Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Oct 22nd 2020, 4:40 am
#16
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Shipping things here will cost more, given the weight-volume than buying here. We do have a great British shop down in Grapevine, a suburb next to Dallas, with a impressive variety of stuff and decent prices.
There is no way you can find Tesco or Poundland prices here but we can afford them; marmite, beans, lemon custard and biscuits are always in our pantry.
Regarding the crisps, I really like US Lays chips and honestly you can find Kettle Salt&Vinegar (my fav) in many places. If you like thinks like prawn cocktail then you are not likely to find them in a regular supermarket.
There is no way you can find Tesco or Poundland prices here but we can afford them; marmite, beans, lemon custard and biscuits are always in our pantry.
Regarding the crisps, I really like US Lays chips and honestly you can find Kettle Salt&Vinegar (my fav) in many places. If you like thinks like prawn cocktail then you are not likely to find them in a regular supermarket.
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:16 am
#17
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Crisps go stale, Cadburys here seems to be from S Africa, now Brown Sauce is worth bringing.
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:37 am
#18
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Starches - flour and rice. Definitely things not worth making a point of bringing, but we had them, they were a miniscule fraction of what we were shipping, and brought them rather than throw them out. Of course in the end we had to throw them out anyway. 
I have posted that before, but it's probably been a year or two, maybe longer.
Some British groceries are quite readily available at a non-entirely-insane price on Amazon - I was able to get 2x500g jars of Marmite a couple of years ago for $20 total. Now I am almost out but the Amazon price for Marmite still seems to be suffering from the covid-19 Marmite shortage back in the summer. A couple of weeks ago the best prices I could find were all about $33 for one 500g jar,
unless I bought 6x500g jars, and even then it was about $25/jar. But there is light at the end of the tunnel - I saw someone offering 2x250g for $18 last weekend, and I can hang on for another week or two so hopefully the price will come back down closer to the $10/500g I paid previously. 
We usually get two giant boxes of PG tips teabags on Amazon for a decent price, and we get Heinz beans for $2/can (if we buy a case of 24 cans) which is expensive, but not absurd, especially as US bakes beans taste more like baen jam - they are so sweet they're ghastly, even my wife agrees, and she's American born and bred..
The $3/can that our local supermarket charges for Heinz beans is absurd! 
On the occasions I have ventured into any of the dollar store chains, the best they can usually do is to match Walmart proces, but we find that many things in dollar stores are no cheaper than a regular grocery, and often more expensive. Maybe dollar store shopping makes sense if you buy a lot of soda and chips - though soda and chips are one thing that Walmart, groceries, and membership clubs all seem to want to compete over.
I have posted that before, but it's probably been a year or two, maybe longer.
Some British groceries are quite readily available at a non-entirely-insane price on Amazon - I was able to get 2x500g jars of Marmite a couple of years ago for $20 total. Now I am almost out but the Amazon price for Marmite still seems to be suffering from the covid-19 Marmite shortage back in the summer. A couple of weeks ago the best prices I could find were all about $33 for one 500g jar,
unless I bought 6x500g jars, and even then it was about $25/jar. But there is light at the end of the tunnel - I saw someone offering 2x250g for $18 last weekend, and I can hang on for another week or two so hopefully the price will come back down closer to the $10/500g I paid previously. We usually get two giant boxes of PG tips teabags on Amazon for a decent price, and we get Heinz beans for $2/can (if we buy a case of 24 cans) which is expensive, but not absurd, especially as US bakes beans taste more like baen jam - they are so sweet they're ghastly, even my wife agrees, and she's American born and bred..
The $3/can that our local supermarket charges for Heinz beans is absurd! On the occasions I have ventured into any of the dollar store chains, the best they can usually do is to match Walmart proces, but we find that many things in dollar stores are no cheaper than a regular grocery, and often more expensive. Maybe dollar store shopping makes sense if you buy a lot of soda and chips - though soda and chips are one thing that Walmart, groceries, and membership clubs all seem to want to compete over.
Good to know about marmite I just wanted to bring a couple of well dated jars to keep me going as I use it on toast and in grilled cheese sandwiches. One item I won't mind spending money on once am earning money
Good to know about beans too am sure will try all the american ones too to see how they taste lol. Thank goodness I don't drink tea or coffee. My big weakness is crisps lol and not a huge fan of American flavours. Am sure I will cope lol. But just thought as was shipping a load of boxes over why not add some marmite and crisps. Especially as crisps often pop when put in the suitcase due to the air pressure. Wont have that issue with seafreight. Plus anything heavy that will take up loads of my suitcase weight allowance.
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:39 am
#19
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:41 am
#20
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Crisps/Chips can pop coming up from Denver!
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:42 am
#21
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Shipping things here will cost more, given the weight-volume than buying here. We do have a great British shop down in Grapevine, a suburb next to Dallas, with a impressive variety of stuff and decent prices.
There is no way you can find Tesco or Poundland prices here but we can afford them; marmite, beans, lemon custard and biscuits are always in our pantry.
Regarding the crisps, I really like US Lays chips and honestly you can find Kettle Salt&Vinegar (my fav) in many places. If you like thinks like prawn cocktail then you are not likely to find them in a regular supermarket.
There is no way you can find Tesco or Poundland prices here but we can afford them; marmite, beans, lemon custard and biscuits are always in our pantry.
Regarding the crisps, I really like US Lays chips and honestly you can find Kettle Salt&Vinegar (my fav) in many places. If you like thinks like prawn cocktail then you are not likely to find them in a regular supermarket.
Crisp wise yeah never really been a fan of ready salted, cheese and onion or salt and vinegar. My fave flavours have always been prawn cocktail, worcester sauce, pickled onion, frazzles, monster munch, thai sweet chilli and roast chicken sensations etc. So meaty flavours really hence I like BBQ "chips" in US.
Oct 22nd 2020, 11:43 am
#22
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Oct 22nd 2020, 11:45 am
#23
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
I don't have a clue where in the US you will be living but if on the upper eastern coast of the US there are many Irish small grocery stores that are well stocked with all things British/Irish and you can get your pot noodles, candies, birds custard, bisto gravy, walkers crisps in weird flavors, i.e. shrimp, etc., biscuits, mushy peas, etc. all for a decent price. The larger supermarket such as Stop N Shop also has nearly a full aisle of the same products. You won't be home sick for food products.
P.S. My aplogies, I didn't know you were in a same sex relationship. Assume double crossed me
P.S. My aplogies, I didn't know you were in a same sex relationship. Assume double crossed me
Oct 22nd 2020, 1:08 pm
#24
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
I still treat myself to a British order every couple of months, usually for the Crisps and Choccies, so can fully understand someone in the stress induced world of moving countries wanting some home comforts to bring with them (I also do that on any return).
Heinz Beans - Publix is your friend, and I've found the idea is to get it into your head to compare the local price with the local alternative and not the UK price you remember. With these though, the price of Heinz in the UK is quite high, would be a different story if you were comparing store branded ones though.
Biscuits - we still order these form the UK because they come in way cheaper, even allowing for shipping, than cookies over here. The exception is McVities which we can get at a small mark-up in Publix and the price is equal to getting some Chips Ahoy or similar. I'm thinking non-branded Bourbon Biscuits here.
Given your shipping this with other stiff, it's only really a debate about amount of space used in the container, not weight. I'd say go for it, especially as you've listed stuff you will not find or that will be far cheaper in the UK. But, also prepare yourself that this is a last Hurrah, and ensure you try the local delicacies. Then, when you have money, you can decide whether or not reach back out to the many importers you can find online, like British Corner Shop.
Heinz Beans - Publix is your friend, and I've found the idea is to get it into your head to compare the local price with the local alternative and not the UK price you remember. With these though, the price of Heinz in the UK is quite high, would be a different story if you were comparing store branded ones though.
Biscuits - we still order these form the UK because they come in way cheaper, even allowing for shipping, than cookies over here. The exception is McVities which we can get at a small mark-up in Publix and the price is equal to getting some Chips Ahoy or similar. I'm thinking non-branded Bourbon Biscuits here.
Given your shipping this with other stiff, it's only really a debate about amount of space used in the container, not weight. I'd say go for it, especially as you've listed stuff you will not find or that will be far cheaper in the UK. But, also prepare yourself that this is a last Hurrah, and ensure you try the local delicacies. Then, when you have money, you can decide whether or not reach back out to the many importers you can find online, like British Corner Shop.
Oct 22nd 2020, 1:54 pm
#25
Joined: Dec 2001
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
I think he means driving home. From what he has posted in the past, he lives above the tree line in the Rockies, which I suspect puts him above 11,000 feet, or more than a mile higher than Denver and two miles above sea level!
Oct 22nd 2020, 2:09 pm
#26
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Curious why would you bring bedding with you to the US from the UK? You do know that the bed sizes are completely different from those in the UK and the bedding is useless.
Why wouldn't expect your fiancee, then HUSBAND, to pay for food and things when you are married and/or only living together until the wedding. US supermarkets do have a British/Irish section for popular foods, i.e. biscuits (cookies), pot noodles, salad dressing, and yes, chocolate.
Why wouldn't expect your fiancee, then HUSBAND, to pay for food and things when you are married and/or only living together until the wedding. US supermarkets do have a British/Irish section for popular foods, i.e. biscuits (cookies), pot noodles, salad dressing, and yes, chocolate.
Oct 22nd 2020, 2:10 pm
#27
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Oct 22nd 2020, 2:20 pm
#28
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
Not above tree line, nearer 10,000ft
And they seem to start popping at about 10,500 and I have to come over a pass. Always wonder how the supermarkets seem to get them mostly not popped? Pressurised trucks? Must be other issues with transporting at altitude. And of course dealing with the cold.
Anyway my recollection is the Crisps degrade very quickly, I have left bags open here with no great loss of flavour but could not do that with Walkers etc, no doubt the preservatives they add.
And they seem to start popping at about 10,500 and I have to come over a pass. Always wonder how the supermarkets seem to get them mostly not popped? Pressurised trucks? Must be other issues with transporting at altitude. And of course dealing with the cold.
Anyway my recollection is the Crisps degrade very quickly, I have left bags open here with no great loss of flavour but could not do that with Walkers etc, no doubt the preservatives they add.
Oct 22nd 2020, 6:07 pm
#29
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
I saw you mention Aldi a few times, just as heads up they have lots of stores in the USA including Orlando - in case that helps
Oct 22nd 2020, 10:32 pm
#30
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Re: Pickfords Seafreight & Food
