005: Bringing Crazy Rich Flavours of Singapore to UK Kitchens with Megan Tan from Homi Kitchen

PROMO: Get free shipping on your first order of Homi Kitchen when you use the code "DISCOVERHOMI" on their ⁠website⁠.When Megan moved from Singapore to London to start a career as a finance lawyer, she never imagined she’d end up creating one of the UK’s most exciting new food startups. But during lockdown, while craving the flavours of home, she began cooking Singaporean street food for friends — and discovered a gap on UK shelves that would change her life.Today, she’s the founder of Homi Kitchen — a clean-label pantry brand bringing the authentic, bold, and crazy rich flavours of Singaporean cuisine to home cooks across the UK. From a viral supper club run out of her flat to products now stocked in Selfridges, Megan’s story is one of creativity, courage, and cultural pride.In this episode, Georgie and Megan talk about:How a lockdown birthday dinner sparked a business idea.Why Singaporean food has been overlooked in UK supermarkets — and how Homi Kitchen is changing that.The misconceptions around “Singapore noodles” and the real story of Singapore’s multicultural cuisine.What “clean label” really means and how Homi keeps its sauces free from artificial preservatives.How Megan scaled production while keeping the flavours true to home.Her vision for a Singapore-first pantry brand and why now is the right time to build it.Whether you’re a food lover, home cook, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode will make you hungry — and inspired — in equal measure.Key Takeaways:From law to ladles: Megan swapped her legal career for life as a food entrepreneur, driven by a love of authentic flavour.A missing category: UK supermarkets have long ignored Singaporean cuisine — Homi Kitchen fills that gap.Authenticity first: The brand’s tagline, “Crazy Rich Flavours of Singapore,” celebrates culture with a wink to Crazy Rich Asians.Clean label commitment: No preservatives, no artificial additives — just real ingredients cooked with care.Scaling up: From rice-cooker curries in student halls to professional production with strict quality control.Cultural storytelling: How every sauce represent a popular Singaporean street food dish.For everyone: Loved by Singaporean expats and curious UK home cooks alike.Next up: New curry-based sauces and retail expansion into major UK supermarkets.Chapters / Timestamps:00:00 — From lawyer to food founder: meet Megan & Homi Kitchen02:32 — The lockdown moment that changed everything05:00 — The missing Singaporean flavours in UK supermarkets07:33 — Debunking “Singapore noodles” and cultural misconceptions10:01 — What makes Singaporean food unique15:13 — Why it’s time for a Singapore-first pantry brand20:16 — The inspiration behind “Crazy Rich Flavours of Singapore”26:44 — Inside the products: chilli & pepper sauces explained29:33 — Clean-label ingredients and cooking at scale36:10 — The ups and downs of manufacturing38:41 — Who Homi Kitchen is for (and why expats matter)43:49 — What’s next: new products & retail ambitions46:56 — Where to find Homi Kitchen47:00 — Startup shout-outs: Pigtoria Secrets, Saucerer & moreLinks & Resources:Homi Kitchen — ⁠Website⁠ |⁠ Instagram⁠ | ⁠TikTok⁠ | LinkedInConnect with Megan — ⁠LinkedIn⁠Discover Startups — ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Newsletter

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