Which of these British foods should this American try first?

[BananaPudding]

My little Texan village grocery has expanded and is trying to be very posh all of a sudden (which is a change from the standard Velveeta and Hamburger Helper choices) and has put in a British section of food! Imagine my shock to find some of the things you talk about in my own store here. It's quite pricy as it's all imported, so I want to try just one or two things at a time. Here's what they have to offer:

HP Brown Sauce and Fruity Sauce
Branston Pickle
Marmite
Heinz Baked Beans (apparently different than ours?)
Blackcurrant jam
Galaxy bars
Bounty bars
Bird's Custard
Bisto granules
Robinsons barley water

Think there are more but can't remember. Of these, what should I try?

Oh, almost forgot the Heinz Spotted Dick. It's creating hilarity/shock throught the town

Have the spotted dick with the custard.

But the packaged versions are nothing like as good as if you make it yourself!

Marmite. But you do need a masterclass in appropriate application first.

Would be a cheese & branston sarnie followed by a bounty - lovely!

They don't have blackcurrant jam in America!?

I think they should try the pickle first, with proper cheddar in a sandwich. (Or a nice Ploughmans)

Lol at these things being considered posh!

Bah! Humbugs!

There is no Irn Bru on the list!

Make a steak pie using the Bisto granules.

And an apple crumble with custard.

You really need cheddar if you are going to enjoy Branston Pickle.

LOL at that lot being thought posh.

I would not have thought to pair the custard with the spotted dick, so thanks for that idea!

What is in branston, when it says "pickle" what exactly is in there? They could have pickled anything! What type if cheese with it? We actually have a very good cheese section.

Martha, will you teach me the ways of marmite? And promise nit to hate me if I think it's vile?

Bisto best roast beef gravy granules

marmite.

Just by the fact that it's British, that makes it posh

And no, I've not seen blackcurrant jam before!

What is Irn Bru? Or Ploughmans?

Marmite: traditionally, you will either love it at first bite or hate it. You are unlikely to change your mind. So I'd be disinclined to fork out a lot of cash on the off-chance.

If you do, make toast, butter it and spread a VERY thin amount of marmite on it.

(It is my son's staple food - for many of us Brits, it fills the same cultural space as the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.)

Ooooh, marmite on white toast, followed by Galaxy dipped in tea.

I can't believe you've never had blackcurrant jam

I would have toast with butter & marmite for breakfast.

Heinz beans on toast are also very tasty and you definitely need to have cheddar cheese & Branston pickle sandwiches.

Robinsons barley water is the squash of choice chez Pesto, so a nice refreshing glass of that, chilled if poss.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the custard

And Galaxy, well, you'll never bother with Hersheys again

Galaxy definitely, I've tasted your American chocolate and I don't know how you stomach it. Blackcurrant jam on hot buttered toast with a cup of tea is also divine.

Cheddar cheese sandwich with Branston Pickle is very good too, although I think there are nicer pickles. Also good with ham.

Cece, you presuppose a 'proper cheddar' - you'll be lucky to find that in a small town in Texas I fear!

In addition to the existing list, the store must surely stock some good dark breakfast marmalade. And some good tea - Assam or a breakfast blend and NOT Liptons. Don't suppose they can manage to import proper shortback bacon so you'll still be short of the full monty. (US bacon is a mystery to me. We could only ever find streaky which was 90%fat with a tiny strip of meat along one edge.)

When I lived in the US the one thing I really wanted by way of traditional British food was a curry with mango chutney - I think I found some sort of curry powder but no mango chutney anywhere. The other thing curiously absent from the US - given their fondness for icecream with all sorts of toppings - was Cadbury's Flakes. Someone is missing a huge trick there.

Actually, there are quite a few nice-looking English cheeses at the counter, and given my likely uneducated-with-regard-to-cheese palate, even if it isn't proper I'll probably still think it's great

Seriously, I've never had blackcurrant jam! Believe it! But have YOU had mayhaw jelly, just answer me that

isn't galaxy chocolate? You dip it in tea??

Hershey's is vile. Even I know that.

The marmite costs the equivalent of 7gbp for a tiny bottle. Is that a lot?

I would be wary of the Galaxy. If you try it Hersheys will taste like cheap 'chocolate flavoured' cooking chocolate for ever more.

I would try a dab of marmite on hot buttered toast just because it's sooo different to anything ordinarily available in the States.

Branston pickle on a slice of cheddar in a sandwich. If no cheddar, try edam.

Nope, never even heard of Mayhaw jelly!

Galaxy is chocolate and we don't usually dunk it in tea

£7 for marmite is extortionate

Is mayhaw a berry, like a hawthorn perhaps?

[interested emoticon]

fuck me bp, £7 is extortinate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JINX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marmite is expensive but not that expensive! I'll send you some for less than that!

No dark marmalade. Only Smuckers Sweet Orange: smuckers

Bacon I can't answer for, as I only know what is available to me.

As for tea, I forgot to mention that they have gotten PG Tips tea. Also have always had Twinings.