Hong Kongers, search your memory banks! Has there ever been an food and drink-centric event 100% dedicated to products that are sustainably made here in Hong Kong, focusing on all these wonderful things: organic/vegan/artisanal/homemade/unprocessed/eco-friendly/gluten-free/homemade? Sure, there is East Island Markets, and I am not putting it down as it is a huge organisational challenge to have this market up and running for all this time.  But when I saw Pizza Express there, I felt that maybe EIM has somewhat lost sight of it’s initial vision. When I visited, I was disappointed. I had been hoping for all homegrown companies, selling interesting products that I would actually want to take home with me, but I left pretty much empty-handed apart from some locally-grown strawberries (which were by the way, incredible).

Anyway, I digress. The point is, last weekend, I think a lot of us Hong Kongers finally found what we were looking for – a foodie market event that actually gave us what we want! And even if you didn’t end up taking something home (which is highly unlikely), then at least you would have had a great meal – there were lots of healthy food choices available, as well as picnic benches to eat them on. By the time  I arrived at 1.30pm, most of the food had sold out!

All of these wonderful, local vendors were at the Made in HK Pop-Up event, including more well-known companies such as Stephen James Organics, The Genie Concept and Homegrown Foods, although my favorites were these lesser-known but equally as interesting companies. I look forward to seeing more, and will keep you in the loop as to when the next event will be! Believe me, you will not want to miss out, and it is in our best interests as a community to support initiatives such as this – they add that little bit of colour to our weekend, promote local small businesses,  as well as open our minds to eating and living a healthier lifestyle. Well, just so long as you don’t eat too many cupcakes and ice cream…

Happy Cow (Dairy-Free) Ice Cream

Established in 2012, this fledgling Hong Kong brand makes their ice cream from scratch using coconut cream (instead of dairy) and coconut tree nectar (instead of sugar) to make truly delicious ice creams that are healthy! Dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free and containing no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, they truly taste great! Fact, coconut cream is quite fattening, but a little of this ice cream goes a long way – one scoop is enough to satisfy your ice-cream needs. We tried the Mint Chip and the Piña Colada. Their most popular flavour, Lime in the Coconut, was sold out.

Happy Cow ice cream is available by the scoop at Grassroots Pantry, coming soon to JCC Kosher Mart (conveniently located in my apartment complex, woohoo!). Visit their website, http://www.happycowhk.com/, to see all their flavours!

Anything But Salads

The people at this stall were super-friendly and even if nothing had tempted me, I still would have bought something any way because they were just that nice. Luckily enough, PB was there to control me, or else I would have bought everything! Kale chips, organic raw chocolate, raw cheesy nuts (ignore the name, and they are delicious!) I left with a container of living almond butter (all natural, no sugars or additives) and the neatest new contraption in my kitchen, the Coconut Drill.  Because hacking away at a coconut with a big  knife always made me a tad nervous!

You can order their products online, and delivery within Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories is free for orders above $500.

Website: http://www.anythingbutsalads.com/ or Tel: +852 6743 5000

Bread Elements

Bread Elements is a wholesale artisanal bakery that supplies mainly hotels and restaurants (Indigo, Chez Patrick, Metropolitain and 22 Ships), and can also be found for the public to buy at Chez Patrick Deli. By the sounds of it, they are French – so I’m curious to try their baguette. They had sold out of mostly everything apart from the ham, onion cheese brioche and the Fanling organic passion fruit muffins, neither of which I tried as I was unfortunately stuffed already. But don’t they look tempting?

Website: http://www.breadelements.com.hk/

Niche 

I can never pass by a cupcake without eating one, it’s a sickness. Niche is a home-baked cupcake company started by two friends who love food! How can you not support something so entrepreneurial?!

I saw their Envy mini cupcakes (pandan with buttercream) on the table and had to have one. The pandan flavour was a touch on the light side, but they satisfied my cupcake craving.

You can place orders by emailing nichefoodhk@gmail.com

Swedish’s Handmade Bodycare

Swedish’s Handmade says, “The first thing you will think of if wanting to live a healthy life, is to eat right and exercise, but what you don’t think about is all the toxins we put on our body in form of soaps and lotions.” She does have a point …!

Swedish’s products are made with natural oils, no chemicals, and are all handmade by the lovely Rebecca. I bought two of her Lemongrass Salt Scrubs (it smelled heavenly and instantly transported me to a holiday destination in my mind!), one for a birthday gift and one for myself. I never got around to trying it because another birthday came up and I gave mine away  as a present!

I am currently trying to get my hands on more …

For more information, email: info@swedishandmade.com

UPCOMING MADE IN HK EVENTS