Food gift ideas

May 7, 2009 4:46 AM

What UK food gift can I take to someone in the US?

I live in the UK and will be visiting Washington DC soon. I need ideas for food-related gifts that I can take for some people there. What kind of thing can I take along from here that they wouldn't be able to find easily there? Thanks for your help.

posted by Ziggy500 to food & drink (45 comments total)

Candy. It seems to vary widely by country. The US doesnt have the full range of Cadbury bars, for example, that are here in the UK. A Crunchie for example.
posted by vacapinta at 4:56 AM on May 7

As a Brit living in the DC area, I can tell you that many British foods are available in the DC area. And you probably know that British foods are not considered too highly by the natives (they hate fruit cake, for example). However, one thing that does impress them is the Harrods label so get them some Harrods tea or the like. If you are not in London, there is a Harrods shop in the terminal 3 departure lounge at Heathrow.
posted by TheRaven at 4:58 AM on May 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

For some alcohol counts as food, so maybe a bottle of Pimm's to make a nice summery Pimm's and Lemonade to celebrate the (hopefully) nice weather?
posted by Grither at 5:05 AM on May 7

Oh, also: Clotted Cream
posted by vacapinta at 5:06 AM on May 7

If you're doing tea, then definitely an assortment of biscuits, as well (McVities!). But the candy is a great idea, too. I would about kill for an Aero right now.
posted by Bardolph at 5:08 AM on May 7

I used to live in England. I miss pickled onion Monster Munch :-)
posted by jlstitt at 5:09 AM on May 7

2d-ing candy. European candy tends to do a lot more with subtle flavors and texture, e.g. the Galaxy Ripple, than American candy, which usually goes straight for the sugar. There's a lot less creme-filled stuff over here too.
posted by valkyryn at 5:09 AM on May 7

Also, a hundred bars of Cadbury Flake. You just can't find it here.
posted by jlstitt at 5:10 AM on May 7

We have Cadbury bars in DC. What we can't get easily are those fruity little hard candy confections that come in a tin with the powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together. Real English toffee is hard to find. Clotted cream is difficult to find, but may not survive the trip either.

Also, a can of spotted dick would get a laugh.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:10 AM on May 7

Along with Vacapinta's suggestion of candy, British cookies. Dark chocolate-covered anything seems to be pretty hard to find in the U.S. - things like HobNobs and Digestives. And Jaffa Cakes.
posted by needled at 5:12 AM on May 7

For the DC folks asking, "how the hell does this guy think we can get Cadbury bars in DC?" I have one word for you: Rodman's
posted by Pollomacho at 5:13 AM on May 7

Marmite in a squeezy bottle. You can find Marmite here in the states, but it just seems better in a squeezy bottle. I really miss cheese and onion crisps as well, and haven't found a good alternative. And for candy lovers who don't like chocolate, there are those long rope candies with a fondant-like filling that I haven't found a substitute for here in the US. They weren't very fancy -- I got mine out of the bins at Super Drug.
posted by motsque at 5:20 AM on May 7

I have not seen some of the more interesting UK potato chip/crisp flavors here in Austin, though they may be available in DC. In particular, we don't have meat flavors here. I also love Scampi Fries, though I may be the only one.
posted by magicbus at 5:31 AM on May 7

We have Cadbury bars in DC.

Cadbury sells chocolates in the US but its not the same thing. Not only are there different varieties in the UK but a used-to-live-in-the-UK but now lives in the US friend assures me that even the basic Cadbury chocolate bar is different chocolate. He asked me to bring him some because he craves them still.
posted by vacapinta at 5:37 AM on May 7

Cadbury sells chocolates in the US but its not the same thing. Not only are there different varieties in the UK but a used-to-live-in-the-UK but now lives in the US friend assures me that even the basic Cadbury chocolate bar is different chocolate. He asked me to bring him some because he craves them still.

From Wikipedia:
Accordingly although the Cadbury group's chocolate products have been sold in the U.S. since 1988 under the Cadbury trademark name, the chocolate itself has been manufactured by Hershey's and can be found in Hershey's chocolate stores.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:52 AM on May 7

I would have given an arm and a leg for some Alpen, but now Shaws carries it in tiny, expensive boxes.
posted by o0dano0o at 6:00 AM on May 7

I believe the plain chocolate hobnobs (if not the digestives) were discontinued for a while, which is utter sacrilege.

There is a different shopping list for British expats and US natives. Pollomacho's talking about travel sweets; I'd suggest taking those little cans of Heinz desserts (treacle pudding, spotted dick) and maybe the more exotic soup/spag/beans, because Heinz is known for completely different things in the US; Mr Kipling cakey things; nice-looking teas -- or just big eff-off boxes of PG Tips. Expats will like you doing the whole "pick'n'mix" if you have a proper sweet shop (or the internets) to help you out. Also, garibaldi biscuits.

Cadbury sends out its chocolate liquor to the US, where it is turned into bars by Hershey, and something goes very badly wrong in the process.
posted by holgate at 6:02 AM on May 7

A box of good tea. Fortnum Mason would be extra impressive.
posted by djgh at 6:09 AM on May 7

I'm seconding the PG Tips. I have a very difficult time finding it in Texas, I don't know how available it is in DC.
posted by shmurley at 6:22 AM on May 7

Seconding the hundred boxes of Cadbury flake. When I saw it in a store here once I jumped up and down like a little kid, I was that happy.
posted by lolichka at 6:25 AM on May 7

Yes, yes, they do sell "Cadbury" bars in every convenience store from Calais, Maine to San Diego, but they also sell Cadbury chocolates (as well as many, many other, often better brands) at stores such as Rodmans. It's DC not Zimbabwe here folks, we do have chocolate, good chocolate even! We even have digestives! 10, 15, or 20 years ago things might have been harder to come by, but that has changed, particularly in the relatively cosmopolitan DC.

Pollomacho's talking about travel sweets

Yes, travel sweets! We have hard candy in the US, but nothing quite as good as those little tins.

Kindal mint cakes would kill an average American. I have not found a source here.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:28 AM on May 7

nth-ing candy and Cadbury Flake... However, I know they get melty easily, so maybe not the best choice for portability. Smarties might be good. Also I love the rolls of Fruit Pastilles and my husband goes nuts for Wine Gums. And a friend in England sent me some Rainbow Drops once, which were great (though here in the US we'd call it breakfast cereal [Froot Loops?]), and I haven't been able to find them since.
posted by LolaGeek at 6:29 AM on May 7

Oh, and Kinder Eggs are not sold in the US for liability reasons dealing with the little toy parts, but they are great fun!
posted by Pollomacho at 6:29 AM on May 7

I'll add my vote for proper English tea, and proper Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate. At the everyday end of the scale:

HP sauce
Picalilli
Dark chocolate digestives
Hula Hoops
Bovril
Salad Cream
Lime Marmalade
pickled onions

and a bit more classy, head to Fortnum and Mason either on Picadilly, or online, for:

clotted cream thins biscuits
oatcakes
pickled walnuts in port
splendid sweets
dark lime marmalade
blood orange marmalade

...but mainly their tea: breakfast blend, earl grey, picadilly blend (which is great for iced tea).

oh, christ, I need to get to F&M soon...
posted by dowcrag at 6:47 AM on May 7

I think this depends on whether your recipients are expat Brits, or not. Expats are always nostalgic for foods from their home country, but non-expats may not have the same appreciation for certain things (like say, Marmite or pickled onions).

For non-expats the safe gifts are things from Harrod's or (better imo) Fortnum and Mason. Anything that says 'by Royal Appointment' or 'The Queen eats this stuff' could appeal to some Anglophile people too.

Personally I think that British preserves and jams are the bestest. Strawberry jam, rhubarb preserves, real bitter marmelade, lemon curd....

(Re Kinder Eggs: they are made by Ferrero, originally for the German market (thus the Kinder) so not really British I think)
posted by thread_makimaki at 6:57 AM on May 7

You can get HobNobs and Digestives at Roland's on Capitol Hill.
posted by jgirl at 7:16 AM on May 7

Personally I think that British preserves and jams are the bestest. Strawberry jam, rhubarb preserves, real bitter marmelade, lemon curd....

Tiptree Little Scarlet. (Really expensive to get it from one of the import shops.) Or their damson conserve. Frank Cooper Oxford marmalade: again, available but expensive in the US.

I'd have mentioned Fortnum's before -- better and classier than Harrod's, and a genuine shopping experience -- but it's best to visit in person. If you are in London, or passing through with shopping time en route, go to Paul A Young's shop (either Islington or nr. Bank) and buy choccies.
posted by holgate at 7:30 AM on May 7

Gentleman's Relish. Bonus - very portable.
posted by sagwalla at 7:42 AM on May 7

Ah, yes, Gentleman's Relish is certainly something that is not available (though perhaps should be). Though it may not be something that would be universally appreciated.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:53 AM on May 7

Thank you for all your helpful responses!
posted by Ziggy500 at 8:13 AM on May 7

It's hard as hell to find Bovril around here. Lots of stores specialize in British candy, it seems, but Bovril, not so much.

I've also never seen Irn-Bru here, despite having heard of it through the internet. Bring Bovril and Irn-Bru!
posted by Greg Nog at 9:04 AM on May 7

CRISPS. Seconding above. The wackier Walker's flavors. Lamb, curry, lalala. I'm working for a UK company now and can't wait to stock up when I go over. Irn-Bru is tasty, too, but might explode in your suitcase.

Although...hmmm, crisps likely to get sqooooshed in your bag.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:19 AM on May 7

I make frequent trips between the US and the UK, and the thing that Americans never seem to have seen before are Jaffa cakes. So get a shedload of those in!
posted by almostwitty at 9:23 AM on May 7

Kindal mint cakes would kill an average American. I have not found a source here.

Curse you, Pollomacho, for bringing Kendal mint cakes to my attention. Now I won't be able to rest until I taste it.
posted by doift at 9:29 AM on May 7

The legend "It's Not For Girls" on Yorkie bars went down well with my American friends. And Twiglets. There's nothing quite like Twiglets.
posted by essexjan at 9:31 AM on May 7

Not a British company, but I've bought Milka in London before, and it is sooooo goooood. Coffee Crisp candy bar is also great, and something that is hard to find here.
posted by cestmoi15 at 9:43 AM on May 7

Cadbury sells chocolates in the US but its not the same thing.

This is true.

As has been noted above, Hershey holds the "license to manufacture Cadbury chocolate products in the United States." Hershey's Cadbury recipes (as with other U.S. chocolate manufacturers) use various additives, such as wax (which is permitted by the FDA) and cheap additives, such as vegetable oils which create very different tasting chocolates.

So, bring some Cadbury products from the U.K. and have a taste test with the U.S. counterparts.
posted by ericb at 9:59 AM on May 7

the thing that Americans never seem to have seen before are Jaffa cakes.

Bizarrely, I've been able to find not-quite-jaffa cakes (from Poland) in Eastern European groceries.

I've known people to smuggle HP sauce into the US -- the thing sold as "HP Steak Sauce" is just wrong. Oh, and eff me: Pot Noodle. Bombay Bad Boy. For sheer comedy, and the polar opposite of a box of F&M Earl Grey.
posted by holgate at 10:40 AM on May 7

Branston Pickle goes down very well here amongst my American friends.
posted by merocet at 11:52 AM on May 7

A lot of British items can be bought at the widespread chain World Market/Cost Plus and many Safeway stores (for sure--at least the ones near me), which often have a British food section. I expect other grocery store chains do, too. My Safeway sells Jaffa cakes (aside: British people complain about American sweets being pure sugar?! hee!), PG Tips, clotted cream, etc. Seriously, a lot of this stuff can be bought in various parts of the US very easily--a friend recently returned from London with all sorts of "exotic" things and I didn't have the heart to tell her that I could buy every single item within 5 miles of my house. (For that matter, at least two shops in my town sell Kinder eggs.) So perhaps you should ask the people you're visiting if there's anything they've heard of and would like to try (even if you wind up bringing something they can buy locally.)

Personally, I'd be more happy with some good-quality candy or cookies from near where you live, if you were bringing something to me. (But TheRaven is right about people being fond of things labeled "Harrods.")
posted by wintersweet at 3:22 PM on May 7

The only thing I ever want and can never find are the biscuit and raisin Yorkies. Otherwise, what wintersweet said. Though perhaps the British foods cornucopia is limited to the bay Area, I can buy nearly everything mentioned in this thread in either Oakland or San Francisco. So I vote for things from Harrod's. Leave the Bovril at home.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:13 PM on May 7

the marmalades are pretty incredible. i've had a lemon-lime one and a blood orange one (among others) that were fantastic. i have a friend who works in UK part of the time and i always have her send me marmalades.
posted by violetk at 5:30 PM on May 7

nthing Kendal mint cake....also sherbet lemons/ strawberries, acid drops, bulls eyes, liquorice allsorts, jelly babies, Cadbury Turkish delight and Easter egg creme (can't remember the proper name)bars....
posted by brujita at 10:27 PM on May 7

Ginger Beer from Marks & Spencer. Never found it for sale in DC or NoVA, or anywhere else in the States.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 10:41 PM on May 7

CRUMPETS. Crumpets. Crumpets.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:48 PM on May 10