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Quintessentially English and British food items as gifts - advice please
Victoria Sponge
Posts: 16,645 Forum Member
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Hello everyone.
I am going to Texas for a holiday in a couple of months and I would like to take some gifts to my Texan friend's Texan friends who I will be meeting. Almost all have not been to the UK before. I am really looking forward to meeting them (I have spoken to a few of them on the phone and they are so sweet) and I know that I will be hanging out with them and some will even be looking after me, so I would like to take with me some nice food items to them as gifts.
I spoke to one of my friend's friends, I asked him if he likes English tea. He said he's never tried it! So that's given me one idea. But, as someone who hates tea I do not not which tea brands are nice. PG Tipps? Twingings? Tetley? something else?
Also, I am thinking to take a tin or two of shortbread biscuits. Where should I get those from? Marks and Spencer? Harrods?
And…this is where my mind has drawn a blank! I can't think of anything else at all. Please give me some ideas.
I am going to Texas for a holiday in a couple of months and I would like to take some gifts to my Texan friend's Texan friends who I will be meeting. Almost all have not been to the UK before. I am really looking forward to meeting them (I have spoken to a few of them on the phone and they are so sweet) and I know that I will be hanging out with them and some will even be looking after me, so I would like to take with me some nice food items to them as gifts.
I spoke to one of my friend's friends, I asked him if he likes English tea. He said he's never tried it! So that's given me one idea. But, as someone who hates tea I do not not which tea brands are nice. PG Tipps? Twingings? Tetley? something else?
Also, I am thinking to take a tin or two of shortbread biscuits. Where should I get those from? Marks and Spencer? Harrods?
And…this is where my mind has drawn a blank! I can't think of anything else at all. Please give me some ideas.
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Comments
One thing that always went down well when I came home for a holiday was Thornton's block toffee (sold with a tiny hammer), because their confectionary is largely bloody awful.
Every food item was made in Yorkshire.
It was for an ex pat we know who was Yorkshire born and bred for most of his life.
Can you do something that is a tribute to the area that you come from?
Yep, so I have heard. I have already been advised to bring some chocolate…maybe some assorted Cadburys and Nestlé bars. And thank you, you have given me the idea to bring some toffees!
I can't think of anything edible specifically from London.
Your hamper sounds interesting, what did you put in it?
Shortbread biscuits is a good one. Again, can't offer much help as to where (sorry, this is not a helpful post!), but Walkers shortbread is pretty popular, and you can get that in a lot of places, so maybe worth considering?
As for other suggestions...
Some traditional English scones maybe? You could get a few little pots of jam to go with them and provide a kind of 'cream tea' (although I realise transferring the cream part wouldn't be very practical...)
Marmite?
Might sound silly, but how about baked beans?
Some 'proper' English chocolates? (Thorntons? Or just any of the popular things we have here I guess!) (Edit: Posted too slowly, I see you've already thought of this!)
Jelly Babies?
Packet gravy is always popular
Custard Creams.
And you've just given me a brilliant idea - to lay on an afternoon tea! I was going to make lots of cupcakes and cakes anyway, but now I am thinking to expand that to sandwiches as well, and invite a few people over. I would really love to do that.
Thorntons is a great idea for chocolate. I'll get a few small boxes.
Yep, English sweeties, great idea. Will get a selection.
In my podunk corner of Tennessee I can buy Tetleys and PG Tips at the supermarket. They've also been known to carry Yorkshire Gold and Barry's, both of which I used to have to special order. As for Twinnings, a shop I love to visit when I'm in London, they've had a substantial American presence forever. It's their super unusual tisanes and other blends that make my eyes light up in their shop. Whittards might make a change as brand to shop.
If I was looking to make a fun splash I'd go to Harrods and/or Fortnum and Mason and hit up the food hall. I'd get some really nice Afternoon tea. Some mixed biscuits. Some georgous Scots heather honey.
I'd go to a regular supermarket for some mixes for scones or cakes. Actually, whenever I visit a UK supermarket I always spend a ridiculous amount of time in the packaged bakery section salivating over all the little cakes and pies, so that would be a way to go.
And to make it fun I'd get some various bars of chocolate and some crisps more daring than salt and vinegar, because those have been commonplace for ages.
Sorry. This went all rambly. I'm a weird tourist, I like grocery stores. I buy dried soup as a souvenir, because your flavours like oxtail and farmhouse vegetable are different to ours. Anyway, I hope I sparked a few ideas.
Ooooh Dettol is also popular. The number of Americans I know who want it.
Strangely…now you've got me craving a bottle so that I can just take long hard sniffs of it. It smells delicious.
Of course not for eating but the number of Americans who had lived in the UK said it was better than their cleaning products,
American chocolate is horrid
Also how about digestive biscuits to go with.
I believe Christmas pudding is English too.
Could take a live eel. And some mash.
You might have to buy it a seat right enough.
Whatever you take make sure you can import it first. Marmite should be ok but I believe it is banned in Canada!
Jam, marmalade or lemon curd
Cadburys and Nestlé bars..........They becoming more and more tasting like yank chocolate.
Toffee for definite This toffee and fudge is sensational
http://www.thetoffeeshop.co.uk/
and these chocolates were featured on Contryfile last week
http://www.caraghchocolates.co.uk/
Cadbury's chocolate ( though beware, many Americans apparently find British milk chocolate too sweet, so nothing too sickly )
interestingly, Jaffa Cakes always go down well in Youtube videos where Americans try British confectionary (not the cheap ones though)
If allowed then a good selection of cheese would be great.