What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Dec 26th 2019, 6:02 pm
#31
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 12
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Not something I could have brought with me, but I miss M&S/Waitrose/Tesco/Sainsbury's etc Meal Deals for lunch 
Tired of paying $15 a day for oily lunches
Tired of paying $15 a day for oily lunches
Dec 27th 2019, 11:15 am
#32
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 29
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Bovril
Dec 27th 2019, 4:59 pm
#33
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,103
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
It might be helpful if you put a location in your profile so we have an idea of where you are.
Dec 27th 2019, 5:34 pm
#34
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,103
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
I am with you. For example: I don't understand why a bag of bread cost 3 times more here in SoCal than UK and they taste terrible (who put sugar in bread?!)
I miss the freshly made bread and pastries that taste good and widely available in UK supermarkets, and they are so cheap. Here in US there are much less choices, their cakes have 10 times more sugar. I have given up buying bakery product from the supermarkets here.
...
I miss the freshly made bread and pastries that taste good and widely available in UK supermarkets, and they are so cheap. Here in US there are much less choices, their cakes have 10 times more sugar. I have given up buying bakery product from the supermarkets here.
...
Acme Bakery . Here's their ingredient list for one typical bread: "Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour (Organic Malted Barley Flour), Water, Sea Salt and Yeast". They mainly supply the local restaurant trade, but can be found in Whole Foods and other grocery stores - but only in the Bay Area - they don't distribute beyond local. Here's another bakery that I find wonderful:
Semifreddis | Home
Here's their ingredient list for their sourdough: Enriched Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, and Sea Salt. - No sugar! And here's their ingredient list for what they call 'sweet baguette' - Enriched Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Sea Salt, and Yeast. No sugar! Semifreddi's are available at our local Safeway stores (but again, they don't distribute beyond the local area).
For SoCal, there appear to be quite a few decent bakeries:
https://la.eater.com/maps/best-bread...es-los-angeles
I would bet good money that you can get great breads without sugar at any of these, as well as decent pastries.
Last edited by Steerpike; Dec 27th 2019 at 7:21 pm.
Dec 27th 2019, 6:05 pm
#36
Turning into a PA gal!
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College PA, finally!
Posts: 3,563
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Are there no Whole Foods Markets near you? The ones near me do very nice 'ready meals'. We get our evening meals from them at least once a week. Actually, we have 3 WFM's near us, and each one operates their 'prepared foods' sections differently, which is odd. One has a 'daily special' deal, while another allows self-service from a 'bar'. All three have pizza ovens and do lovely pizzas.
It might be helpful if you put a location in your profile so we have an idea of where you are.
It might be helpful if you put a location in your profile so we have an idea of where you are.
Dec 27th 2019, 6:51 pm
#37
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,103
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
I was in Austin last year and stumbled upon some random grocery store, just looking for a quick bite for lunch. Holy Smoke! it was a veritable palace of fine foods! They had a bar area with live music! Just looked up my receipts in quicken, it was 'Central Market at Westgate', off S. Lamar Blvd. It would seem that Austin takes the prize when it comes to grocery stores!
Dec 27th 2019, 8:00 pm
#38
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: NC, USA (ex Yorkshire)
Posts: 4,375
Jan 2nd 2020, 7:01 pm
#39
The Hamburgler Incarnate!
Joined: Aug 2014
Location: Quakertown, PA
Posts: 56
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
I just got home after 2 weeks in the UK. I took an extra bag with me and brought back:
Jaffa Cakes
Coleman's cooking thingys (Spagbol, chilli, shepherds pie, etc.) These are $3 each in the US and 3 for a quid in Asda
Heinz Salad cream
Heinz baked beans (US baked beans either have meat or brown sugar in them)
TONS of cadbury's chocolate. Heroes, wispas, picnics, bounty, Fingers, you name it
After Eights
Matchmakers
Warburtons Crumpets (3 x 9 packs) - just cannot find them here and can be frozen
Oxo's (beef, chicken and vegetable)
Big bag of twiglets
Marmite
Biggest block of Catherdal city i could find
Tea bags
Paxo
2 x bottles of Guinness Original Stout (can't seem to find that here, only cans of draught)
Loreal Men Expert shower gel, 1 of each variety (again, only a quid each in Asda)
2 x Bombay Bad boy potnoodles
Jaffa Cakes
Coleman's cooking thingys (Spagbol, chilli, shepherds pie, etc.) These are $3 each in the US and 3 for a quid in Asda
Heinz Salad cream
Heinz baked beans (US baked beans either have meat or brown sugar in them)
TONS of cadbury's chocolate. Heroes, wispas, picnics, bounty, Fingers, you name it
After Eights
Matchmakers
Warburtons Crumpets (3 x 9 packs) - just cannot find them here and can be frozen
Oxo's (beef, chicken and vegetable)
Big bag of twiglets
Marmite
Biggest block of Catherdal city i could find
Tea bags
Paxo
2 x bottles of Guinness Original Stout (can't seem to find that here, only cans of draught)
Loreal Men Expert shower gel, 1 of each variety (again, only a quid each in Asda)
2 x Bombay Bad boy potnoodles
Jan 3rd 2020, 10:25 am
#40
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 29
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
May I ask.... How did you get all of that past US customs??? 
Jan 3rd 2020, 10:29 am
#41
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 29
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
I just got home after 2 weeks in the UK. I took an extra bag with me and brought back:
Jaffa Cakes
Coleman's cooking thingys (Spagbol, chilli, shepherds pie, etc.) These are $3 each in the US and 3 for a quid in Asda
Heinz Salad cream
Heinz baked beans (US baked beans either have meat or brown sugar in them)
TONS of cadbury's chocolate. Heroes, wispas, picnics, bounty, Fingers, you name it
After Eights
Matchmakers
Warburtons Crumpets (3 x 9 packs) - just cannot find them here and can be frozen
Oxo's (beef, chicken and vegetable)
Big bag of twiglets
Marmite
Biggest block of Catherdal city i could find
Tea bags
Paxo
2 x bottles of Guinness Original Stout (can't seem to find that here, only cans of draught)
Loreal Men Expert shower gel, 1 of each variety (again, only a quid each in Asda)
2 x Bombay Bad boy potnoodles
Jaffa Cakes
Coleman's cooking thingys (Spagbol, chilli, shepherds pie, etc.) These are $3 each in the US and 3 for a quid in Asda
Heinz Salad cream
Heinz baked beans (US baked beans either have meat or brown sugar in them)
TONS of cadbury's chocolate. Heroes, wispas, picnics, bounty, Fingers, you name it
After Eights
Matchmakers
Warburtons Crumpets (3 x 9 packs) - just cannot find them here and can be frozen
Oxo's (beef, chicken and vegetable)
Big bag of twiglets
Marmite
Biggest block of Catherdal city i could find
Tea bags
Paxo
2 x bottles of Guinness Original Stout (can't seem to find that here, only cans of draught)
Loreal Men Expert shower gel, 1 of each variety (again, only a quid each in Asda)
2 x Bombay Bad boy potnoodles
Jan 3rd 2020, 11:33 pm
#42
Turning into a PA gal!
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College PA, finally!
Posts: 3,563
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
The only items that I can see that might cause issues are the oxo cubes as they are meat products. Everything else would be OK as long as, if an LPR, the total value was less than $800.
Jan 5th 2020, 12:29 pm
#43
The Hamburgler Incarnate!
Joined: Aug 2014
Location: Quakertown, PA
Posts: 56
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Yep, just packed it all in my checked bag/roller duffel mixed in/wrapped in clothing. Has to be about the 10th time i've brought stuff like this back with no issues.
Jan 5th 2020, 10:14 pm
#44
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2015
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 565
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?
Oxo cubes are a definite no, you're lucky that you didn't get caught with them and I'd suggest not trying that again especially if you want to get Global Entry in the future.
Everything else was probably fine though. I always bring back loads of stuff including plenty of Paxo
Costco had Warburtons crumpets for a while, they seem to have stopped stocking them for the moment though.
Everything else was probably fine though. I always bring back loads of stuff including plenty of Paxo
Costco had Warburtons crumpets for a while, they seem to have stopped stocking them for the moment though.
Jan 6th 2020, 2:49 am
#45
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College Pa.
Posts: 1,585
Re: What do you miss/wish you had bought more with you?