surfdude

Cheers, I know its sad but I would really appreciate it !

SD

Larissa

Hi fellow veggie Pako!
You're right, Sanitarium are good - we often buy their sausages for adding to risottos etc. and they're good for taking to barbies (don't frighten the meat eaters too much).
Not sure about not-chicken (it's a bit mushy for me, but try it, see how you feel) but we like not-bacon.
The humus is kak but I now make my own (very easy really).
I'm not too fond of tofu but there are many types, plus lots of pates etc. Coles are good but I'm not sure about Woolies.
You need to check pies and so on for meat additives as they often add stuff like chicken stock to quiches etc. which is a tad frustrating! However, there are lovely veggies and I'm cooking more from scratch.
Good luck!
Larissa
PS Didn't mean to come across as patronising in my previous post - yes we have adapted to Aussie food but that doesn't make us any better! I just wanted to reassure the thread starter, that the food is fine... I thought I would miss UK food more before I came. I also worried about the availiability of other stuff such as towels and bedding, which you can get out here fairly easily... I think it's more a question of what area in Aus you're in.
Perhaps being a veggie has helped as we eat different stuff to most people anyhow.

CPGagie

Hi, moved to Cairns region 18 months back, the things I miss most are very unhealthy and they are,

Guinness (I dont know what they do to it down here,but its not right)
Crisp flavours (marmite/bovril, prawn cocktail, worscester sauce, etc etc)
Cherry Lips / Cherry Drops
Cherry Coke (came out for about 2months last year, took off shelves never to be seen again )
Scampi
Dime Bars

I pine for a decent pint (or even can) of Guinness, but I suppose I can live without it. Its somthing to look forward to, should I ever have to return to that awfull dirty place called the UK for a week or two, yak. The thought of having to travel to somewhere between two cities just for some fresh air reassures me that I CAN live without the above and more.

It's no wonder they call us whinging poms

Ceri

you can buy real Guinness in most bottle shops . Pubs - that is brewed here in aus , same as killkenny - the ones in the pubs, on draft is Aussie made - so I was told by the landlord of one pub. And I certainly do notice a diff between the cans I buy and when I have a pint of Kilkenny in my local.

The cans in the bottle shops are imported from Ireland, it is brewed in Ireland. It will cost you around $65 to $70 for a slab. I tend to drink kilkenny myself, but guiness is around the same price.

Speaking of this - is Kilkenny sold in the UK, or under another marketing name? Kilkenny here in the cans is imported from Ireland . When we were back this year in the UK nobody had ever heard of it in Wales . My sister-in-law searched everywhere for us ( and she lives in big old bad Birmingham lol).
I looked in Tesco's and Asda in Wales - could not find it either. I wonder if it's going under a different name in the Uk.

CPGagie

The cans I've had from the bottle shops were brewed in Victoria(I think), certainly not Ireland. Even the ones back in England were brewed in England and not Ireland. Maybe I'm going to the wrong bottle shops

Agree that the cans are sort of bearable after a couple, but the draft stuff, oh my god. I do know that Guinness doesnt travel very well, so hauling x amount of kegs way up here to north QLD isnt going to do it much good.

Its a bit early for me, but I'll have to go and get a pack now

Ceri

Kilkenny cans here in QLD are brewed in Ireland 100% know this one ( pubs, on draft it is brewed here in aus ), pick up a can of Kilkenny next time you are in a bottle shop . I drink this, and buy the cans, you'll see on the can it is brewed in Ireland. I don't buy cans of Guinness in the bottle shops, but was assuming it was the same principle as Kilkenny, the cans of beer are imported, draft in the pubs are made here. I'll have a look at a Guinness can next time I'm in a bottle shop, but I'm sure that too here (QLD) is brewed in Ireland .

Can't stand lager myself so called aussie "beer" - except for VB.

ooh and if you haven't tried it yet and do like real beer, stout etc - try tooheys old for your Aus bunch of nice drinks - not bad

bondipom

Kilkenny is available on tap at the Ranch on Epping road. There are Kilkenny type beers available in the UK. Last week I made sure I had plenty of London Pride, Abbott Ale and other bitters. Great in winter.

Squires amber ale is great in summer here.

ozzieeagle

I'd best start to acquire a taste for those bitter type beers, to avoid culture shock of the taste buds, on my pending holiday.

How comparable was the london pride etc ?

My nomination for top boutique aussie beer, would easily be, that "Little creatures" brand from WA. So bloody expensive though

Oh and best retail outlet to buy beer, at most competitive price, with the largest range, in Melbourne at least, would be Dan Murphy's... I love their belgian range, and am steadily working through it


opps back to the thread.

Basic humble snags in the country and crap compared to their humble british counterparts. (although some of the butchers home made ones are very good) However the cheese here, is the best I've tasted anywhere. With Tasmanian and KingIsland varities always spectacular in their flavours.

Basically It's swings and roundabouts.

One thing thats is a bit tricky to get is "lard" It's hard to get good Lard here. Oh and you always have to ask for Baked beans, so bloody annoying. Dont get me started on the vegies either, always bloody fresh steamed crispy undercooked things, not boiled and soft and frozen like I always got in my formative years.









































(I only put that lard bit etc, in as a joke, just in case I offend anyone lol, somehow I bet it does )

bondipom

There is little here to compare those bitters to and nothing on tap. I am still to find a good pork and leek sausage and I won't eat the crap supermarkets pass off as sausages.

Fortunatley I grew up with decent vegies at home. The carrots and beans from the garden were great. It is ashame the British often have no idea on how to cook their own food. Overboiled crap is a nightmare. If you want that in Oz an RSL should do. I guess it is good for those with dentures.

Pollyana

Dunno about overboiled cr*p in the UK, my mum taught me to cook veg so they stayed tasty and crisp. The Bloke has been taught by his mum to throw everything in a saucepan and boil for as long as possible. Result - a soggy, tasteless mix-mash of veg. MIL has always been a fan of RSL food though......

(if you read this dear, I'm sorry, but its true! )

bcl74

Hi all,

can you get yorkie`s???? I just love them!!!!!

Brian

Brissiegirl

My UK M-I-Law is a terrible cook.. veggies are cooked for at least an hour, with a generous dose of salt and bicarb of soda... all gravy comes from a packet (whatever happend to proper gravy?? dead easy to make!!) ..majority of foods are frozen... and I have found that a good deal of my friends and colleagues here in the UK would rather eat a ready meal/take away/frozen food than cook some thing nice and healthy..

pako

funny being a brit and knowing a lot of brits I find all my friends and family are all very healthy....I don't know anyone that eats ready meals or survives on frozen food...

Merlot

Used to work in Marketing at Sani so tried the whole lot of stuff, though I am not a veggie.

Have to say the UK veggie stuff is 10 times better and Quorn products v. nice.

M

jtimkey

Sausages, need my sausages

have to find a uk food importer or maybe theres an idea there?