Anyone live in the US? What would you like from the UK?

[Stumpedasatree]

Going to visit some dear friends over there and want to bring them a gift. Males and females in their 40s. I don't know if there is anything we have over here that is hard to get in the US?

Are they American or British?

My family always take bottles of lucazade and koppaburg to my brother in New York whenever we visit him because although accessible, both are expensive and hit or miss if they are available.

If they’re British, ask them! You can find many British items things places, but other places things can be hard to find. If they’re American, bring your favorite biscuit or sweet to share.

Good squash. It's hard to get hold of over there. Also Birds custard powder!

My American friends like proper English tea and biscuits.
Waitrose or M&S own-label English Breakfast tea and all-butter shortbread, or maybe HobNobs.
Also, fairly decent quality chocolate like Green & Black's.

Something from Horton Monster Supplies always raises a smile! www.monstersupplies.org

Sorry, they are American. That would have helped!

Oh if they are American, shortbread, flavoured gin, British chocolate

Minstrels. Couldn’t keep my US friends supplied when I lived in Texas.

I get asked for: mars bars, organic Chocolate, malteasers, jam, shortbread, cake (fresh from the bakery and brought over - I love it when people do this for me as I love the idea of something being baked the other side of the world and me having it for tea).

I don’t suppose you can take cheese but maybe a veggie haggis? Whisky. Nice wine.

My DD is at uni in the States, and she gets asked to bring back Colman's Mustard, and Jaffa cakes.
Ex-fil was once asked to take Spotted Dick by a visiting work colleague, as colleague's wife wouldn't believe we sold such a thing!

I bring fruit pastilles and battenburg cake. Twiglets. Bovril and marmite (available but not everywhere there). Turkish Delight (the chocolate one plus the real rose and lemon type). Chocolate covered rice krispies and cornflakes things....

All things I’ve previously been asked to mule across the pond: Bog standard supermarket tea bags, like PG tips. All butter shortbread. Christmas Crackers (oh, the shame!) M&S Christmas Puddings. Mince Pies. M&S thermal vests. Scottish Steel Cut Porridge Oats. Scottish Whisky. A particular brand of deodorant unavailable in the US.

My New York friends always love PG Tips and Magners cider. They're quite partial to a bar or two of Galaxy as well. They also used to really like anything from Molton Brown. Most things are accessible there now but tend to be more expensive.

I've also taken Lancashire tea and east London roasted coffee beans over to American colleagues. Tea for my IT lead in Denver who would always start every visit from me by proudly making us a pot of tea as his wife had bought him a teapot for his birthday. Which half the office would want to watch (as we went through the warm the pot, only use freshly drawn water, ete etc). Coffee for a different colleague in Houston who said the best coffee he'd ever had was in London (so I took him what I consider to be the best coffee beans in London).

I used to also take a stash of Montezuma chocolate bars - the ones with the Union Jack and named after British puddings such as Spotted Dick and Eton Mess. Not available in the U.S. but also a huge source of entertainment for everyone as they giggle over Spotted Dick.

Chocolate orange, shortbread, celebrations or heros, marmite, tea, Percy pigs, ....

Have a great trip!

I am American and live in Texas and in my neighborhood, we have a large diverse population (there's a British/Indian shop outside my estate) so it's possible to get most UK food stuffs.

If someone were to bring me a gift, I would really love a Christmas ornament that's got a sort of UK theme to it. My mother-in-law buys me a keepsake like a robin or a postbox and one year she sent a hand-painted ornament of a specific English Heritage home that she enjoys. I especially enjoy fashion, food, interiors magazines and my husband always requests a photography one or history and cars. Weirdly, I love receiving a tea towel with a scene because I do use them and I always think about the giver when I do.

If any of your friends are drinkers, they may appreciate a specific bottle that can only be found in the UK or at duty-free. When I lived in England, my American girlfriends would ask for specific perfume found in UK shops so it may be worth asking your friends.

Recently, a UK friend brought me these cute pearly things that you put into Prosecco and I think you can find it at Lakeland Limited.

Like others have said, I would definitely bring teas and assorted drinks like squash because it's different and my goodness it is expensive here.

Enjoy your holiday in my country!

My husband just shouted from the kitchen that he was always asked for the different flavored crisps because they are certainly different. Personally, I love prawn crackers because you simply cannot get them here anywhere!
Smokey bacon, Worcestershire, ketchup, Marmite flavored crisps from Walkers or even the many different combinations of the posh crisps.

I ask for marmite, but I'm British.

At this time of year I'd bring Christmas crackers as they are less of a thing and I've seen them done wrong (e.g. omission of gift/joke.party hat). But can you take crackers on a plane?

I know a lot of Brits have loved it when we've brought over a snack selection of random British things after a trip back- pick and mix was a huge hit because of the variety.

Good chocolate & HP Sauce

The entire contents of Waitrose? I miss high-end supermarkets!
Good fresh vanilla custard and a proper pork pie!!

My American cousins always stock up on decent chocolate and sweets when they’re over here, apparently it’s much better than what they have over there

Things I miss in Canada (I'm British) - cherry Pepsi Max!! Percy Pigs, Sainsbury's or Waitrose High-Juice squash, Appletiser, Quavers, M&S Cheese Tasters (Wotsit type things), Waitrose 45% chocolate, Fry's Chocolate Cream, Fry's Turkish Delight, Minstrels (can sometimes find here but not always and are $$$), Double Deckers, M&S chocolate swiss roll, M&S Extremely Chocolatey Rounds biscuit things, M&S cheese scones, M&S cheese crackers. If it was possible a Waitrose black forest trifle. Basically junk food 😄

Oh, did I mention cherry Pepsi Max?? 😭

What about the new flavour Christmas so Brussels sprout, pigs in blanket and turkey and stuffing?

@elp30 off topic but I have been thinking to myself recently how I would love to start an “ornament” swap type thing with folks from around the world...if ever you’d be interested? I’m so jealous of all the amazing Christmas/Halloween bits you seem to be able to get in the US and would love some
Of my own and figured there must be others who feel the same?!

Percy pigs!!
Cadbury chocolate.
Galaxy chocolate.
Good tea bags (Yorkshire tea/pg tips)
Chocolate caramel digestives/normal choc ones
Choc malted milks.
Robinson's squash.
Irn bru (but that's just because we had a few Scots with us who loved the stuff!)

Lived in the states for a while and these are the things we couldn't really get our hands on! We actually found a tiny store that sold Percy pigs for 10 dollars a pack😂 me and my friends would get family to send us these items monthly and our American friends were obsessed with them!