and see some amazing pictures in foam. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love those?

For those not on a liquid diet there is also food!!! Gelato, cakes, macaroons, tea and more…

The Coffee Expo will be held at COEX from April 10th-13th. Coffee, cakes, foam pictures, what more could you want?  Tickets can be bought on the door for 10,000 won. Or you can get a 30% discount by picking up a coupon from High Street Market or The Seoul Global center.

Hurray! It’s March, Spring is finally in the air, and the weather is starting to get warm. I’m even off to my first BBQ tomorrow! I’ve really taken spring cleaning to heart this year and reorganized all the junk that seems to clutter my house. I’ve even done a bit of decorating and turned our guest room into a walk in closet, fulfilling my life long dream of owning a walk in closet.

Now the house has been tackled it’s time to do the “garden” and start planting seeds, to grow some fabulous herbs that make all those summer meals so tasty. Herbs are so easy to grow, you only need a minimum outdoor space which gets some sun, or even a sunny window sill if you are lucky enough to live in an apartment with a much coveted window. I’ve even grown them out on a sunny indoor balcony before. Anyone can do it, just look at the tiny space I have to work with!

Buying herbs can be expensive, difficult, and tiresome, unless you live in a neighborhood like mine which has a herb plant store or a giant supermarket which stays well stocked.  But even if you can buy fresh herbs to use in a recipe, you will probably end up using them once and then letting the rest shrivel up and die in the fridge. Well, no more!

Buying your kit is as easy as a trip to Daiso. Daiso have really upped their game these past few years and there really isn’t that much you can no longer find. They have all your favourites like Rosemary, Basil, Mint, Tarragon, Thyme, etc. As well as various fruits and vegetables.

I planted several basil plants as I really go through it in the summer and like to have a healthy supply. As well as tarragon, mint, rosemary, spinach, arugula, and some coriander seeds I had left from last year. Obviously some things grow better than others but I’m excited about my harvest this year. Last year I had fresh herbs all summer so this year I’m taking it up a notch and doing some lettuce, green onions, celery, and tomatoes. I really want to make a homegrown salad. I’m even trying to replant a celery stalk!

I’m also considering growing potatoes and ginger too. And instead of buying more new pots I’m up-cycling some of our many water bottles.

If you don’t have a green enough thumb to start some seeds from scratch then pay a visit to the Yangjae Flower market which is located at Yangjae-dong 232, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Seoul. They have a huge selection of starter plants and it’s the biggest in Seoul. If you can’t find it there it probably doesn’t exist.

So below is my little herb garden, I’ll be sure to keep you updated with it’s progress. so get planting everyone, Summer will soon be here!

Last week I found out about a new gourmet salad company. I love a nice salad and back in London I would always buy them from my favourite place for lunch. So the fact that this one delivers is amazing!!! It can be so hard to find a healthy and tasty lunch. I make my own each morning  but I know that’s not possible for everyone and even I deserve a treat and a lie in sometimes. Even if you do have shops near your job it can be difficult to find the time to nip out and get something. This way you can order on the phone and have it delivered whenever is convenient.

When the salad arrives they come in a sleek black box all wrapped up with a bow. It’s just like getting a gift! It also comes with a bottle of separate dressing. The bottle is large, at least 100ml, which I love. Too many times there is not enough dressing to go around and no one wants to eat plain lettuce. I even had enough left to use on my own salad the next day. It also comes with a knife and fork ready to eat it.

I ordered the American Cajun salad (9,000). This one had cajun chicken, which had a nice tasty coating on the outside without being too over powering. The salad itself was a nice combination of lettuce, hard boiled quail egg, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheese. It came with the pine french dressing.

I also tried an Italian Caesar (9,000). A decent caesar salad can be hard to find in Seoul but this one didn’t disappoint at all. Plenty of lettuce, freshly shaved parmesan, and breaded pieces of chicken. The accompanying sauce was also delicious and again there was plenty of it. No one likes a dry caesar.

I also had to try the luxurious Australian Wakyu (24,000). In this elite salad was the lovely rare wakyu slices of beef, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, quail eggs, onion, and lettuce. It also came with the pine french dressing. This salad was also great but I think I preferred the first two. Plus it’s a little expensive for me, although would be a nice treat for high flying executives.

Obviously some of the salads may seem expensive but they are restaurant quality and they can be delivered. Plus I know that not all of my readers are teachers and some of my most fervent fans are among Seoul’s High Flyers. For more information including their locations and menu check out their website.

So, a few months ago I discovered France Gourmet. They are an amazing online French deli that delivers all over Korea. They have a fab range of ingredients that I had no idea were even attainable here, like Chipolata sausages and rillettes! I decided to order up a package of meaty treats for my beloved for Valentines Day, because nothing quite says I love you like a box of meat. We all know how a package of familiar and tasty ingredients can be just the thing to make your day a little bit more bearable.  Which is probably why I end up ordering so much from iHerb!

The first thing I knew I had to get was the Paris Ham (8,000 for 200g). The Fat Boyfriend is a big ham lover, but doesn’t really get to eat it much here in Korea. A great deli can be hard to find but they do exist, Deli Heinzenberg in Sinsa and Suji’s deli in Itaewon come to mind. But unless you live close to those areas the opportunity to get real ham is somewhat slim. I used this fab ham to make The Fat Boyfriend the best cheese and ham sandwich he has ever had.
He devoured the whole pack in less than a day and has already requested that we order some more soon.

As well as the ham I ordered a pack of the chipolata sausages (16,000 for 500g). A huge hefty pack, these sausages were so tasty. I used them to make a French  cassoulet which was so tasty and comforting. I promise to share the recipe soon.

I also got a pack of the merguez (18,000 for 500g). I do enjoy a nice meaty sausage, and theses ones were spectacular. These Moroccan style beef sausages are full of flavour. A spicy taste without being hot. I made this divine dish of sausages, caramelized onions, aubergine, and red peppers served with couscous. They can also be used to make an amazing french bread sandwich.

Spreadable meat fans should definitely try the Rillettes (8,000 for 200g) or Cognac Pate (8,000 for 200g). I love the rillettes, it’s a more meaty texture than the pate, but The Fat Boyfriend favoured the pate. We had some friends over, opened a bottle of wine and got ourselves a few baguettes and dinner was served. It was perfect, and no hassle, before long both jars were empty and the bread was gone.

As well as the aforementioned goodies, they also have Salami and chorizo available for 15,000 per 200g unit. As well as cheese, and a variety of roast beefs. I’ve got some of the chorizo and plan on using it to make a  killer paella!

If you too would like to tantalize your taste-buds with some France Gourmet goodies then check out their website for the price list, full menu and to place your order. Deliveries are done twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays and its free if you order over 100,000 worth of products. Happy Shopping!

So this week I have been a very happy camper indeed. Not just because I still have a whole shelf in my fridge dedicated to the chocolate I brought back from home, but also because I have 400g of goats cheese. I really can’t begin to tell you how much I love goats cheese. It is certainly up in my top 3. Obviously in Korea goats cheese is expensive and hard to find, right? Wrong. Goats cheese is easy to find is you contact the amazingly awesome people at Waeg Farm. A fabulous farm full of goats that make the milk that makes the cheese. Hurrah. No more trips to Hong Kong just to get that goaty goodness. Check out their website for details on how to order yours.

Since I had this premium ingredient I felt compelled to really do it some justice and make something proper out of it, however tempting it was just to eat it smeared on the Fat Boyfriend’s sourdough and have it topped with onion jam. No, no, no an ingredient of this caliber deserved it’s own recipe. I recently made the most magnificent tart whilst I was at home. If you’re a fan of my facebook page I’m sure you would have seen it. It was pure culinary perfection but really it was just shop bought puff pastry with a a few of my favourite ingredients thrown on top. A treat for the taste buds but ever so easy, any novice could knock one up in 10 minutes. But for this I decided I would go the whole hog and make my own pastry. Yes, I could have just walked to Itaewon and bought some pre-made, and yes I did think about it, but that’s not really fair to you now readers is it. So even though I’m crap at making pastry I gave it my best shot and it actually turned out great. Paul Hollywood you are a legend!

Ingredients

Short crust pastry (Paul Hollywood’s recipe)

250g of flour

125g of cubed butter (chilled)

50ml cold water

2 egg yolks

A pinch of salt

Filling 

300ml of cream

3 eggs

100g of cheddar cheese

75g of goats cheese

3 rashers of bacon

1 onion

1 bunch of spinach

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start by making the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Then add the butter cubes in and rub together using your finger tips until it forms a bread crumb like texture.

2. Add the egg yolks and start to mix with your hands, before slowly adding the water and mix until it comes together to form a ball. Do not overwork the pastry, as soon as it’s a ball, press it down to form a disk with your fingers, wrap it in cling-film, and put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours to chill.

3. When the pastry has had it’s rest, roll it out on a floured surface. Make sure you roll it out so it’s large enough to fit in your tin. Put the pastry in your tin, press it down so it’s nice and snug and leave an overhang over the edges.

4. Bake in the oven at 180 for about 15 minutes until the pastry has cooked and its golden brown. Trim the edges and leave to cool.

5. Cut the bacon into chunks and fry in a pan. Thinly slice the onion and add to a corner of the pan. When the onion and bacon is almost done, make a space and add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted.

6. To assemble the quiche, first add the cheddar cheese, then the bacon and onions, then the spinach and top with the goats cheese. Whisk the eggs and cream together then season with the salt, pepper and paprika, you could also add a pinch of mixed herbs. Pour the the filling into the quiche almost to the top. Pop in the oven and bake at 170 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the custard has set in the middle. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving. Can be enjoyed hot or cold.

You can also switch the ingredients up a bit, I added tomatoes to my second quiche.

Until recently eating organic has never really been something that has appealed to me. Well maybe it has appealed but the vegetables costing twice the price have generally been enough to put me off. I’ve also always put it down to being one of those gimmick things too. We all ate vegetables filled with pesticides growing up and we were fine, well most of us! But  since embarking on the Raw till 4 movement, I’ve figured that this could be improved upon even more by eating organic fruit and vegetables. It is also my resolution this year to be a bit more ethical in the companies I choose to buy my food from. I’m certainly not renouncing all large companies, I’ll still be eating plenty of Big Macs, but I want to choose to buy from small independent businesses rather than handing my cash over to conglomerate chains without thought. Then as luck would have it I received an email from WWOOF asking me if they could send me a box of organic produce so I could write about it.

What a fabulous idea I thought. Back at home farmers markets are ten a penny and virtually every item sold in the supermarket can be bought in organic form. But here in Korea life is not so simple for the those who prefer their produce pesticide free. The supermarkets of course have sections of produce devoted to organics, but when it comes to eggs, meat, and fish we are as baffled as can be. Also out in the sticks it can be near to impossible to get these things.

Enter WWOOF – they will send you a box filled with in season organic fruit, vegetables, eggs, and other goodies. Produce will obviously change from week to week but you know that you are getting is ethical and organic. In my box there were 6 eggs, a ciabatta, a loaf of potato and walnut bread, yuja cakes, cream butter, omelette snacks, a cabbage, carrots, potatoes, apples, mushrooms, and a selection of salad leaves.

The first thing that jumped out at me, were those lovely organic eggs. You can’t beat eggs that are fresh from the farm. Eggs Florentine is my absolute favourite breakfast, so with the lovely walnut bread they included I could make some toast. I also decided to have some mushrooms too, just because there is nothing better in life than mushrooms cooked in butter.

Ingredients

1 egg

2 slices of bread

A handful of mushrooms

6 kale and lettuce leaves

50g of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Hollandaise Sauce 

125g butter

2 egg yolks

½ tsp white wine vinegar

A pinch salt

1-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Direction

1. The first thing to do is make the hollandaise sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Put 2 egg yolks,  white wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a metal or glass bowl that will fit over a small pan. Whisk for a few minutes then put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk continuously until pale and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter, bit by bit until it’s all incorporated and you have a creamy hollandaise.  Squeeze  in the lemon juice  to taste. I like mine zingy so I use quite a bit. Then season with salt and pepper and keep it warm until needed.

2. Slice the bread and preheat the grill, ready for toasting. Then wash and slice the lettuce, kale, and mushrooms.

3. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms for a few minutes until, soft and juicy. Push to one side of the pan then add the kale to the other side, cook for about 30 seconds then add the lettuce. Cook for another minute until the leaves have wilted then turn off the heat.

4.  Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, and pop your bread under the grill to toast. Don’t forget to flip it over after a few minutes.

5.  Add a few drops of vinegar to the water and make sure its on a low heat and a soft boil. Using a fork draw it around the edge of your pan making a vortex in the middle then crack your egg and drop it in. The organic eggs are so lovely and fresh that they keep their shape really well. But the vortex will stop you losing any white. Let the egg cook for about 3 minutes. By this time the egg white should have set and the egg yolk should still be runny.

6. Put your toast on a plate and layer one piece with the mushrooms and the other with the wilted salad leaves. Pop your perfect poached egg on top of the leaves and drizzle with hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with black pepper.

If you too would like to get on the organic bandwagon, then check out WWOOF’s website or facebook page for more details about how to get a box delivered to you. You can sign up for a month or a few months at a time, but if you want to give them a try first they have a 1-2 person sample box for only 30,000. I know I will be signing up for sure. The taste of the eggs and apples alone made it worth it for me. With my ingredients I also made an amazing apple coleslaw, with I used in a chicken and ciabatta sandwich . Sour dough starter, and a chicken breast on a bed of roast cabbage and root vegetable rosti. Recipes coming soon. What will you make with yours?

After years and years of spending Christmas in Korea, this year I shall be going home for Christmas. But with that comes a whole host of questions of what I would like for Christmas. We will be spending the day with my family, then heading over to Ireland to spend some time with Niall’s family. Obviously my own friends and family know me well and what I might like but with in-laws it’s really hard not to know what to get. To make things easier, Niall and I decided to make wish lists on Amazon with lots of little things we both liked to help make present buying a lot easier. I have really taken to this making a wish list thing, so much so I thought I would make a fat girls wish list. This is a collection of lovely things I would love to own one day. Obviously Le Creuset pans and Cath Kidston dishes are probably a bit beyond my means at the moment, but there are lots of lovely thing like ingredients and bake-ware that I could afford but never seem to buy. I figured I would share it with all my lovely readers, since it is the season of giving and perhaps some of you are rich, generous or want to buy your favourite food blogger a lovely present (wink,wink). So here is my list of lovely things if you would like to check it out. Happy Christmas shopping everyone! #buymepresentsplease.