Love at first bite with EnglishShop.be

Marc Haywood launched EnglishShop.be in 2010 to the joy of British expats across Belgium, as well as Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany and France. The online shop based in Tervuren (not to be confused with Stonemanor in Everberg) offers coveted British products and home delivery service. So the next time you have a hankering for English Breakfast tea, chocolate HobNobs or Angel Delight, just place an order online and have your cravings satisfied at the click of a mouse.  www.EnglishShop.be

INGREDIENT

Living in Belgium should make us feel spoilt for choice when it comes to chocolate but we still haven’t found anything to beat our very own British Green & Black’s organic Fairtrade cocoa powder. It’s the essential ingredient for any chocolate cake or pudding and makes the most delicious hot chocolate; a teaspoon of it in a chilli con carne enriches the flavour like nothing else.

We say: British couple Craig and Jo created the world’s first organic Fairtrade chocolate back in 1991 when, on a trip through Belize, they encountered a group of Mayan smallholder farmers and agreed to buy their cocoa for a fair price. In addition to its range of chocolate bars, Green & Black’s also makes baking chocolate, cocoa powder and even ice-cream

www.greenandblacks.com

BAR

I love Arcadi at the end of Galeries Saint-Hubert in the centre of Brussels. It’s friendly, inexpensive and they do great quick lunches, quiches, sweet and savoury tarts and pastries and an excellent cup of coffee. It feels Parisian but in a relaxed, unpretentious way. During good weather you can sit out on the terrace, and make sure you try their onion tart – it’s really special! They’ll also prepare their tarts and quiches for you to take away, which is very handy.

We say: Arcadi is a bustling corner cafe not far from the Grand’Place, the perfect spot for people-watching over coffee or a beer. And, many regulars claim, it has the best quiches and cakes in town

ARCADI

1B Rue d’Arenberg, Brussels

tel 02.511.33.43

DRINK

A good cup of English tea has to be made properly. Tetley, PG Tips, Yorkshire Tea – we love them all, but it’s difficult to get a decent cuppa in Brussels. Luckily my wife and I know where to pick up a box of our favourite tea whenever we need it. And we aren’t talking about flowery perfumed green tea with berries here; we are after a good strong black tea with milk, brewed the way Brits have been doing for centuries!

SHOP

There’s a new Mediterranean supermarket recently opened in Etterbeek. They have a great range of really fresh vegetables and fruit, olive oils and fabulous meats, all with friendly service and good prices. This has quickly become our new favourite place to shop.

We say: The shop is still so new it’s not yet clearly marked, but look for it next to the Delhaize on Rue de l’Escadron (metro Thieffry)

RESTAURANT

Our favourite restaurant crown goes to LaBritannique. Not a traditional restaurant, it arranges spectacular pop-up themed Sunday brunches and event catering which just have to be experienced. A true culinary adventure! The British owner, Alex Weston, has never ceased to delight us with his creativity and imagination: everything from individual Christmas dinner canapés to mini roast beef and Yorkshire puddings in a glass. Or if you need Devon cream teas for 10 to 100 friends, Alex is your man.

We say: Catering company LaBritannique holds regular Sunday brunches, each with a theme, and will soon open a deli in Saint-Gilles. To book your place at one of their upcoming themed brunches, email celine@labritannique.com and choose a time (11.30 or 13.30). They also offer classes for budding chefs and groups of friends or colleagues, including Indian, Macaroons and Patisseries and Molecular Gastronomy Basics

LABRITANNIQUE

14E Blvd de la IIème Armée Britannique, Forest

www.labritannique.com

RECIPE

We just love a good curry but they are hard to find in Belgium so we make our own using ingredients from our own shop.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

• 250g cubed chicken breast• Greek yoghurt• Patak’s tikka masala curry paste• 2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil• 1 diced medium onion• 1 tsp Bart’s ground ginger• 1 tsp Sharwood’s garlic puree• 400g can chopped tomatoes• Double cream • Pinch of sugar (optional)• Fresh coriander leaves

Marinade the chicken in a half-and-half mixture of Greek yoghurt and tikka masala curry paste, for a minimum of one hour. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft. Add two heaped tablespoons of curry paste, 100ml water, the ginger and the garlic puree. Fry the paste for two to three minutes until reduced and thickened. Add the chicken and fry until sealed and golden brown. Add 100ml water and the chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add the cream and a pinch of sugar (if using). Simmer without the lid for a further five minutes.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and enjoy with mango chutney, Lijjat poppadams and Tilda basmati rice