“So as far as food provisioning and shopping in Vanuatu- from a food/ chef point of view, it was really great and quite unexpected. There was certainly a lot more than I had planned on there being. First off, the local market in Port Vila is a real joy. It’s full of fresh fruit (passionfruit, papaya, pineapples, coconuts, oranges, local grapefruits, bananas) and other items that I hadn’t seen in markets before like fresh herbs . I think one of the biggest differences about the Port Vila market, and other markets we’ve been to in SE Asia and some parts of the Pacific, is the quality of all items- they are beautiful and well looked after. Nothing seems to be going off, or is badly damaged.

There’s a beautiful supply of lettuce in Port Vila too, often found at the supermarket, there’s a local farmer who grows some of the best butter lettuce I’ve seen, and lots of basil and mint.

The beef we bought in Vanuatu was really, really tasty and there’s a butcher who can give you any cuts you like. We stocked up on prawns, as there’s a local prawn farm selling beautiful fresh prawns that are inexpensive. We also received wonderfully fresh fish when the sports fishing boats came in with their catch.

As far as dry goods/ pantry goods go- the supermarket is very well stocked and a lot more ‘Western’ than I’d expected. The shelves are full of recognizable brands and good quality items. There’s also French cheeses available at the deli counter at the supermarket”