Cooking up a storm: The Bulletin’s guide to cookware shops

Belgium’s love affair with food starts with a tradition of good home cooking. Across the country you can find excellent produce and an enticing range of continental kit and utensils that can transform your kitchen and your culinary repertoire. Here are some of our favourite cookware shops; many also offer workshops, wedding lists and gift cards. They are all in Brussels unless otherwise stated.

Located near Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and Place Stéphanie, the two branches of International Home of Cooking are a food-lovers haven. You’ll find every gadget and gizmo you ever dreamed of and If you are ready to invest in a high-end blender, coffee maker or bread machine, brands include Magimix, Bamix, Jura products, and more. There are live demos of appliances and cookery techniques and you’ll also find a large collection of cookery books and tableware. The international chain’s original Belgian outlet is in Antwerp. 3 Rue Léopold & 10 Chaussée de Charleroi

An Aladdin’s cave of cookery, Mmmmh! is not only one of the capital’s leading addresses for cookery workshops, its store stocks over 5,000 products. Fuel your cooking passion with exotic condiments, spices, and a comprehensive range of equipment, including pots and pans, gadgets and a section devoted to bakery. 92 Chaussée de Charleroi

Dille & Kamille is a treasure trove of objects for your home and garden as well as kitchen. From stores in Brussels, Flanders and the Netherlands, it offers a large selection of utensils and pottery with a reassuring homely feel. They include picnic hampers, toys to keep the kiddies occupied and delicious organic lemonade, syrups and spice combinations. 16 Rue Jean Stas

The perfect mixture of classic and contemporary kitchen design, Pimpinelle is a three in one kitchenware shop, café and culinary workshop. Named after an aromatic herb, it is run by Aline de Gottal who is fascinated by all things food and kitchen. Her carefully selected items include Falcon enamel pie dishes, Tala baking beans, copper pots, artsy and vintage-inspired food books as well as locally sourced foodstuffs, including honey produced on Brussels rooftops.
57 Rue de Flandre

Lose yourself in the 1000m2 space of Antwerps Kookhuis, the perfect one-stop-shop to create a brand new kitchen. Top-of-the range appliances such as Smeg, Lacanche and Boretti will tempt the serious cooks as well as a full culinary battery of kitchenware. They include stylish inox pots and pans by traditional Belgian label Demeyere, Le Creuset and cutting-edge knives by Japanese make Kai and French chef Michel Bras. For the outdoor chef, the store sells cult ceramic cooking stove and barbecue the Big Green Egg. 1 Terninckstraat, Antwerp

International franchise Oil + Vinegar specialises in gift-wrapped condiments, but not only olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dotted around the country, the Dutch-origin emporium sells tempting ready-made sauces, dressings, pasta, sweet treats and eastern spices from quality producers around the world. An online service is also available. Rue Neuve, Woluwe shopping centre, Rue Xavier de Bue and other cities

Les Secrets du Chef combines a kitchenware store with delicatessen and cookery school for both the amateur and keen cook. The franchise can be found in Brussels and Wallonia and is proving popular for its range of quality and designer products, from lemon squeezers and Peugeot pepper grinders, to upmarket appliances such as KitchenAid and an excellent selection of baking hardware. You can book workshops online; they cover Thai and Italian cuisine, patisserie, macaroons, cooking at a low temperature, gastronomic foams, plus wine and whisky tasting. Classes are graded according to experience. Gift tokens also available. Brussels, Liège, Louvain-la-Neuve, Namur

With seven shops in Belgium, French franchise Alice Délice has successfully introduced its wooden spoon logo to shopping centres and high streets in Belgium, albeit largely in the capital and south of the country. In each of the colourful stores – aimed at the home cook – you’ll find around 2,500 to 3,000 products, including baking ingredients, sophisticated appliances and silicone moulds. As well as gifts, one of the chain’s selling points is demonstrations of popular kitchen gadgets. The Waterloo and Namur outlets offer workshops for individuals, families and children during the school holidays. City 2, Rue Neuve & Westland Shopping Centre

If you know someone with their own business, consider stocking up on equipment staples and attractive tableware at a professional supplier such as ISPC. The wholesaler is open to all in the catering industry, selling quality and artisanal products from home and abroad. Ghent and Liège

Photo: Pimpinelle courtesy www.marialaforet.com

This article was first published in the Bulletin’s Newcomer autumn 2015 magazine