MARKETS

TAIKOO PLACE SUNDAY MARKET Local, organic farmers' market with excellent quality fresh fruit and veg. A  fun way to spend a Sunday morning.

WAN CHAI MARKET Local-produce heaven. Shop here for all manner of chinese products (not ideal for fresh fruit, veg and meat). It's excellent value and reassuringly busy.

ABERDEEN FISH MARKET Not as bustling as it used to be, sadly, but still offers an unrivalled choice of fresh fish. 

SMITHFIELD WET MARKET Just as you'd hope and expect and well worth a visit.

SUPERMARKETS

PARK N SHOP This is your main HK supermarket which stocks pretty much everything until it doesn't - you can go weeks without random items like oxo stock cubes being available. It even sells some Waitrose products.

MARKET PLACE BY JASONS Owned by the same company as Wellcome (HK's largest online grocery store - see below) and carries a good range of stock. Be aware than random basic items here are sometimes not available (like western yoghurts). Essentially this is a more expensive shop for basics and beyond, but generally considered nicer. 

WELLCOME One of the cheapest supermarkets, but it does the job. Come here for all basic essentials, but definitely nothing fresh!

GREAT FOOD HALL This shop is heaven...but expensive. It stocks everything from almost every country you can think of and sells delicious fresh items as well. The perfect place to track down any rarified ingredients. 'Great' also sells sushi and pre-made fresh food and offers online shopping.

CITY SUPER - Excellent, but as with 'Great' (above), bring your credit card and don't be afraid to use it. 

EQUIPMENT

THE PAN HANDLER Come here for Magimix and KitchenAid and everything in between. They also stock beautiful bowls and plates: the simple but stunning fluted china bowl that we shot the Leek Vinaigrette in (page 179 of A Helping Hand) was in fact bought from here.

PANTRY MAGIC A go-to for cooking implements as well as bigger buys. They stock a mass of items from pots and pans to mixing bowls, spatulas and turners, knives and steels, mortar-and-pestles, rubber scrapers, silicone and traditional metal bakeware. There is also a good selection of English language cookbooks. 

SHANGHAI STREET Lined with Chinese shop-houses, this street is the place to come to to stock up on piles of practical, inexpensive kitchenware. Expect to find local staples such as traditional thick chopping boards, bamboo steaming baskets and more. Address: Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon.

WING ON A good value and down-to-earth department store that has been in business for over a hundred years; they must be doing something right! A good but basic selection of cookware essentials; think kettles and toasters rather than obscure or high end. 

 - This HK shopping guide was curated by Sophie Hume