backagen

I thought it might be fun to list some of the things you can get in Britain, and compare those lists to the equivelent choices available where you are / were outside Britain.

For example,
UK: Crisps come in many flavours, but the 'standard' ones you expect everywhere include beef, cheese and onion, prawn cocktail, salt n' vinegar, ready salted and numerous others.

AUSTRALIA: There is a limited range of new "gourmet" flavours of so-called "chips" that have become available more recently, but standard flavours include 'plain' (ready salted), 'tasty' cheese (cheddar), salt and vinegar
, 'bbq' (whatever that might be), chicken, and that's about it really! The gourmet ones are as good as in UK admittedly, but overall there's still a lot less choice of flavours!

backagen

Packaged cakes you can get in supermarkets:

UK: Too many to mention, usually at least half an aisle full. Mr Kiplings range in itself is quite vast, and the supermarkets usually make their own (often quite good) version of them all, and then there's Lyles golden syrup and dark treacle cakes, numerous other Lyles cakes, some by cadbury and various other companies. Easily at least 40 different choices in your typical supermarket.

AUSTRALIA: You might be lucky enough to find Mr Kiplings cherry bakewells, and possibly Mr Kiplings Bramley apple pies and blackberry pies, maybe weightwatchers cherry bakewells, but apart from that there's "lamingtons" which Aussies sometimes go absolutely wild over but it's really not nice, a very basic version of jam sponge rolls, and some dry tasteless little cup cakes with dry currants or bits of artificial chocolate in. At BEST, you might get 4 small shelves full of cakes (and not very full at that) and a total choice of about 15.

backagen

Ready meals

UK: Most supermarkets stock a vast range of high quality ready meals, often as good as meals you would get in restaurants, and they include indian and chinese, as well as very good English meals and lots of exotic meals from all over the world. You can get just one part of a meal (like potatoes cooked various ways) or a full banquet, and anything in between.

In addition to these most UK supermarkets have a very good range of ready made sandwiches, with many delicious fillings, all high quality and fresh on many different types of bread. Makes a quick, healthy, inexpensive lunch or snack.

AUSTRALIA:
Usually the only ready meals you can get are frozen ones, which usually taste the same as each other regardless what the meal is supposed to be. Tiny little portions too at outrageous high prices.

Good luck finding sandwiches anywhere here unless you make them yourself, or pay through the nose at somewhere like Subway (where you still won't find anything like the range available at Asda or Tesco)!

Nu-Shooz

Er, the choice of food here is different i have to say, but i manage to get everything i want..the only thing i have a problem with is the choice in flavours of Crisps, i love Prawn and hate all the others
God knows why they won't allow them into the country some sort of ingredient they don't like, but it's not as if it's life threatening ffs.

3 go mad in Adelaide

Everything is just so bland over here - a decent curry is non-existent, no point going out for one, have to make my own. Bought a packet chilli mix last week for a quick dinner - bland, bland, bland. Even their jalepenos have no heat (how do they manage that?).

Must admit that we like a bit of kick to our food, but even my mum would wonder where the heat was!

Bland food, bland Country

Nu-Shooz

I like your username Adelaide is margerine isn't it.

Reading fan

No ready made curry or "exotic meals" I have ever eaten (under duress) have ever tasted like a restaurant meal or home made. There was an interesting documentary (Dispatches I think) ref ready meals - I don't recall any of them being classed as high quality - in fact Waitrose often fared worse.
Why not make your own sandwiches - get up all of 3 mins earlier.
When shop sandwiches have been tested many come back with all sorts of nasties - plus why all that plastic packaging. Buy a lunch box and re-use it over and over again.

backagen

Agreed to some extent, but the point of this thread is purely and simply to compare the choices available!

Reading fan

Ok ref choice there probably is more choice in the Uk but the amazing thing is most people don't take up the choice.Most people buy the same things week in week out.

northernbird

Processed crap the lot of it.

3 go mad in Adelaide

Why thank you, I rather like yours too actually (but then I am a shoe girl!). Yes, you're right, Adelaide is 'margerine' - if you meant, bland, tasteless and artificial

Where abouts are you? (for the time being).

Emma M

From the US side:
Chocolate.
Hershey's fake Cadbury's crap. How did they make Cadbury's have this gross texture, followed by vomit aftertaste? It's like having a Porsche with a Robin Reliant engine.

islandergirl

Let's get really down to it then:

Tim Tams Aus - quite nice
vs Penguins UK - also quite nice
Not sure I can tell the difference, unless its the double coat Tim Tams

Picnics Aus - nice
Picnics UK - sadly contain raisins so I don't eat them

Maltesers Aus- chocolate coating tastes plastic, insidey bit totally bland
Maltesers UK - lovely melty chocolate and a malty crunchy middle

Hula Hoops - have no Australian equivalent

Ripples - have no Australian equivalent

I used to miss the convenience of the odd ready made indian banquet when I first moved here but I think I have become a better cook as a result of necessity. Also when we lived in Adelaide there were plenty of nice places to eat or get takeaways it was only in QLD/Canberra that things went downhill on the food front.

3 go mad in Adelaide, when we lived there were 2 nice Indian places the Ruby Raja in TTG and Beyond India at Modbury (which delivered). Have you tried them? Also the Jasmine in the city and Tandoori Oven in Unley were good.

Bevm

Have to admit that I don't eat a lot of this stuff, and that I can't stand flavoured chips. Just a bit of salt, please.

But chocolate is different in different places. It's the amount and type of fat, I think. Some countries apparently prefer a more waxy taste. Don't ask me why! It probably doesn't melt as fast, and I suppose if it's a hot climate, that's a factor.

Bev

3 go mad in Adelaide

Thanks for that islandergirl, we shall check these out as we live quite near TTG!