Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of The North Shop kimchi. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, use and flavour of this traditional kimchi.

You can find this kimchi in some food stores in the UK, most likely in an organic shop.

You might also be interested in reading our article on the best probiotics in the UK if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.

What is kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional food product from Korea. It is made by fermenting cabbage and other vegetables.

Kimchi is a living product full of live cultures, some of which may be beneficial to our health, and prebiotics such as cabbage, garlic and spring onion which feed the good microbes in your gut.

Ingredients of The North Shop kimchi

This is a traditional kimchi (rather than a vegan kimchi which seem to be more popular in the UK these days) which includes fish sauce to add umami flavour.

This specific ingredients are Chinese cabbage, daikon, carrot, spring onion, gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), ginger, garlic, sea salt, fish sauce and soft brown sugar.

These ingredients are typical of traditional kimchi, except white sugar would usually be used instead of brown sugar if you want to be picky.

In summary, it’s a classic kimchi and doesn’t include any added thickeners, flavour enhancers or preservatives.

Our favourite gut health products in the UK

YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.

Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.

Benefits of The North Shop kimchi

This kimchi has many health benefits, especially related to its live cultures and prebiotic content.

Live cultures

This kimchi is a living, unpasteurised product so it would be thriving with live cultures.

But because of the usual ‘wild’ or ‘natural’ fermentation process in making kimchi - which means it is fermented using the microbes already present on the cabbage, in other ingredients, in the air and on fermentation equipment - we don’t know exactly what strains of live cultures are present and or the exact quantity of them.

However this wild fermentation process (as opposed to inoculating the kimchi with specific bacterial strains as you might with yoghurt) means there should be a huge diversity of microbes in this kimchi. And some of these cultures may be probiotic, meaning they give us health benefits.

Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.

Postbiotics

Postbiotics are essentially beneficial compounds produced by microbes during fermentation.

Here are the main postbiotic compounds typically present in kimchi after fermentation:

Lactic acid – helps maintain an acidic gut environment that supports beneficial microbes and may strengthen the intestinal barrier
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) – mainly acetate and propionate, which help regulate inflammation, support microbial balance and provide fuel for beneficial gut bacteria
Exopolysaccharides (EPS) – produced by Lactobacillus plantarum and related species; may strengthen the gut barrier and modulate immune responses
Polyphenol metabolites – transformed plant antioxidants from cabbage, chilli and other vegetables that can have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity

Learn more about postbiotics.

Prebiotics

Kimchi is fantastic for gut health because it contains prebiotics as well as probiotics. Prebiotics are fibre which feed the good bacteria in your gut and help them multiply. The cabbage, garlic and spring onion in this kimchi are all prebiotic vegetables.

So not only are you getting the beneficial microbes, you are also getting the best food to feed them!

Garlic

This kimchi contains garlic which has a range of health benefits including supporting immune function as well as reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. It is also a good source of antioxidants as well as various vitamins and minerals such as manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium.

Ginger

Ginger has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It can also contribute to digestive health, weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.

Vegetables

This kimchi is a good source of vegetables containing Chinese cabbage, daikon, spring onion and carrot.

Collectively these vegetables provide fibre, natural antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K that contribute to healthy digestion, immune defence and overall gut health.

Gochugaru

Gochugaru, the red chilli flakes in this kimchi, provides capsaicin and carotenoid antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation, support circulation and protect cells from oxidative damage.

Low in sugar

Even though this product contains added brown sugar, it has a very low sugar content of only 0.1%.

The North Shop kimchi - side view of jar

Flavour

The aroma is multifaceted, with garlic, ginger, chilli and a lemony tang showing most.

The flavour is fairly complex, with the ginger and the strong chilli most prominent - along with the occasional hit of spring onion. The heat is above what you would usually get in a kimchi made in the UK. There a nice crunch to the ingredients and it has a moderate acidity.

Overall, the taste is pretty good, but it lacks depth which is surprising considering it uses fish sauce. Personally, I think it is too spicy though and goes well beyond the usual warming, mellow heat of kimchi.

Uses

This kimchi would have various applications - if you can handle the heat. Using it as a side dish would only suit people who love spicy foods. It might be better used in soups, with eggs or perhaps in a kimchi cheese toastie.

Cost of The North Shop kimchi

We bought a 480g jar from an organic store for £7.95 - which places it on the expensive end of the market.

Review summary

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Verdict: The North Shop kimchi is a traditional kimchi with a fiery kick which would be too much for some. The taste is good, but it lacks a bit of depth. And it is expensive.

Pros

traditional ingredients
high in prebiotic fibres
good source of vitamins from the vegetables
various health benefits from the ginger, garlic and gochugaru
very low in sugar
good taste…

Cons

…but the taste lacks depth somewhat
will be too spicy for some
expensive

Now read about the best kimchi in the UK!

Factors we consider in our ratings

The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.

Health benefits

We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.

Things detrimental to health

We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if the product might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.

How it’s made

This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.

Price

While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.

Flavour

For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.

Our favourite gut health products in the UK

YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.

Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.

The North Shop kimchi review

What is kimchi?

Ingredients of The North Shop kimchi

Our favourite gut health products in the UK