Looking for small gift ideas that are quintessentially British

[KP86]

Travelling to the US in a couple of weeks and looking for some small gift ideas of 'British' things that I can take for a 15yo boy, 11yo girl and their parents. They love sweets, so along those lines would be fine, but I'm also happy for little trinket collectables.

Any ideas please? Not British myself so need a bit of help!

Thanks :)

Antiques. They don't have quite as much old stuff there and are very impressed with old silver teapots and the like.

Old fine china tea services made in Britain and now for sale in charity shops and on eBay would likely go down well if you can manage to safely pack it all up.

Of course tea. They have Twinings, but not all the boutique brands that we have here. A lot of people drink Liptons, brewed with microwaved water.

These are great!

You've given me another idea. Maybe while we are there we can have a proper afternoon tea event with sandwiches, scones etc.

I don't think I would trust the airlines not to smash vintage crockery.

Ah crap, I was writing for adults. Not reading properly!!!!! I blame my children wanting to be fed!

Tea cakes (no such thing in the US, they do have kitkats and twix already).
They would probably like some fashion items. Teens love to know what their peers are wearing across the pond. Tshirts, accessories, stuff from Lush, SuperDry, Jack Wills. Latest youth novels. Perhaps Mallorie Blackman's Knots and Crosses?

Oh yes, I am sure the girl would be dead impressed with a proper afternoon tea! Not sure about 15 year old boys...he might secretly, but guffaw a bit for effect. I don't think you will be able to get clotted cream though, and you might have trouble getting any through customs.

I agree the crockery could be a nightmare. Perhaps a single tea cup as a memento of the tea party?

I wonder if the lad would like a rugby shirt? I think an American would prefer the styling of one to that of football jerseys.

Book of Cockney rhyming slang for the 15 year old?

Cockney slang book sounds great.

You guys are awesome.

no point taking scales unless you also give them a recipe book using weights rather than volume

Depending where you are going, they may well have proper tea and whisky (I live here and I can buy both!). You can buy clotted cream in Wholefoods down the road from me (it costs a fortune, but it's not completely awful!)

I would transpose what I would buy say in NY as a tourist and get the British version here. So I would buy a NY fridge magnet, I would buy I heart NY PJs, I would buy a Yankee baseball shirt, I would buy Lucky Charms and Nerds. So to take out I would bypuy a football (soccer) shirt or cricket bat, the previous posters comments about traditional British sweets, yes! Pear drops, pontefract cakes, sherbet lemons etc Stationery, Union Jack memorabilia, fridge magnet, Footie socks, Fancy chocolates, Harrods teddy, I was going to say Rimmel London, but at 11 perhaps not

IME tourists to the UK love the old fashioned red phone boxes.

When our German exchange student came to stay she loved having her picture taken in them so when DD went to Germany she took her a phone box money box (metal one with clear window panels, from Amazon but look carefully and read reviews as some are cheap and nasty looking).

If you can't take a whole tea set, what about one of those upcycled cake stands made out of mismatched chintzy plates that packs flat?

"A lot of people drink Liptons, brewed with microwaved water".

Dozer - I've never come across microwaved water (but Liptons is the best selling tea here, and in many cafes the water isn't boiling hot or they put the tea bag on the side [unhappy]. Posh tea bags are more and more common, though)

Rimmel London is on sale at CVS and Target

Lots of cadburys choc, costs a fortune in us

Personalised Marmite jar.

We are Australian (as is part of the US family), so it's Vegemite all the way which is already sorted.

Cadbury's is also coming from home because the UK version is horrible to my taste.

I think I have enough ideas (although will keep reading for more!)

• M&S choc truffles
• telephone box money box
• cockney slang book
• tins of golden syrup
• will make an afternoon tea while there
• selection box of nice tea bags
• British flag/London tshirt or soccer jersey for each of the kids

Harry Potter stuff for the 11 year old maybe! The 15 year old too depending on what kind of kid he is. Any of the sweets mentioned in those books - sherbet lemons etc. Books are a great shout - maybe a ian Fleming one for the 15 year old, or an Agatha Christie for the adults? Malorie Blackman is fab too. Anything Shakespeare related eg fridge magnets with quotes on. Maybe a small piece of the blue Wedgwood china for adults? Also anything with the royals on!

Harry Potter isn't a bad shout, actually, especially the first one which was published with a different name in the US

(I'll repeat a cricket ball - everyone here has been fascinated by ours - they are like baseballs but very different )

Can you bring me some golden syrup over too, please? I've just run out

Cricket ball is added to the list.

What about these

www.twinings.co.uk/sale/sale-tea/merry-christmas-winter-spice-loose-tea-caddy?nosto=productpage-nosto-2

Half price at the moment and very English!

Gentlemen's Relish? Another one here for malt whiskey minatures.

• whisky

If you go for afternoon tea, maybe go to The Shard? Two birds with one stone and everyone will be happy with the view.
Get yourself to Liberty, especially their Xmas shop even if you don't buy anything it's a lovely experience just to mill round. We had a craze a while ago of those old fashioned sweet shops, not sure if any are still around but that could be a good place to stock up or you can't beat M&S for sweets, biscuits etc. I love the biscuits (shortbread?) in a bus or phone box tin

Saw a nice red telephone tree decoration in m and s today. Edinburgh rock would also be good to take over