I know there's a few threads about things you miss out in NZ but, now I'm back in the UK, I'm really going to miss chocolate fish, iced chocolate drinks and the sheer volume of incredibly tasty fresh food available. The veggie wraps and salads were amazing and gave me am incredibly nutritious, main meal of the day for around £3 to £4.

Fish and chips around Miranda, Coromandel and Rotorua were the best we've ever had and one portion gave us both a good main meal of the day.

I ate so many bananas I think I'm going, "oook" in my sleep. Ultra fresh and around a quarter what they cost me from Tesco!

First thing we did when home though was put on the kettle and make a decent cup of Tetley tea!

I would miss those Euro-Roast meals. I never saw them in the part of the UK I lived in but they are widespread here. I don't usually eat takeaways but these are good if you need a hot filling meal quickly.

Love the crackling that comes with pork.

Fish and Chips in Rotorua are usually pretty good, there a couple of places I try to visit, they are nearly as good as in Hull!!!

I thought this was going to be a thread about having had too much of something you've gone off it.

I've gone off wine since I've been in NZ.

I've gone off TV.

Seriously have to wonder what exchange rate are you using? Bananas in Tescos are 68p per kilo; the cheapest I have ever seen them here is $1.89 on special here. Currently $2.99 kg in Countdown and $1.99 in Fruitworld.

Now or when Hazelnut was buying them?

I don't know. We are only talking a matter of weeks are we not. The bananas I buy are not NZ home grown . I can buy Fair Trade bananas at a premium.

They are currently $299 a kilo in Countdown.

I have researched growing our own but it seems that is not possible , even with the glasshouse. Bad frosts.

Cant afford them!

Prices vary vastly in a couple of weeks.

We bought our bananas in NZ at $1.25 per kilo (on special), we usually pay that in pounds at our local Tesco and often have to pay more. I have no idea why as the big Tesco website does have them cheaper.

The main message though was that our bill was comparable as some things cost more and some less which equalled it all out.

TommyLuck - is the going off wine due to the cost? We don't drink but we bought wine for some friends who fed us and gave us B&B for the night and I was quite shocked as it seemed to be a lot of money. I'm not up to date with UK prices though.

Snaps - we hardly had the TV on either, mainly because we were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow which was around 9pm most nights. We don't tend to watch much TV here either though.

So how do I get hold of chocolate fish in the UK then?

That's pants You have my sympathy as we used to grow loads of fruit and veg and the only thing we can grow where we currently live is cabbage and Brussels and we have to fight the slugs and badgers for those.

Do you have to worry about possums invading private gardens in NZ?

That's bloody expensive..

Wah! Cracked up over my keyboard here.

I really do need to find a way to grow the blighters don't I. Mr BEVS could retire .

Eh? I meant those incredibly expensive - $299 a kilo - bananas .

I fancied trying to grow them but there isn't a type suitable for here, even though we are Top of the South. Up North of North can grow them I believe.

We have a vege garden Hazlenut and a renovated glasshouse. I grew our own back in the UK and do the same here.
One difference is that I can grow my toms outside during season ,whereas I grew them in my greenhouse in the UK.

You will still get the nasties after your produce. Just cloche , use grit as usual. When we fashioned the vege area we made raised beds to help with drainage, beasties and the like.

One thing is to learn about the grow seasons as they are not exactly the reverse of what you may be used to. Certain things will bolt if planted at a bit of the wrong time.

We don't have a problem with possums where we personally are. There again we are not close to beech or pine planations/bush/forest. Some of those further out than us do have a problem with possums and so shoot or poison them on a regular basis. It all depends what landscape you're in.

Nah.

Just drank too much of it before leaving the UK and the smell and taste of both red and white makes reviles me now.

But on your point of the cost of booze (in general beer/spirits/wine), it's definitely more expensive out here, having said that I do drink less, largely because I do more driving here than I did in London using public transport.

Not that less alcohol is a bad thing of course.

I do like a single malt Whiskey however. You do pay a premium for that here!!