Typically British things? Ideas?
#16
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by lizwil98
I have to tell you, chocolate is not the same here. You can buy Cadbury's chocolate here - the same name - say fruit and nut - but it's totally different. I don't care for Canadian chocolate. To me its kind of gooey in your throat. But the same chocolate bar in England is much, much better. Once you have tasted English chocolate you won't like the Canadian stuff. People have discussed this many times on here and some are skeptical - but it really is true!
Different strokes for different folks.
#17
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Sweet corn (in anything and everything).
I don't think anyone's mentioned scotch eggs, but I don't think they'd survive the trip over too well .
#18
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Yes-can-do
Thanks everyone, your list of goodies help me out as we are moving to NS in Jan and I was going to put a box of goodies in with my shipment. Already had planned to take gravy granules, oxo cubes and English mustard and a good amount of chocolate
As Nova Scotia seems more Scottish than Scotland, can somebody tell me if I can easily buy shortbread, oatcakes, pickled beetroot and porridge oats. Can I expect to be able to purchase a haggis for Burns Night (Jan 25th)?
Can you buy HP brown sauce in Canada? Any tips on anything else we take for granted over here but is not available in Canada would be gratefully received Thanks
As Nova Scotia seems more Scottish than Scotland, can somebody tell me if I can easily buy shortbread, oatcakes, pickled beetroot and porridge oats. Can I expect to be able to purchase a haggis for Burns Night (Jan 25th)?
Can you buy HP brown sauce in Canada? Any tips on anything else we take for granted over here but is not available in Canada would be gratefully received Thanks
Gravy granules and Oxo cubes a good idea, don't bother with the English mustard Keen's English mustard dry and pre-mixed readily available.
Can't speak for Nova Scotia but Shortbread, Oatcakes, Pickled Beets and porridge oats readily available in Alberta.
Yes HP Sauce is available here but it manufactured here under licence and may not taste exactly the same although I can't tell the difference.
Cheers
Steve
#19
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Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Steve_P
Not meaning to rain on your parade but Shortbread can be purchased here as can Mincemeat to make mince pies, Fruit cake is also readily available although for some reason most North Americans wouldn't thank you for it. Crumpets also readily available.
Now Pork Pies they are a different matter. I've seen and tasted them on Vancouver Island available at the Coombs Market just west of Parksville. They were great and very much enjoyed. Haven't seen them anywhere else. Mind given the fat content it's a good thing I haven't.
Cheers
Steve
Now Pork Pies they are a different matter. I've seen and tasted them on Vancouver Island available at the Coombs Market just west of Parksville. They were great and very much enjoyed. Haven't seen them anywhere else. Mind given the fat content it's a good thing I haven't.
Cheers
Steve
I have mincemeat and I am making my own mince pies (you have to add brandy or something as the mincemeat tastes a bit flat). Pork pies I can buy in local grocery store.
I know these things are available here but most Canadians haven't tried them so I thought I would give them a little taste of something different. We are going to a traditional Canadian Xmas dinner so I thought that we would take a bit of Britain with us.
#20
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by sydney
Hi
I am putting together a small gift for a couple of Canadian friends and I wanted to get a few typically British items for them. So far I have come up with shortbread, mince pies, christmas cake, crumpets and pork pie.
Do any of you have any other ideas that I can include? Are there any typically British drinks/chocolates you can think of?
I am putting together a small gift for a couple of Canadian friends and I wanted to get a few typically British items for them. So far I have come up with shortbread, mince pies, christmas cake, crumpets and pork pie.
Do any of you have any other ideas that I can include? Are there any typically British drinks/chocolates you can think of?
Marmite crisps (for fans of marmite) are always a big hit with my Canadian relatives, cant get enough for them and heaven forbid if I forget to get a multibag pack by Walkers for someone!
Twinnings tea is quite readily avaidable & popular in Canada so if you're going to go that route, I'd go for one like Yorkshire Tea or maybe even Red Rose or PG Tips, don't remember seeing those in the supermarkets.
If there are any fans of Bisto or Bovril products, thats a brand not easily found in Canada so scoop some of those up.
But I find that when I visit Canada the most appreciated gifts are the sweets/candies/chocolates we bring with us. Particularily, jaffa cakes (dont know of any such similar brand in Canada) and especially Thorntons Chocolates... have one relative who is absolutely mad for their Vienesse Truffles. I've always found that the 'typical' chocolate bars in Canada (ie, Mars, Bounty etc) taste a bit wierd like a metallicy after taste, the chocolates here taste far better, even Asda's brand chocolate tastes very nice compared to Canadian cheap chocolates.... thats my excuse for putting on the pounds since moving to the UK, its all the bloody delicious/afordable chocolate around!!!
Anyway, hopefully some of the above gives you some new ideas
#21
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by sydney
I live here so it has to be stuff that I can buy here otherwise I can't get it!!!
I have mincemeat and I am making my own mince pies (you have to add brandy or something as the mincemeat tastes a bit flat). Pork pies I can buy in local grocery store.
I know these things are available here but most Canadians haven't tried them so I thought I would give them a little taste of something different. We are going to a traditional Canadian Xmas dinner so I thought that we would take a bit of Britain with us.
I have mincemeat and I am making my own mince pies (you have to add brandy or something as the mincemeat tastes a bit flat). Pork pies I can buy in local grocery store.
I know these things are available here but most Canadians haven't tried them so I thought I would give them a little taste of something different. We are going to a traditional Canadian Xmas dinner so I thought that we would take a bit of Britain with us.
Sorry my mistake I took it that you are in the UK, I think a lot of the other posters have made the same mistake.
You can get Cross & Blackwells mincemeat here in Calgary it's much better than the other brands, I feel. We had to settle for a local brand recently and the mince pies are quite anemic.
Cheers
Steve
Last edited by Steve_P; Dec 22nd 2006 at 9:59 pm.
#22
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Rich_007
PG Tips
Mushy Peas
Lard
Fish'n'chips
Balti Pies
Powdered gravy
Frozen TV dinners
Frozen oven chips
Hideous tasting ground coffee made of floor sweepings and snot
Rich.
Mushy Peas
Lard
Fish'n'chips
Balti Pies
Powdered gravy
Frozen TV dinners
Frozen oven chips
Hideous tasting ground coffee made of floor sweepings and snot
Rich.
Did remind me though of another I missed in previous post, curries are hard to come by in grocery stores (premade stuff, just add meat & veggies etc) so if you have fans of curry, a couple of jars of Korma or Jalfrezzi etc might be well appreciated to make a 'home-made' curry as most have to go out & search for the rare Indian restaurants or scouwer the 'exotic' small indian markets for ingredients & get a good recipe to make their own from scratch.... other words, not pre-made & readily avaidable in jars in the supermarkets! Same goes for the Naan breads and so on should you want to bring some of those along.
Other then that, only other thing I can think of (which I knew OF but couldnt get when I lived in Montreal Canada) is Marks & Spencers stuff. OK it's not the cheapest stuff you can buy here in the UK but they do make some really lovely smelling bath/beauty products that wont put you into debt buying! As Canadians (I think) know of Marks & Sparks but dont get to buy the stuff locally in Canada, that might be an idea for gift sets for feminine tastes
#23
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Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: In the boonies, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Steve_P
Sorry my mistake I took it that you are in the UK, I think a lot of the other posters have made the same mistake.
You can get Cross & Blackwells mincemeat here in Calgary it's much better than the other brands, I feel. We had to settle for a local brand recently and the mince pies are quite anemic.
Cheers
Steve
You can get Cross & Blackwells mincemeat here in Calgary it's much better than the other brands, I feel. We had to settle for a local brand recently and the mince pies are quite anemic.
Cheers
Steve
I should have made it clearer in my post that it had to be things that were obtainable in Canada.
#24
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by SivoxII
I used to have a regular consumption of Black Pudding for my lunch in the 'Koffee Pot', when I worked in Edinburgh.
For those who aren't familiar with it, here is a snapshot.
Hungry Yet?
For those who aren't familiar with it, here is a snapshot.
Hungry Yet?
Mind you, I do enjoy a good steak & kidney pie now and again but I've been told kidney is refering to the kidney beans in the pies, not actual organs... dont know if I've been lied to all my life though, has happened before
#25
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Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Daedra
Oh that (disgusting) post (if you dont mind me saying so) reminds me, marrowfat peas are hard to find in Canada as are mushy peas. Lard is usually replaced with 'vegetable shortening' in cardbboard packaging so thats not really one.
Did remind me though of another I missed in previous post, curries are hard to come by in grocery stores (premade stuff, just add meat & veggies etc) so if you have fans of curry, a couple of jars of Korma or Jalfrezzi etc might be well appreciated to make a 'home-made' curry as most have to go out & search for the rare Indian restaurants or scouwer the 'exotic' small indian markets for ingredients & get a good recipe to make their own from scratch.... other words, not pre-made & readily avaidable in jars in the supermarkets! Same goes for the Naan breads and so on should you want to bring some of those along.
Other then that, only other thing I can think of (which I knew OF but couldnt get when I lived in Montreal Canada) is Marks & Spencers stuff. OK it's not the cheapest stuff you can buy here in the UK but they do make some really lovely smelling bath/beauty products that wont put you into debt buying! As Canadians (I think) know of Marks & Sparks but dont get to buy the stuff locally in Canada, that might be an idea for gift sets for feminine tastes
Did remind me though of another I missed in previous post, curries are hard to come by in grocery stores (premade stuff, just add meat & veggies etc) so if you have fans of curry, a couple of jars of Korma or Jalfrezzi etc might be well appreciated to make a 'home-made' curry as most have to go out & search for the rare Indian restaurants or scouwer the 'exotic' small indian markets for ingredients & get a good recipe to make their own from scratch.... other words, not pre-made & readily avaidable in jars in the supermarkets! Same goes for the Naan breads and so on should you want to bring some of those along.
Other then that, only other thing I can think of (which I knew OF but couldnt get when I lived in Montreal Canada) is Marks & Spencers stuff. OK it's not the cheapest stuff you can buy here in the UK but they do make some really lovely smelling bath/beauty products that wont put you into debt buying! As Canadians (I think) know of Marks & Sparks but dont get to buy the stuff locally in Canada, that might be an idea for gift sets for feminine tastes
Thanks for the info but I live in Canada and cannot get most of the things that you have listed. I am going to a Xmas dinner with some Canadain friends and thought it would be nice to take a parcel of British things with us, things that they may not have tasted. Actually one of them in Irish so it may be a blast from the past for him.
What about a typically British alcoholic drink (not lager) that I might be able to get in case I can't get cider (which I will try to get).
#26
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by sydney
I think I have been cheap on the mincemeat as the Cross and Blackwell was $10 for a much smaller jar so I bought the cheaper brand. I have experimented though and added some alcohol and it spiced it up enough to make them taste okay.
I should have made it clearer in my post that it had to be things that were obtainable in Canada.
I should have made it clearer in my post that it had to be things that were obtainable in Canada.
Mind you, I'm sure there are online shops you can order stuff over from the UK to Canada for some of the listed stuff... doubt it would get there in time for x-mas though.
Hmm.... if your in Canada then maybe some English Cream (I think its called that anyway) on some mince pies.... or perhaps marmite although its hard to find anything bigger then the tiniest jars for an extrodinate amount of $!
Crumpets are very English, maybe raisin scones too? Oh trying to think of the name of the cake... it escapes me now, its a layer cake... is it Victorian Sponge or am I making that up? Anyway thats not very widely known/used in Canada as an English treat.
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Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Daedra
Thats the stuff I grew up calling "Blood pudding" not sure if its the main ingredient or not but it tasted repulsive when my dad made me try some and have never touched the stuff since!
Mind you, I do enjoy a good steak & kidney pie now and again but I've been told kidney is refering to the kidney beans in the pies, not actual organs... dont know if I've been lied to all my life though, has happened before
Mind you, I do enjoy a good steak & kidney pie now and again but I've been told kidney is refering to the kidney beans in the pies, not actual organs... dont know if I've been lied to all my life though, has happened before
#28
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by Daedra
Crumpets are very English, maybe raisin scones too? Oh trying to think of the name of the cake... it escapes me now, its a layer cake... is it Victorian Sponge or am I making that up? Anyway thats not very widely known/used in Canada as an English treat.
For some reason Safeway in Calgary insist on calling them Eccle cakes can't seem to convince them it's ECCLES.
#29
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by sydney
Hi
Thanks for the info but I live in Canada and cannot get most of the things that you have listed. I am going to a Xmas dinner with some Canadain friends and thought it would be nice to take a parcel of British things with us, things that they may not have tasted. Actually one of them in Irish so it may be a blast from the past for him.
What about a typically British alcoholic drink (not lager) that I might be able to get in case I can't get cider (which I will try to get).
Thanks for the info but I live in Canada and cannot get most of the things that you have listed. I am going to a Xmas dinner with some Canadain friends and thought it would be nice to take a parcel of British things with us, things that they may not have tasted. Actually one of them in Irish so it may be a blast from the past for him.
What about a typically British alcoholic drink (not lager) that I might be able to get in case I can't get cider (which I will try to get).
Twinnings tea is known to be British and can be bought in Canada.
There are also "English Muffins" which basically look like the McDonalds breakfast muffins that the egg/bacon or egg/sausage sandwiches come on... ok it's probably not been invented in England (or maybe it has!) but its something with "English" in the title *lol*
I think your best bet though is to try and recreate a typically British dessert or food though, you can probably translate the recipe for a Victorian Sponge cake for example pretty easily and it will keep alot easier then the hot/main meals.
Marmite can be bought in Canada but it isn't commonly known/enjoyed by typical Canadians... it really is one of those 'love' or 'hate' things that you would be taking a gamble on.
Other then that.. only other thing that comes to mind is there are some English imported cheeses you can get at the big supermarkets, stilton is one I can think of off the top of my head.
Hope some of this helps, have a happy Christmas in Canada, hope it snows for you by the 25th!
#30
Re: Typically British things? Ideas?
Originally Posted by sydney
Yep, the main ingredient of black pudding is blood and the kidney in steak and kidney pies is not a vegetable, you have been lied to, sorry!!!
I somehow feel repulsed with myself about having enjoyed so many steak & kidney pies in my past without realising it was an organ I was eating <insert vom smiley here>
Blood is in black pudding, thank god I never developed a taste for that stuff.... very vampiric isn't it?!