Page 7 | What do you like about the UK?

Killerkweef · 2023-04-28T20:22:54+00:00

I am British bit have lived abroad for 15 years. I miss the British sense of humour. When I make jokes in my country of residence people look at me like I have two heads. I miss the choice in the supermarkets. Different flavours of the same product, different products at Easter/ Christmas and not just exactly the same as last year and each and every year before that. I miss the rich history of the country, and the traditions that I hope are being upheld (Guy Fawkes night was always my favourite). I am feeling really homesick tonight. Indulge me.

Homeworkhell82 · 29/04/2023 15:22

Queuing! 🙃
Pomp and ceremony
Politeness
That the weather is changeable(you never know what you're going to get ;-)

FurAndFeathers · 29/04/2023 15:26

FatOaf · 29/04/2023 06:20

where do you live that’s better?

I live in England. I didn't say I lived somewhere better. I hear people denigrating other people's colour, gender, sexuality, appearance, speech, faith, beliefs and origins every day. I see endless people buying and reading papers with hate-filled headlines on the front page. I hear political parties encouraging people to blame other people who are different from them for all of their problems, and I see people willingly following them.

I rarely meet anyone outside my work who I would describe as tolerant.

So you’ve taken a direct personal experience where you happen to be surrounded by arseholes, applied it to the whole country and assumed everywhere else is better? It’s not exactly flawless logic.

I strongly suggest you travel, even if just around the UK. Your experience is not representative. It if you choose to focus on the negatives I expect your experience will be negative and that’s not what this thread is about.

there are wonderful examples of multiculturalism, tolerance and kindness all around the Uk - perhaps make an effort to focus on/find those?

BritInAus · 29/04/2023 15:33

I left about 12 years ago. Things I really miss, in no particular order:

biscuits. Such a varied range of biscuits!
m&s and waitrose food
walks in the woods
bluebell season
National trust properties
good British crime drama / thrillers on tv
bbc radio 2
crisps
baked potatos and their many fillings
prawn Mayo sandwiches
boots (the shop)
world class museums and galleries, often free
hedgerows
indian food
the countryside in general
cosy pubs with fires in winter
pub beer gardens in summer
walks that end at a pub
hearty puddings with custard
summer fetes
car boot sales
chip shop chips
beautiful old houses with lots of character
London at Christmas with all the lights
homemade style cakes in little tea rooms
so many flowers I miss! Foxgloves, snowdrops
old churches and churchyards

JacobsCrackersCheeseFogg · 29/04/2023 15:43

We have the best cheese. I firmly believe this. I don't care what France thinks. 🙂

I miss builder's tea with milk, sliced bread with bits in it, and our puddings, when I go away.

BlueKaftan · 29/04/2023 15:44

The boat race
Eurovision
Pimms
Museums
Eurostar
Palaces and cathedrals
Morris Dancers at Street fayres
Beer gardens with a couple of nice dogs

Abracadabra12345 · 29/04/2023 16:24

activelyu · 28/04/2023 23:39

The way that everyone instantly cheers up hugely for our one week of Summer...radios playing in back gardens and the splash of paddling pools followed by shrieks as it starts to rain.

Proper tea

Scones and clotted cream and all our glorious stodgy puddings like crumble and apple pie with proper cream or custard

Proper fish and chips and mushy peas

Our dislike of too much outward affection and our merciless sense of humour

Stunning villages and thatched cottages with teeny little churches

The hilarious and childish shouting and ayes and eye rolls that happen in Parliament

Just a few of the eccentric things I love about the UK.

I've lived in several other countries but for all its flaws and problems, there's no place like home.

Where is this utopia where you only have one week of sun? Here in the SE summer was endless. Radios / music in gardens sounds right - for months though, not a week

Abracadabra12345 · 29/04/2023 16:27

BritInAus · 29/04/2023 15:33

I left about 12 years ago. Things I really miss, in no particular order:

biscuits. Such a varied range of biscuits!
m&s and waitrose food
walks in the woods
bluebell season
National trust properties
good British crime drama / thrillers on tv
bbc radio 2
crisps
baked potatos and their many fillings
prawn Mayo sandwiches
boots (the shop)
world class museums and galleries, often free
hedgerows
indian food
the countryside in general
cosy pubs with fires in winter
pub beer gardens in summer
walks that end at a pub
hearty puddings with custard
summer fetes
car boot sales
chip shop chips
beautiful old houses with lots of character
London at Christmas with all the lights
homemade style cakes in little tea rooms
so many flowers I miss! Foxgloves, snowdrops
old churches and churchyards

I have / visit / enjoy all those things fairly regularly so thank you for helping me notice and be grateful for them

CoffeeLover90 · 29/04/2023 16:35

The weather, I know that's strange, when the rain is battering down on an evening I'll be wrapped up with candles lit. Very relaxing.
The number of accents amazes me. I'm north east and we get called Geordies by anyone not from here. We're actually also makhems, sand dancers, pit yackers... and some get offended if you get it wrong. The slang in my area isn't understood by most not in the North, I'm careful when speaking to people from different parts of the country.
The country itself, has some beautiful landmarks, castles, the Lake District etc.
The people, the majority of them, are lovely.
The NHS and all who work for them.

starofwonder · 29/04/2023 16:56

I've lived abroad for most of the last 15 years. I haven't been to the UK for a year but looking forward to a holiday this summer so me and the children have been drawing up our essential to do list.

After visiting family it has:

McDonalds (yes we live somewhere with no McDs, we'll be stopping on the way from the airport )
The pub - in my mind I'm already in a sunny beer garden with a pint of cider
Waitrose and M&S (dreaming of an M&S picnic)
Buses and trains for short distances
Post delivered through the letter box
A decent Indian takeaway
Long summer evenings
Camping in those long summer evenings
Village / school fetes
Penny sweets
All the crisp flavours

DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy · 29/04/2023 17:25

@FatOaf ..you need to widen your circle

Crikeyalmighty · 29/04/2023 20:14

@ChippyTea16 were you in Sweden, Denmark or Netherlands?? Lots of us used to use British corner shop!!

FatOaf · 29/04/2023 22:14

I strongly suggest you travel

I have travelled. I've lived in three different countries in Europe, and in four different regions in England. In all four of those regions, the Daily Mail was the biggest-selling newspaper and every group of people included at least one loud-mouthed racist being lauded as a "character" and as someone who "tells it like it is". Very few people who have travelled (not as tourists) would make the ridiculous claim that the UK is "the most tolerant country on earth".

Aslanplustwo · 30/04/2023 01:00

Flappingtarps · 29/04/2023 11:09

The first three, lovely though they are, are hardly exclusive to UK!

Show quote history

To be fair, the majority of of things on this thread are hardly exclusive to the UK!

DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy · 30/04/2023 01:07

I don't think anyone's suggesting these things are exclusive to the uk. Posters are just talking about what they miss about it when they're away or what they love about it when they're here. No one's suggesting the UK is the only country to have a lovely spring day or beautiful countryside... but people have enjoyed such things here and wanted to share it.

Enko · 30/04/2023 01:11

Eton mess!

HappiDaze · 30/04/2023 01:23

I've lived abroad a few times and us Brits have a sense of humour and wavelength that you just lock into so it's something I hold dear and appreciate

And whenever I arrive back home in notice immediately at airport suddenly that it's oozing out of every Brit which I find comforting

Saschka · 30/04/2023 01:24

JacobsCrackersCheeseFogg · 29/04/2023 15:43

We have the best cheese. I firmly believe this. I don't care what France thinks. 🙂

I miss builder's tea with milk, sliced bread with bits in it, and our puddings, when I go away.

Yeah we do have the best cheese.

We have every kind of cheese. In France you only get French cheese, in Italy you only get Italian cheese. Germany has both German and Italian cheese, but English cheese is much harder to track down, and mostly limited to cheap mild cheddar. The less said about North American cheese the better (yes you can get decent cheese there but you’ll need to go to a specialist deli and take out a mortgage).

You can buy any kind of cheese from anywhere, in an average British supermarket. Our supermarket bread, fruit and veg may not be amazing, but our cheese options are world beating 🤣

Downunderduchess · 30/04/2023 02:17

RocketIceLollie · 28/04/2023 21:32

The little things.

People saying thank you to the bus driver when they get off the bus.
The different accents.
Local radio call in's.
People waving thank you when you let a car through.
When everyone cheers when someone drops a glass in a pub.

All of that happens where I live in Australia. We often yell taxi! If someone knocks over a drink.

Summerof76a · 30/04/2023 02:37

*Very few people who have travelled (not as tourists) would make the ridiculous claim that the UK is "the most tolerant country on earth"

It was me who said that. I'm well travelled and have lived in other countries and it's true. We're the most tolerant country on earth.

octoberfarm · 30/04/2023 03:56

National Trust Properties. The countryside and the history. The old houses and churches. Lovely chocolate and the huge variety of cake bars and cream teas and lovely desserts. Pubs with roaring fires. Thousands of miles of public footpaths. Incredible selection of vegetarian food options. Easter eggs. Elderflower cordial. The variety of accents. No particularly dangerous animals and minimal severe weather events. Christmas. John Lewis for a potter, and Sainsburys. M&S biscuits. How cheery everyone is when the sun comes out. Constant talk about the weather. Thatched cottages. Bluebells. Garden centers with a place for a coffee and cake. Ah, now I'm homesick too!

FurAndFeathers · 30/04/2023 05:24

FatOaf · 29/04/2023 22:14

I strongly suggest you travel

I have travelled. I've lived in three different countries in Europe, and in four different regions in England. In all four of those regions, the Daily Mail was the biggest-selling newspaper and every group of people included at least one loud-mouthed racist being lauded as a "character" and as someone who "tells it like it is". Very few people who have travelled (not as tourists) would make the ridiculous claim that the UK is "the most tolerant country on earth".

It’s honestly never occurred to me to look up the daily mail regional sales stats.

but then I don’t have the problem of hanging out with loud mouthed racists either.

I guess you find what you look for 🤷‍♀️

FurAndFeathers · 30/04/2023 05:30

FatOaf · 29/04/2023 22:14

I strongly suggest you travel

I have travelled. I've lived in three different countries in Europe, and in four different regions in England. In all four of those regions, the Daily Mail was the biggest-selling newspaper and every group of people included at least one loud-mouthed racist being lauded as a "character" and as someone who "tells it like it is". Very few people who have travelled (not as tourists) would make the ridiculous claim that the UK is "the most tolerant country on earth".

And FWIW, whilst I did not make that claim, I’ve lived in numerous parts of England, Scotland and Wales, plus 8 foreign countries.

the UK was significantly more tolerant than all of those countries - in some homosexuality was illegal, race, disability, religion and sex were not protected and actively discriminated against - and not just by a single loudmouth , but through access to healthcare, education and work.

So yes - if you think the UK is an intolerant place I suggest you travel more. If everywhere you go, you find yourself surrounded by obnoxious unpleasant loudmouths, then make better choices. It’s certainly not a universal experience for most of us living here so if it’s your experience you might want to reflect on the common denominator in that experience.

mathanxiety · 30/04/2023 05:55

Sense of humour.
Freedom and willingness to roam the countryside.
Multicultural, though this can be surface level sometimes.
Ever-evolving music scene.

FrenchFancie · 30/04/2023 06:17

I’ve not long ago come back to the uk after living abroad for 7 years. I don’t mind admitting that it’s been a struggle at times but things I have enjoyed:

shopping - specifically going into town for the day and going around different places. We had such a limited range of shops where I used to live.
A subset of this - english language bookshops where I can browse and buy at reasonable prices!

biscuits and cakes - no one does biscuits and cakes like the uk!

polite careful driving. I’ve been back over 9 months and not seen anyone coming at me on my side of the road, or doing 30mph over the speed limit, or parked on a roundabout, zebra crossing etc. My life has not flashed before my eyes once….

greeness - I lived in a hot arid place where it was essentially brown for 8 months of the year. Here it’s so green all the time!

no litter - there’s not too much litter in the verges and hedgerows - yes you see a bit but it’s not nearly as bad as where I was. Everywhere seems neater and tidier.

FrenchFancie · 30/04/2023 06:22

Oh yes I forgot post! Post being delivered to my house and collected from the post box down the road, not having to go to the post office in town that may or may not be open, using a PO Box that may or may not have my letters in. Trying to track down parcels that have gone somewhere but the person who knows isn’t in today…

and Amazon and online shopping. I lived somewhere that the mighty reach of Amazon did not penetrate. I’m spending a fortune because the bloody Amazon bloke is here practically every day…..