Hotel restaurants and many of those in the cities are of a good standard. They offer a wide choice of dishes including European, Korean and Chinese as well as authentic Malawi dishes and haute cuisine. Poultry and dairy produce are plentiful and tropical fruits are abundant in season.

National specialities:
• Fresh fish from Lake Malawi is the country’s speciality, chambo (Tilapia fish) being the main lake delicacy.
• There are trout from streams on the Zomba, Mulanje and Nyika plateaus.
• White maize eaten with vegetables and sometimes meat or fish.
• Nthochi (bread made with banana).
• Mbatata cookies (made with sweet potato and cinnamon).

National drinks:
• The local beer is very good.
• Malawi gin and tonic is well known and inexpensive, with almost cult status.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: Generally not expected, but some employees who are very poorly paid might appreciate a small tip for good service.

There is little nightlife in the European or US sense. Some restaurants have entertainment as do some of the hotels but outside Blantyre and Lilongwe this will usually take the form of a display of dancing during or after dinner at the lakeshore hotels.

Malawi produces a variety of colourful arts and crafts. Items are invariably handmade and there is no factory production of curios. Purchases include woodcarvings, wood and cane furniture, soapstone carvings, decorated wooden articles, colourful textiles, pottery, beadwork, cane and raffia items. The standard of woodcarving is one of the highest in Africa. The Mua Mission, south of Salima, where carvers are trained, has an excellent shop. Traditional musical instruments are also sold throughout Malawi.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1700. Markets and roadside stalls trade every day.