Cookie

Here are my findings in local supermarkets here in NS (I am not including Pete’s Frootique):

• Heinz beans – sold here but don’t taste the same. Clarks beans are very good and found in Sobeys.
• Tomato ketchup – sold all over and is the same
• HP brown sauce sold here too – all over
• Tate and Lyle golden syrup – Sobeys
• Birds custard powder – all over
• Tins of Ambrosia custard – (Atlantic) Superstore – PC range
• Yorkshire puddings – Atlantic superstore (freezer dept next to frozen fruit)
• White (oatmeal) puddings – Superstore and Sobeys
• Black (blood pudding) - Superstore
• Pickled beetroot – everywhere
• Oatcakes – beware these are often sweetened. Can buy Scottish version
• Shortbread – all over
• Broth mix – called Harvest Mix and sold in Sobeys
• Tetley teabags – all over
• Pataks sauces – Superstore
• Ribena – next to Pataks in Superstore !!!!
• Bisto Gravy powder – available everywhere
• Crisps (chips) – Lays are a good brand and have a few flavours available including chicken
• Cadburys chocolate – seems to be sweeter here. Lindt chocs popular here. Walmart sell giant sized bars of Belgian chocolate here is tastes okay and is around $2.80. Comes in plain, milk and with almonds.
• Heinz tomato soup – NOT nice here, what a letdown
• Branston pickle – Superstore
• Lea and Perrins – Superstore
• Knorr stock cubes – everywhere
• Fairy liquid - not available
• Max Factor cosmetics – widely available
• Clinique - Sears
• Boots No 7 - Shoppers Drugmart
• Hair products - Pantene, Tresemme, John Freida and a few other well know brands from the UK are widely available here

Things I haven’t seen:

• English mustard
• Bisto Gravy granules – bulk buy before you arrive. (All rellies and friends visiting must bring Bisto granules over with them in exchange for room and board )
• Tubes of tomato concentrate (and sundried version)
• Real fresh cream – only seems to come in whipped or scooshy tinned variety
• Tins of deodorant - few and far between. Mainly stick and gel variety here

Some things they are NOT short of in Canada:

• Crackers
• Salad dressings
• Food covered in honey garlic

British comedy (and other) DVDs. If you have a multi-region dvd player then www.sendit.com will ship over from the UK for around 1.60 GBP. DVD prices are very good too. They deliver free within the UK so I get my orders sent to my mum and she brings them over in her case.

Madmac

Yup. Surprisingly the wife popped in with a bag of it about a month ago. Can't remember the brand but it's in a blue and white bag.

The reason we haven't used it is because her boss's Mum is Irish and bakes soda bread on a regular basis. We've actually got 2 loaves of the stuff in the freezer at the mo.

My grandmother made the farls (she was from Bundoran) and my mates grannie made the best ones - steaming hot off the griddle with homemade jam from her garden. <where's the drooling icon?>

I shall think of you when I heat it in the oven and shove it down my throat with some jam.

babsi

I order quite a few things online eg. chocolate, crisps, smash mix, gravy granules, hob nobs, chicken chasseur mix - probably an order a month.

Things I miss:
Scampi: the closest I have found is the High Liner box but not the same.
Ready done sandwiches from M&S: Dominion do nice sandwiches but I find them a little heavy.
Creme eggs: they are not the same here at all
Ready meals: have defintely improved since I came here 7 years ago but still the English quality is better especially M&S
Yorkshire Puddings: You can find these in a lot of places but I really like the ones that are frozen liquid and not just risen
Fanta Lemon: Is has to be the English one, for me the Eastern european ones that are here just aren't sweet enough for me. Even though Fanta is here they have too many weird flavours, why can't they keep it simple?
Steak: defintely doesn't have much taste here, the best place I have found surprisingly is Red Lobster. But then England doesn't have the best steaks, for me France and Argentina have the best I have ever tasted.
Muller yoghurts: No alternative here.
Flake/Buttons desserts: No alternative

Biiiiink

We can get Colman's, but I haven't seen the powder form
No problem round here, but there was none in Manitoba in supermarkets

I agree, the tins of paste/puree are a waste when you only want a bit. Tubes were ideal. I have a bit of a problem getting the 14oz tins of tomatoes, everything here is much bigger. Maybe because it's a Mediterranean area and they assume everyone cooks for at least 10?!

Lots of sundried tomatoes here, dry or in oil, but I can't find sunblush - at least I think that's what they're called, the ones that are half-dried. There are loads of Italian delis around though, I'm sure they would have them. I just can't be bothered going to 5 different shops for my weekly supplies

Almost Canadian

There are loads of bookstores in Calgary - you need to get out more

Coffeepot

yeh but they are all written in Canadian

moondevil

what about http://www.amazon.ca/

Cookie

OMG Merchant Gourmet Sunblush Tomatoes they were my absolute favourite food in the UK..... warm ciabatta, philly cheese topped with sunblush tomatoes drizzled in oil ................ HEAVEN

Another great thing is balsamic syrup

Londonuck

My mates.

Jingsamichty

There may well be loads of bookstores, that's not the point...

There are loads of bars in Calgary, but you still can't get good beer.

Oakvillian

If you can find the Heinz condensed (available here in Sobeys) it's a pretty good substitute - dilute it with only 2/3 of a can of water rather than a full can, and stir a dollop of cream in as you heat it up.

Jay Bird

Not sure about Tylenol1, but most Tylenol has acetaminophen, which is the same as paracetamol, according to a pharmacist I spoke to. Don't buy branded names of any of these painkillers. If you do some comparisons (which I did one morning, cos I'm a real saddo who likes to save $ big time), you'll find generic brands so much better value. Why pay for all that advertising?

Steve&Tanya

You should visit the World of Coke in Atlanta GA and see the many different flavours of soda available all over the world. The Japanese have particularly weird tastes (although the pinenut soda was actually very nice) Think there were 55 different Coke products and you just walk round testing them all for free. Some of them made you wanna barf but others were really yummy.

I am just happy I can get Root Beer again

ann m

This is just about the first thread I have read since logging back on after a short visit to the UK.

I'm am laughing my head off, but also blushing slightly. Please see the photo below of the most of the stuff I dragged back with me ....
(the Bisto powder is for gryphea). How I didn't get pulled over for excess baggage I do not know ... oh, and there were some Hot Cross Buns too, but they are in the freezer ....


And on the subject of bras - good grief - what a nightmare. I can always 'support' myself from the M&S department. 24 bras later, in four different cup and back sizes, I was left dangling, so to speak. I came back empty handed.
So I will have to resort to, shock horror, a Canadian purchase soon.

Oakvillian

Codeine, being an opium derivative, is only licensed for over-the-counter sales in Canada in preparations that have at least two other ingredients - usually either acetaminophen (paracetamol) or aspirin, and caffeine. Tylenol 1, 2 and 3 all contain 300mg of paracetamol, and respectively 8, 15 and 30mg of codeine. Because of the Canadian licensing restrictions, Tylenol 2 and 3 here also contain 15mg caffeine; the same products sold in the USA don't contain any caffeine.

I learned far too much about the ins and outs of pain medication a few years ago when I stuffed my back; somehow it's stayed in the dim recesses of my brain, with a little help from Wikipedia .