HI Guys,

My other half's sister is moving to Canada in Jan, she has asked us not to get her anything for xmas coz she doesnt want to take anything big across with her.
But i cant not get her anything! so i was thinking about making up a little food package of things she wont be able to get over there.

so far i have got

tetley tea bags
martmite
mars choccy

thats it, does anyone here know what food you cant get over there, i cant think of any true british food/drinks!

any ideas would be great

thanks
xx

Errm, you can buy all of those here! Well at least in Newfoundland, we drink Tetley Tea by the bucketful but maybe thats because we can still remember being part of the British Empire......

Marmite can be bought in supermarkets, BUT is more expensive. Mars bars can be had but of course are crappy US style chocolate. For visitors from Blighty we usually ask for Marmite (although we now have 4 x 250g pots and just how much of it can you eat?! Well lots actually but you get the point.) and decent chocolate - Galaxy or Dairy Milk. In the summer we ask for Pimms (try buying that in Canada.) What we would kill for are decent bacon or sausages but bringing fresh meat in is a definate no no!

Marmalade might be another thing to consider .... the Robertsons Golden Shred here is too sweet so the English stuff is the thing. Aniseed twists are another thing I'd kill for. Or at least maim for. And decent beer but, I'm afraid the loss of real ale is the sacrifice I've made to move here!

Three words: Bisto, Bisto, Bisto

hi guys,

thanks for the replies!
Marmalade and bisto it is then!

It's obvious that she really doesn't want you to get her anything that she has to transport. Not even a little package. It's just more "stuff". Get her something she can enjoy before she goes or send her something after.

Robertson's marmalades of differing varieties are readily available in Calgary including "Thick Cut" and "Scotch".

Co-op in Calgary also has Hartley's make it yourself marmalade, very simple to do.
Mmmmmmm, just finished the last jar from the last batch. Time to make some more.

Hartley's make it yourself is also available in Nanaimo, Parksville and Duncan on Vancouver Island.

Most foods are available here (or reasonable substitutes), but they can take some hunting. For some reaon my local supermarket puts Marmite in with the cake mixes, Yorkshire Puddings in with frozen deserts, and freezes pork pies.

It's interesting how your tastes change over time. A friend brought over some Cadbury's Dairy Milk recently and I wouldn't thank you for it. I used to love the stuff.

Just as well I didn't care for it as I'm not supposed to eat that stuff (chocolate or fatty foods in general) nowadays.

Cheers
Steve

oooooooo got me thinking ,
throw in some good old colemans mixes , chicken chassuer , chilli, sausage cass , beef bourginon ( can't spell )

we just got back from a 3 monther , i did manage to get the colemans mixes , but only in halifax and they were 2 dollar' s each , where as morrisons have just had them on 2 for a £1

they are light to carry , but make a nice change ...........
also herbs and spices ( morrison's do cheap refil packs again easy to shove in a case ) you can get them but they are sooooooo expensive

you can get bisto in most sobey's i found , and things like branston ( i also took that too ) but a lot more money

it is nice to try new things as well , but cheese whizz and miricle whip just ain't floating my boat thank you sobey's for heinz salad cream check date though , as it isn't a fast seller !!!!!

[QUOTE=louisbourg]oooooooo got me thinking ,
throw in some good old colemans mixes , chicken chassuer , chilli, sausage cass , beef bourginon ( can't spell ) [QUOTE]

Thats a good point, I did bring half a dozen sausage casserole mixes back from last trip to UK - couldnt find an equivalent anywhere here. Also bought some super duper stock cubes, not OXO but Kaloo (or something like that) from Tesco. Much much better flavour than Oxo when making gravy.

[QUOTE=Atlantic Xpat][QUOTE=louisbourg]oooooooo got me thinking ,
throw in some good old colemans mixes , chicken chassuer , chilli, sausage cass , beef bourginon ( can't spell ) Ah....I like those cubes. Hey are you the same Atlantic xpat on the digital canada site, in the hdtv plasma discussion?

The other option is the paper stuff that fits easily into a purse or wallet. When she gets over here she can then buy something that she needs but forgot to bring with her or just couldnt fit in the case.

It really depends on where in Canada she is moving. Out of all the things already mentioned in this thread, I have found the following in Toronto:
-Tetley tea
-Marmite
-Pimms
-British ale (really an amazing range in the LCBO, some we couldn't even find when in the UK)
-Bisto
-Cadbury Dairy Milk
-Branston pickle
-Coleman and Batchelor instant mixes

I realize Toronto may have a larger selection than some other cities and towns, but it does show that most things British can be found if you look. There are only a couple things my husband can't get here and that is more because he is picky about the brand - for instance, his ginger beer must be Idris, orange squash must be Robinsons. (Both these can be found in Pete's Frootique in Halifax, however).

[QUOTE=finallygotout][QUOTE=Atlantic Xpat]
Guilty as charged.

[QUOTE=Atlantic Xpat][QUOTE=finallygotout] We are usually on there too, as we are in the market for a big TV. Find it very useful and helpful