In my quest to find a long-lost friend of mine, Nesquik Banana Milk powder mix, I was crushed to find it has been discontinued in the U.S. and it looks like I’ll be turning to an online British retailer to satisfy my need. The thing is, the shipping tariffs is a flat rate up to 5kg (and my 5 Banana Nesquiks weigh only 1.72Kg), so I naturally want to waste as much money as possible up to that limit.
Are there any other amazing or unique British grocery products that aren’t available in the US that I may as well buy and try (and expand my cultural horizon, if you will)? The website is: http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/
You can get Pimm’s here, although it’s not terribly popular.
Things I would recommend:
McVitie’s Hob-Nobs with chocolate.
Chocolate covered digestive biscuits (like hob-nobs, but slightly different)
Jaffa Cakes are pretty good, if a little out of the ordinary to Americans
A lot of the stuff on that page is available in my local Kroger, or something very similar to it is sold commonly in the US.
Now if I could only find British bacon here in the US, I could die a happy man!
If Digestives are the king, then McVities HobNobs are the Crown Prince massing his armies outside the palace. These are IMO the best biscuit (cookie) ever made, ever, hands down, no argument, IMO. The chocolate ones are good too.
You may like HP Brown Sauce - like A1 but thicker and spicier. Very traditionally British and designed to be eaten with meat, particularly with bacon, sausages and so on at breakfast, or in a bacon sandwich.
Try the Wilkins jams/conserves, which are much richer and fruitier than American jellies - they have the seeds in too. In the same section, Lemon Curd is unusual and delicious. As with all conserves, it must be spread thick on hot buttered toast.
Under Condiments - Pickles and chutneys - the English Provender Co. stuff is great. Get a nice crusty roll, heap on the chutney, add some very strong cheddar, you’ve got a yummy Ploughman’s Lunch. (As an aside, Digestive biscuits with cheddar is very good as well, even though they’re sweet.)
I find it ironic that some of the products offered on the front page of that site are crappy UK imitations of American products. Bick Hamburger Relish is particularly lame.
Let’s call HobNobs the King Across The Water. raises glass They are all good though, and are essential purchases for a pond-challenged soul browsing a Brit online store.
Wikipedia to the rescue! Short version: they were originally marketed as an aid to digestion due to the use of Bicarbonate of Soda in the original manufacturing process.
You all misspelled “McVities Chocolate Caramel digestives.” A digestive cookie, with chocolate on top (like the aforementioned chocolate digestives), and with a thin layer of caramel between the chocolate and the cookie.
When you use as intended and dip it in your tea, the chocolate melts and the cookie crumbles but the caramel holds it all together … drool …
Also I have never understood why onion gravy granules aren’t available here. They’re great, and considering the abundance of (a) beef gravy granules and (b) vegetarians in this country, it just doesn’t make sense that I can’t get them.
Also get some Branston Pickle, I won’t describe it because it sounds unspeakably gross, but it’s really yummy on a sandwich with some cheese.
Heh, I haven’t tried them, but I’m glad someone has developed a solution to the “Biscuit Collapsing Into Tea” problem. I’m just about to phone the Nobel committee.
When I was getting my MA in the UK, my favorite frozen dish was Fisherman’s Pie. Absolutely delicious (though I’ll admit I gained a lot of weight while I was there)
Oatcakes are almost essential for cheese-consumption. Nairns Organic Rough are the one I’d choose. All my other recommendations from that site are covered above already.
So I’ll just go and join ScareyFaerie for a beer instead. (You won’t go wrong with any of the bottled beer they’re offering. And I’m especially please to see they’ve got good old Suffolk-brewed Adnams available.)
I’m just about to phone the Nobel committee.