On the shelf

1 We're not going to pretend these Taiwanese vegetable crisps are good for us. Yes, they're made of string beans but then they're deep-fried in hydrogenated soyabean and palm oils until crunchy. Coated with maltose to add sweetness (just a little too much), they won't replace that other fried vegetable (potato crisps) but if your experience is anything like ours, you'll probably polish off the pack quite easily. They sell for HK$14 a bag at Apita (Cityplaza, Quarry Bay, tel: 2885 0331).

2 The Spectrum brand of 'virgin coconut oil' really does, as its label states, have 'the scent of freshly cracked coconut'. However, we were surprised at claims that the semi-liquid fat contains no cholesterol - for years we've been hearing the opposite. It turns out previous tests were done on the fat after it had been processed to make it saturated; the Spectrum brand of virgin oil is unsaturated. The fresh coconut meat is 'expeller pressed' before being jarred. The suggestions for using it in Southeast Asian dishes and pineapple upside-down cake sound good but we'll ignore the idea of using it for body care ('massage into skin or apply to hair for an hour then rinse thoroughly'). The oil costs HK$108 for a 414ml jar from Oliver's (Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2810 7710).

3 We're always on the prowl to find new and interesting jams and spreads for our morning toast. The Rosebud Preserves line of jams - blackcurrant, raspberry, gooseberry and elderflower - contains no pectin, just unrefined sugar, fruit and water, so it's a little runnier than other brands but the flavour is pure and intense. A 221 gram jar sells for about HK$71 at Oliver's.