Living Abroad?

Question

This is a question for those brits living abroad ( sorry but not being racist or anything, but question applies to Brit products)

If you now live abroad, or travel abroad more than you are in the UK, what food/drink do you really miss, can you get it where you are but at a price, or do you just go 'native' and go without?

I live in Spain, but cannot do without T-bags, Tetley and PG Tips especially! very expensive here too!

Answer 1

Living on the Texas-Mexico border for a couple of decades meant I missed lots of English food. To name a few:- Smoked haddock; you know 'the yellow fish' I love that and couldn't find it anywhere. The variety of bread, especially crusty loaves; kippers; back bacon; cakes with hard icing and marzipan; pork pies; horlicks; ovaltine; and most puddings and sweets like spotted dick and custard and pear drops .... still, the trade off was worthwhile .... carne asada; huachinango; caldo de res; mole poblano; sopa de azteca; arox con pollo; mmmm....buen aproveche!

Answer 2

I have been living in Poland, for the last two years.
I miss Heinz salad cream, mint sauce and bacon.
I am using Lipton tea bags, the ones with the string attached.
It took a while to get used to them and to be honest would not go back to the Tetley or PG.
There are very few British products on the shelves in the supermarkets and that suites me fine

Answer 3

I live in the USA now and thankfully there is a shop here called worldmarket that sells stuff from all aroound the world, which is great. Unfortunately it is horrendously expensive- one bar of cadbury's chocolate=$2.99 (1.50 pounds).

What I tend to do is go native for everyday food which is fine as in the eastern USA (I am not in NY) as it is a real melting pot of cultures so I get lots of different stuff. For the Brit stuff that I can't get here we take an empty suitcase back with us and stock up like crazy or eat it loads when we are there (i.e. fish and chips and decent curry)..

My husband is American and has now become a real food snob. Before he met me he would eat just about anything but now he has tried British chocolate and crisps (chips) he won't touch anything else!

Answer 4

I lived in South Africa for 20 years. As most products these days are produced by multi-national companies there are very few things available in the UK that are not available in South Africa. What I missed most was Branston Pickle.

However, now that I am back in England there are masses of South African products that you cannot get here, or perhaps are only available in shops that specialize in South African Products, at a price.

Answer 5

I have previously lived in Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, USA and Austria. I tend to miss:

- wotsits
- sliced bread - esp. Warburtons
- proper butter
- peanut butter in some countries where you can't get it
- Galaxy chocolate

In some places they have British shops where you can get this stuff for a premium - in Heidelberg they sell imported bread and crumpets for example - but I tend to just suck it up and go without.

Answer 6

I miss being able to get really nice butter. Used to be able to get Fru-Grainsbreakfast cereal in UK but I think they've stopped making them now. The butcher's shops here smell horrible to me. I miss English sausages, bacon oh, lots of things. And when I was in the US I discovered to my amazement that I couldn't get "Napisan" one of my great standbys for removing stains.

Answer 7

There is a company here in spain www.thefoodhall.es where you can buy all the products you miss from the UK......

Answer 8

Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

Answer 9

Crunchie bars and monster munch. Don't seem to be able to get them in Siberia.

Answer 10

Can't get Marmite in Japan - Vegemite is available, but I can't bring myself to try it (that would be disloyal!).