UK Food that Foreigners and Expats ask for.

[talksthetorque]

I was on a training course with one of my Portuguese colleagues who worked in the UK for a while. It was a two week course and I was going home for the weekend. He told me about his family's love for a British chocolate product that he could not find anywhere else. And so after a hasty visit to Amazon, I returned the following week with 12 Terry's chocolate oranges for him.

Let's hear your odd requests, for Ex Pat UK citizens and Foreign visitors who have cravings for our amazing cuisine.

[eybic]

My Dad lives in Mallorca and Chocolate oranges are very much loved over there, we recently sent him a "care package" suitcase packed with 30kg (£140 worth) of various chocolates including amongst other bars, Wispa's, Aero's and of course Chocolate Oranges

[anonymous-user]

When I live in the states, we would get care packages of:

Dairy Milk (Hershey's is vile)
Cadbury's cream eggs (around Easter time)
Orange and Blackcurrant cordial (the Americans don't really do dilute juice, it's either soda, energy drinks or fruit juice)
Jaffa Cakes

[descentia]

When I lived in Europe I used to request Heinz baked beans and, if available due to seasonal variations, Cadbury Creme Eggs.

[toon10]

I used to live with a German girl and whenever we went back to Germany, she'd stuff her suitcase full of Cadbury's Dairy Milk and Caramel bars.

[bristolracer]

I heard that in the UK we have the widest choice of chocolate bars in the world.

Marmite is another one often requested.

[tr7v8]

WHen a colleague moved his family to France & carried on working for us and travelling back at the weekends.
It was Walkers crisps for the kids & PG Tips for him & his wife.
My USA colleagues take back pots of marmalade (especially the coarse cut quality ones) and chocolate bars.

[NorthDave]

Friends who live in France seem to lust after proper bacon. Baked Beans is never the same with local brands either.

I was in the company of two separate groups of americans recently and the conversation turned to British cuisine. One group looked revolted by our poor attempts at cooking but the group who had recently visited agreed with me that we are world class - we have a collection of the best from all round the world. France, for example, do french well but it is rare to find Vietnemese, Thai or Indian. They just aren't interested.

Slightly off topic but there you go.

[NAS]

I used to travel to the UK a fair bit. Never took food home with me though, until I met my wife who lived in the UK for a bit.

Cadbury flakes were her poison.

[zbc]

I live abroad and I'm in the UK for work today. Cheese and pickle sandwich for M&S for me.

[designforlife]

Jaffa cakes, Twiglets, Mcvities Digestives

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Marmite and tea bags for me (Liptons Yellow Label are ubiquitous on the Continent but just don't do it for me).

[JuniorD]

Irish people abroad like "Tayto" brand crisps. I had to send a box out to my mate when he was serving in Iraq,

[psi310398]

I have Italian neighbours who beg me to bring out big cartons of PG Tips.

For me there is a reverse one: anybody going to Oz is implored to return with catering packs of Violet Crumbles.

[Robbo 27]

Just had some Americans to stay and they really wanted a traditional Sunday roast dinner with Yorkshire Pudding and roast beef.

[Robbo 27]

zbc said:

I live abroad and I'm in the UK for work today. Cheese and pickle sandwich for M&S for me.

I lived in East Yorkshire and a grated cheese sandwich with Branston pickle was my go to sandwich. I was in West Lancashire and went to a sandwich shop, asked for my cheese and pickle and they had never been asked for it before, obviously some regional influences.

[seyre1972]

About 8kg of Dairy Milk/Galaxy for English friends (she was Pregnant) made 2 trips out to NY in a 6 month period and took same both times. Also took several Landrover parts out for a US colleague (luckily we get 3x32kg luggage allowance …..

Lived in Brussels in the mid 90's for 3 years - luckily we had a M&S in the centre so could still get our Prawn Mayonnaise, Ham Cheese and Pickle sandwiches any lunchtime we wanted. Saturday dinner was always either eating out, or usually something from Marks (rest of the week was home cooking/drinking in Irish bars and then a Fritterie)

We also did have a large English Shop out near the British School (think of it as a large Co-Op metro size affair - but with about 4 x the freezer space)

Weirdly - you couldn't get Pepsi/Diet Pepsi in Belgium just Coke/Coca Light (horrible stuff) So whenever I was back in London/France SuperMarche - would but several bottles/couple of 24 can slabs from Wholesalers.

[Crumpet]

Managed to get some of my European colleagues onto Yorkshire Tea ‘Biscuit Brew’. I’m trying to spread the word but there are a few who now stock up on it when in England.

[Ayahuasca]

Lived abroad for over a decade. Things I bring back when I visit UK:

Jaffa cakes
Marmite
Fry’s Turkish delight
Birds custard powder
Treacle puddings
Heinz beans
Lyles golden syrup
Stilton cheese
Branston pickle
Cadbury’s chocolate fingers

What I really crave and cannot get - proper chip shop fish and chips. Yes you can get fish, and you can get french fries, but nothing, nothing like fish and chips. or a decent pint of bitter.

[hacksaw]

Yorkshire tea, English mustard, pork pies, 'proper' bacon, salad cream, HP sauce, hendersons relish. Just a few of the delights I've carried around for mates.