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redjo20 · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Leeds, UK

are you in the UK? how do you get hold of bento boxes and accessories? any advice would be appreciated.

Also - does anyone know where I can buy edamame beans? I haven't been able to find any so far.

I'm based in Leeds, so perhaps not ideally located for bento stuff and foods though we do have numerous asian supermarkets..

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redjo20x

Bento Business · Bento Boss Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 23

I am based in the UK and get a lot of my bento boxes from J-List, which is based in Japan and actually has some reasonable prices and shipping rates, especially considering how strong the pound is against the dollar. The best value bento boxes are these, which come in red and blue, but there are plenty of others there - just click on that link to see.

A lot of people also pick up bento supplies from eBay, where there are several large eBay stored dedicated to bento supplies. Be warned as a lot of these items come from Japanese 100 yen shops, and sometimes the markup is ridiculous (you could pay five times what it originally cost.)

For your basic bento kit, I'd recommend getting one bento, some soy sauce containers (you can use the ones you get in supermarket sushi containers) and not much else. In fact, my first bento box was bought at Poundland - it was a bit big, but got me started! You can improvise with plenty of things, including muffin cases as bento dividers. An essential piece of equipment for me is a rice cooker - I got mine in the January sale at Argos for about a tenner, but there are some not that much more expensive than that around in other places too.

Edamame beans in the shell you'll need to source in a Japanese or Oriental supermarket in the frozen section - it's not hugely likely they'll be in there, but it can't hurt to look. Birds Eye are actually selling edamame beans without the shell in a lot of major supermarkets as soya beans - they're great to use. I'm lucky because I travel into London about once or twice a month for work and so can pick stuff up from the Japan Centre while I'm there.

Bento supplies - there's a list on my site with lots of shops which are based in the UK and will do mail order. I can recommend some things to pick up if you want a basic 'beginner's bento' kit!

redjo20 · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Leeds, UK

thanks for the info. Watch this space for bento orientated enthusiasm from me!
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redjo20x

~NK~ · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 3

I have a traditional bento box that I bought in Japan, but in terms of practicality, I prefer my compact locking tupperware box (700ml) that I bought from Asda. Very Happy

It's watertight, and with the use of silicon cups, you can split your portions for presentation without the flavours running into each other.

For edamame, I find the Birds Eye shelled ones are far better for the lunchbox than the ones sold at Asian stores - less fussy! You can find them in the freezer in the main supermarkets.

I found some pretty bamboo skewer/cocktail stick things in Sainsbury too - great for packing in with your fruit for eating with.

Bento Business · Bento Boss Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 23

Good tip for Sainsbury's, NK! I'll check them out...

Bento Dan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 18

~NK~ · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 3

Redjo20,

There is a Chinese supermarket in Leeds where you'd be able to get basic Japanese stuff like nori, udon, tofu, takuan, wasabi, inarizushi wrappers, etc.

For people around the M4 corridor, there are Chinese supermarkets in Bristol and Reading that do similar stuff, if you can't venture into London.

Hope that helps!

redjo20 · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Leeds, UK

thanks for your advice. I am now awaiting a parcel from JBOX and have a freezer full of soya beans. I will upload my pics here once i get organised. Very Happy

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redjo20x

Bento Business · Bento Boss Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 23

Ooo, what did you order? I've been ordering from J-List like crazy for ages... I'm waiting on some books but I think I've gone overboard on bento boxes at the moment... Laughing

redjo20 · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Leeds, UK

i bought 3 bento boxes. A toronto bowl one, a rectangular one with lots of compartments and a tiny one for snacks. I also bought loads of little bottles so I can carry round soy sauce etc. I also bought a minature rice cooker from ebay so that I can make small amounts of rice in my microwave in the morning. It will be three weeks before it all arrives! Razz

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redjo20x