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

[cece]

In case no one has told you below a Ploughmans is a traditional type meal often found in Ye Olde Pub.

Fresh crusty bread, a little pot of butter, salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, chunks of cheddar cheese (or sometimes stilton cheese) and a pot of Branston Pickle. All set out on a plate and you eat it partially with you hands and partially with a knife and fork as appropriate. Yum.

[TrillianAstra]

I think anyone with even a normal level of chocolate afficionado-ness would appreicate galaxy over hersheys. But it is dangerous if you currently think that hersheys is okay.

I had forgotten that there's no such thing as squash in America!

[GrimmaTheNome]

The ploughman's may also have a pickled onion or two.

You really need some proper beer or cider to wash it down.

[Bibithree]

Definitely get the Branston pickle and a good strong English cheddar, eat in crusty white bread with butter and some salad and possiby whoelgrain mustard ont he side. Yum. Yum.

Or, get the baked beans and hp sauce, beans on toast with sauce drizzed over the top - proper comfort food for me

£7 for Marmite is v expensive, but will be worth it IF you like it, it is truly a love it or hate it item though.

[TheDMshouldbeRivened]

galaxy bar. For sure

[GrimmaTheNome]

Two nations divided by a common language - I remember being puzzled by Beth in little women cooking something called 'squash'.

[Portofino]

I'm STARVING now! Though as an Expat, the things I always buy (apart from the obvious bacon and sausages and nice cheese) are Shredded wheat, Heinz Salad Cream, Branston Pickle, Strawberry Nesquick, Robinson's Squash (dd prefers Summer Fruits but I'm an Orange and pineapple girl), Tetley Tea bags, Cravendale milk and Fray Bentos pies!

In fact it is a bit chilly today, so for dinner we are having FB S&K Pudding with mash and veg and Bisto. This is a special treat. Yum yum!

[SomeGuy]

We used to have Branston pickle when living in the Americas, but it was the American version which said it contained 'rutabaga', which is a fabulous American word for swede.

You surely do not need to get in an overpriced imported shop.

[hatwoman]

what a great thread. I thought, from the title, it was a Brit who was having an American come to stay and couldn't wait to cook them lots of yummy traditional British food. BananaPudding - please be aware that these are British oddities - interesting and very British and much loved - but no more representative of British food than peanut butter and jelly is of American food. Right, now I've got that off my chest: Blackcurrant jam is in a league of its own compared to the others. White bread, lots of butter. Heavenly. Other than that marmite is worth trying for the hell of it. But at £7 you might want to persuade the deli to open a sample pot - cos you may well hate it. I don't really like any of the other things - which are, let's face it, processed rubbish. Galaxies and Bounties (those plurals look weird) are pretty bog-standard chocholate snacks (but bog-standard chocolate snacks are, after all, delicious). Barley water is nothing to write home about. Bisto is revolting. As are Branston and HP sauce (you do know what HP stands for don't you?) Tinned puddings are never great. Custard is good though. It has to be the jam.

[Katisha]

Quite concerned that the shop is not making it clear that you HAVE to have custard with spotted dick.



No - too much to take on board.

[AvadaKedavra]

vegemite and marmite are not similar tastes at all - vegemite is rank, marmite is not.

[ABetaDad]

Black pudding. Fried in bacon fat and eat with grilled tomato, an egg, beans and toast.

[GoldenSnitch]

We ahve a shop near me that sells all sorts of American food but has no Velveeta!

It's amazing what food from another country can be made appealing just by it's distance.

I'd try the Marmite - I love the stuff - agree, very thin on white toast with lots of butter

[tethersend]

Why has no-one mentioned a bacon sandwich on white bread with HP sauce?!?

It is divine.

[GoldenSnitch]

Cause bacon isn't the same in America.

You can't make a decent bacon sarnie with streaky bacon

[hester]

What IS Velveeta?

You should definitely try the marmite. If you don't like it on its own, try it (a VERY thin scrape) with peanut butter on toast - marvellous stuff.

Spotted dick and custard - very comforting.

Galaxy - as good as cheap chocolate gets.

[catinthehat2]

I know I am a bad person, but I like American chocolate. I really like that weird sheepy vomity cheesy taste.

OK you can shoot me now.

[hester]

BananaPudding, I am heading for the US next week. What foods do you recommend I should try?

catinthehat - you need compassion, not condemnation. But seek help now.

[eeky]

me and dh vote for a bacon sandwich (much better if you can find back bacon ie: more meat and much less fat than usual American bacon) on crusty white bread or toast, with LASHINGS of HP sauce. Good on a fried egg sandwich or with scrambled eggs too.

[differentID]

catinthehat2

it tastes like curdled baby vomit!!!!!!

You are unclean!!!!!

[OrangeFish]

I can not bring myself to eat Bounty or Galaxy bars, even being an addict to chocolate, I can't bring myself to like them, no.

Shocked at these things being considered posh....

[UniS]

hestor- look out for
Root beer, try several different brands and types, they don't ALL taste quite like germolene.
Twinkies- they are grim, but remember grease..
Breakfast cereals with multi coloured cereal and marshmallows , anything that turns the milk purple has to be worth a try.

[GoldenSnitch]

Velveeta is basically the same stuff as processed cheese slices but in a block - almost.

Sounds gross but my BIL makes a sort of Nacho dip with it that is delicious.

[catinthehat2]

HAHAHAHA

DON'T CARE

[tethersend]

Goldensnitch- are you kidding? It's better with streaky bacon!

catinthehat2- I do too Hershey kiss? Christ, that sounds filthy... again