Ideas for a food box for friend in America...

[mscockles]

Just that, really! A friend who has moved to Texas asked if I would do a good swap with her- she would post some American goodies and I would post British goodies. She ended up giving hers to a relative who was visiting and returning to the U.K. so didn't pay for any postage, whereas I'm concerned mine is going to cost loads! What could I put in (British food) that won't weight loads?

Monster Munch! I'm a Brit in Australia and our local grocery recently got Monster Munch in and I hadn't realised how much I missed them!

Also she will probably miss proper teabags. I do.

Jaffa cakes.
Colman's mustard.

A couple of concentrate fruit cordials ....

Jaffa cakes!

Does she have a favourite crisp?

Mate went to work in the USA for about 10 months and I had to send her Pickled onion outer spacers, Worcester sauce and roast chicken crisps as everything was cheese or ranch flavour and she was going through withdrawal symptoms. Also proper teabags, jaffa cakes and digestive biccies (they don't sell them there) and a small plastic bottle of brown sauce as she couldn'y find any. oh! and bags of sharing chocs like maltesers, minstrals and revels.

I had to send her 2 over the 10 months and from memory it didn't cost as much as I thought but I sent them for signature which was more pricey than the usual rate.

Marmite, Mars Bars (any Cadbury's Chocolate) , Ribena, Black pudding, Yorkshire puddings.

All to be eaten in one meal!

We have tea, marmite and Coleman's in US. We have Yorkshire, Twinnings and PGS Tips in my tiny local store.

Crisps. Definitely. Ribena. Scampi Fried. 

Germoline. Not food but I always get some.

Lemsips. Nothing like that here. We always go from shop to shop buying as many as we can in UK.

Cadbury's chocolate is widely sold here. (And it's shit now anyway.)

They sell all types of McVites biscuits here. Again, even in my little store. Where on earth do some of you shop? 

New Ribena tastes dreadful, so maybe just some of the small containers of Robinson's that you get now, they would be a lot lighter to send too.

Yes to crisps, Jaffa cakes or mr Kipling cakes. Matchmakers.

Matchmakers!!!!!!! Oh god I'm homesick. 

I’m in Texas. You can get most things here but the things we like people to bring are:

British chocolate (you can get it but it’s expensive we like smarties or curly wurlys especially)
Tunnocks wafers (the ones in the international store are often stale)
Monster munch or skips

Regarding postage costs it will be very expensive. However there are a variety of US based British companies online which you could order from which would probably be much cheaper.

proper teabags, jaffa cakes and digestive biccies

Your friend will be able to get these in any H-E-B (Texas supermarket)

Try IPostParcels for a sense of how much a competitively priced courier service will be

I'd love someone sending me a selection of British crisps- nik naks, skips, monster munch, wotsits, prawn cocktail and worcestershire sauce walkers etc

Some British sweets- jelly babies, liquorice all sorts, dolly mix

Maybe some other stuff- bread sauce packet mix (I had a craving for that...), a bottle of squash, chocolate digestive biscuits

Most of the stuff that's stereotypically British is quite easy to get- HP, beans, marmite, tea brands etc.

I forgot, mini colin the caterpillars from M&S!

Be aware of restrictions in sending certain items (such as liquids)

Thanks for some brilliant ideas that I hadn't thought of. So far I'm going for selection of crisps, sauce packets, Marks and Sparks sweets and cakes, caramel wafers...

I'm from NI and there are lots of regional food that NI expats love getting. Things like soda bread and potato bread, Tayto cheese and onion crisps and Nambarrie teabags.

OH MY FUCKING GOD!!! Look what I just found on amazon.

Definitely crisps but I wouldn't go for fancy ones. Get typical British ones like Munster Munch, Twiglets, that kind of thing. Quality Street? I agree with squash if possible. What about Mr Kipling's fondant fancies? Any sauces that she likes that you can't get over there? Brown sauce or tartar, for example. Tinned soups that remind her of home, e.g. Oxtail, carrot and butterbean. Shame you can't send fresh goods - I live abroad and really miss proper sausages and bacon! Pot Noodles? Scuzzy but homely!

Don't they have Lay's crisps in the US though, Fifi which is essentially Walker's?

Don't put any liquids in. My parcel didn't pass UK outgoing customs because of nandos sauce

I send my sister chocolate (always get a very specific list based on what she definitely can't get), winegums, shortbread biscuits, crisps and weirdly germolene. She does also order crisps from US amazon.

Last year I took over 18lb of goodies packed between two suitcases. Gave me lots of weight for all my shopping for the return flights!! I even managed to pack a bloody skate board in there!

The things I can't send her (for customs reasons) but that she wishes she could get without paying an absolute bomb for are fresh products like British bacon, British sausages and cheddar cheese.

Not long till she's home for Christmas and can fill her boots!

Pringles
Jammy dodgers