affordable gifts AIBU.... supermarket jam

[Doesntlooklikeanythingtome]

Hello, travelling back to NZ in a few weeks and would like to get small british gifts for friends and family but am starting to feel overwhelmed by the cost. AIBU to just give nice, supermarket, UK made, fruit jam? I love the tea at Whittards but just can't afford it for everybody. I would like to get some UK or London t-shirts but not sure of the cheapest place. Does anyone have any tips for bargain but nice gift buys from Waitrose or M and S or Sainsburys? What do you give as gifts? I would like something from the UK or London but not too expensive or cheap looking??? Any ideas? Biscuits?

I bring twinings English Breakfast, or Yorkshire Gold teabags when I visit friends abroad. Very lightweight, nothing to smash in the suitcase.

You can buy souvenir stuff off eBay. I recently bought some overseas colleagues little keychains of typical London stuff - Big Ben, black cab, red bus etc.

You can get t shirts on there easily too.

Would people really want a T-shirt bearing the name of a city they haven’t visited? Wouldn’t that be more of a souvenir for you?

Biscuits is a good call - get the kind in tubes or tins, to protect while travelling.

I think jam and teabags are fine - better than t shirts and key rings because you can actually make use of them!

Or Penguins to show them how much better they are than tim tams ;)

• Biscuits in gift boxes
• Marmalade in nice jars
• Herbal tea bags
• Sets of drinking chocolate. There are some really nice ones, e.g. with real clumps of chocolate that you melt in boiling water.

I agree with those who are not sure about t shirts etc. I don't think anyone would wear them or use keyrings etc.

Teabags are lighter and have less potential for disaster than jam, I think penguins are also a good shout. Otherwise maybe British sweets - rhubarb and custards or something similar? Percy pigs?!

Thanks everyone, all good tips. Just want to give a little something to everyone. So I’ll get a selection of tea and biscuits ... maybe nice soap

Marmite!

Don't forget to double check you can take things through customs.

Like honey isn't allowed into New Zealand - even if it just in certain goods it can only be so many percent. If it's a jar of honey it has to be New Zealand honey - UK honey will probably be confiscated.

Here's a link to the government check list www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/arriving-in-new-zealand/items-to-declare/can-i-bring-or-post-it-to-new-zealand/food/

Jam should be OK as should tea.

Jam should be OK as should tea. Though jam will probably be regarded as a liquid and need to go in hold luggage.

Try Morrisons "the Best" range too. Might be cheaper than M&S

You could try traditional sweets, eg aniseed balls, coltsfoot rock, edinburgh rock, scottish tablet

If they’re tea drinkers then definitely go for that. Other countries do not sell decent tea.

Soap is probably a bit pointless as they'll have that there.
Are they expats? Ask them if there's stuff they miss.
When I visit family abroad I bring marmite, crumpets (for my sister), tea, cheddar, galaxy chocolate, shortbread, and salt and vinegar crisps.

Is nz not the same as Australia with customs laws? If it is I doubt that you can take tea or jam. If you do you will need to declare it and go through additional screening. I would just get a few nice gifts for close family only I wouldn’t take a gift for everyone the cost, and the weight in your luggage just seems counterintuitive.
Have a lovely time for the remainder of your holiday

www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/arriving-in-new-zealand/items-to-declare/can-i-bring-or-post-it-to-new-zealand/

You have to declare it even if it is allowed.

You may want to consider having a look in Primark for tee shirts - they are fairly good quality, some have Union Jack on them and are very, very affordable. And, they are light to carry - you could use them to wrap the jam jars! When we get visitors from abroad, they get a lot of their stuff.

Little jars of Marmite. So British. I got quite a few for friends (I live in a different country and was doing a yearly visit), they were amazed. All tried it and typically some loved it and some hated it, but it gave us all a giggle. One of them loved it so much she now ships it over for herself