Cashew nuts Mum also brings me Himalaya products, in particular the dental cream. It's the best. It would cost me around £7 online to buy but in Margao it's 99 rps for 2 tubes.

What mum and dad miss most when in the UK, amongst many other things, is a cold glass of Kings

Hi Sue,
Welcome to BE, we hope you will join in and enjoy your time with us.
and also hope that you find your english sausages and bacon which are so important to us after a long time in Goa. I save mine for Christmas Day, what a treat, I take them to the shack and the boys cook them for me. There is nothing like REAL bacon.

Believe it or not but when we go out in November i will be taking with me Chillies from my window sill allotment here in London. Im not joking either.The chillies i grow here are fantastic and i know it sounds like taking Coals to Newcastle but they are so hot and fiery, plus i grew them myself. I never realised you could grow the Bu**ers so easily here in the UK.We do most of our own cooking in Goa as its very hard to find restaurants that don't use GEE in the food.I have a heart condition and have to keep my Cholesterol under strict control.No shandies please.I do wish that some restaurants would advertise the fact that the food on offer does not contain Gee or is low in saturated fats.Considering the fact that Quite a number of the visitors and long stay residents are now over 60, that restaurants would advertise the fact for more business.I used to go to Spice in Arpora quite alot but the food is covered in Gee and oil.

Yes I had forgotten the cashews, always bring them, so expensive in UK.
Dread is right about cheese, at least in South India I have never seen 'real' cheese. Maybe it's available in N. Goa?

Couldn't agree more about the food covered in Ghee. I dislike fatty foods at the best of times and cannot understand why everything needs to be smothered in fat.

Have you tried to grow your own chilli seeds in Goa? I know we tried with lettuce and tomatoes and the ants absolutely loved them so won't try that again.

After about 1 month of curry this, curry that, I yearn for plain food. Been back in the UK for 4 months and haven't touched a curry, I'd rather starve. I love cheese salad sandwiches. Luckily the Goan flat bread is quite good, and now I've found a reasonable source of salad leaves, bring out my own stilton so should keep me going for a few months.

OH has same problem, if eating out always asks for dry rotis and grilled fish or fish curries. (We don't eat meat). Some veg. curries OK. Breakfasts idlis are fat free and Upma, as long as you don't add oil. Other fried things as you say in restaurants tend to overdo the oil.

A friend always takes too many English ingredients to Goa in his luggage:

fillets of beef, a leg of lamb, bacon, paté, cheese, the odd piece of pork etc etc.

said friend has no regard for rules about this sort of transporting of food - he also thought the rules regarding 2 months out didn't apply to him - consequently when he went to the airport for his flight, he was shocked to be told that he wouldn't be allowed to fly to Goa. Undeterred, he flew elsewhere in South Asia, then when his 2 months out was up, he flew to Goa - complete with all his food - god knows how long it spent out of refrigeration & what temperature ranges/changes it endured, but I'm pretty sure he cooked & ate most of it & lived to tell the tale!

Regards

H.

Bipat, have you tried Reals Cafe in Panjiim ?Its just across the road from the ferry ramp.Straight up under the covered walkway to the corner and its there.Real indian breakfasts...no gee at all.Cheep wholesome food without the lashings, as they say.

Imported cheeses are available in North Goa but frozen and expensive.
I always bring back Goats cheese and seriously strong cheddar(freeze into very small portions) and ration myself. A small piece of seriously strong cheddar grated with local crap cheddar tastes great.The other thing I bring is smoked salmon and freeze in small portions. Can manage without bacon and sausages personally.

They sell this stuff in N Goa that they masquerade as cheddar - horrible stuff. It tastes like that disgusting Dairylea plastic muck.
Cashews are the essential buy for bringing back - so much fresher that you can get in the UK. I bring back a whole load of chikkies too = toffee things with nuts in. I get orders for both from my friends before I go.
Vanilla pods - much cheaper than the UK.

I always bring back the leather beaded flip flops for my mates kids too - they love them.

Dread - x

Will certainly try it if we are there. Usually in far South though. I asked once before anyone with tips for Margao places? (to go in while shopping).

I think a lot of it is 'Kraft' style cheese in boxes. (At least what I have seen).

The Nilgris cheddar is fine for cooking and ok grated with strong english cheddar and if you really want a cheese sandwich and there`s nothing better.............
there are plenty of european cheeses available but I`m sorry i won`t pay the prices. There is quite a large selection of cheeses made at Auroville that are acceptable and not too expensive..problem for those of us that live here is that they are only available during the tourist season!

Pomfret at Venice Gardens in Margao is nice. Simple but nice. Be sure to sit in the garden at the back though otherwise plagued by beggers.

The Extra Mature Cheddar (green and yellow label) used to be edible but for the last 2 years or so every sort of cheese has turned out to be local Mozza - I guess they're using buffalo milk for everything, probably for the same reason that beef was so poor last year - religious pressure - in the case of beef they closed down the 'illegal' abbattoirs - that had opened because the only official government one is so vile that no-one will go near it. At least most pork and 'mutton' (goat) is usually killed at the roadside and avoids the govt place.

AndyD - still omnivorous - 8-)#