Christmas in the Middle East?

[yallamamma]

We are going to be spending Christmas here for the first time this year, now I know it's early, but we are about to head home for summer, and I need to know what foodie items need to be on my shopping list to bring back with me in September....

For example, suet, for mince pies (unlikely I'll make my own actually, but you get the idea).... what won't I be able to get here? We have a decent M&S where I plan to get said mince pies, a profiterole dessert and probably a few other pre-made bits, but will I be able to source stuffing mix/glace cherries for cake/etc etc?

Has anyone got a 'Christmas supplies I can't get in ME' list you'd like to share??

Will be stocking up on cards and a few kids gifts as they are crazy money here, it's mostly the food bits I want to sort.

thanks so much.

The Middle East is a fairly big area - where are you? You can get pretty much everything in Dubai and (I'd imagine) pretty much nothing in Yemen.

Crackers and cards were very expensive in m&s (looked in both Dubai and Doha). I got naice cranberry sauce, fruit mince and a pud send from the UK because I had a Harrods voucher through phone provider .

I got suet in Waitrose in AD - not always in stock, but have definitely bought it.

Also can easily get Paxo, and some decent ready made stuffing too at Spinneys.

If you're in UAE have a look at turkey takeaway places - no need to cook at all, or only make the home made bits you want. I'm sure other countries may do similar if you look around.

Alcoholic christmas pud too - I've got that from the booze shop.

Saudi : glace cherries and fondant icing. Mixed peel - I made it last Easter, and found mixed fruit (raisins database and peel this year)
Xmas decorations, cards.
Bizarrely, jarred mince to make mince pies is available!!
We did turkey takeaway from a hotel last Christmas. Not how I'd have cooked it, but very nice (and mountains of food)

I have lived in the Middle East, on and off, for 9 years and here where I live you can pretty much get everything (with the exception of Marks and Spencer Prawn Sandwiches which I crave when back in UK).

My ME experience is in Egypt so what I could find was very different from Gulf countries. I'm going to write it down anyway just in case there are MNers in Egypt.

Christmas stockings are available locally, made by craft collectives. They look a bit folksy and are massive though, so you will need an awful lot of satsumas and chocolate coins to fill them.

Christmas cards also available from fair trade places and some Coptic handcraft shops. Much cheaper to buy from UK in bulk though.

Christmas trees, lights and decorations all widely available. Cheap ones from local shops and Christmas fair, more expensive ones at Ikea.

Panettone is widely available around Christmas/NY if you like that.

Christmas pudding and mincemeat I just make. I substitute chilled grated butter for the suet. The only thing I couldn't find is mixed peel so had to zest quite a few lemons. Make sure you have the booze if you're using it because imported spirits are seriously expensive unless you have Embassy contacts and can use Peter Justesen. Our friends tend to do an order in November from them for Christmas booze, food and chocolate.

You can't find christmas crackers for love or money. Christmas chocolate is available (Lindt reindeer, quality street tins, chocolate coins) but really expensive.

No cranberries or cranberry sauce that I could find, or brandy cream. Don't think there were candy canes either.

Just realised half of this isn't food, but never mind.

Almost everywhere will be decorated for Christmas and there will be lots of Christmas activities at schools and nurseries, but often under the guise of New Year celebrations. The day itself is super quiet and doesn't really feel much like Christmas at all. The good part is that we get three Christmases, on Dec 25th, Armenian Christmas on Jan 6th and Orthodox Christmas on Jan 7th, so lots of opportunity to celebrate!

Beware taking Christmas crackers on a plane. There are small amounts of explosives in the snaps, and if any security dogs sniff them out, there could be a big drama at the airport.

Between Spinney's and Carrefour you can get pretty much anything. Lulu do surprisingly good mince pies in their bakery.
I will be taking advent calendars, cards (more choice in UK and I'm a fussy bugger) and loads of cheap craft stuff for school that I bought in the sale last Christmas. And masses of good quality bacon, obv.

Jeanhh if you are in Dubai, I know from personal experience 😄 that M&S sell prawn cocktail sandwiches. DH thought he had died and gone to heaven.

OP. Buy your nice cards, papers, all the normal tat for stockings etc from the uk, more choice and cheaper. Also if your child knows what they want (or you are going to convince them they want) buy it so much cheaper in the uk. Everything else you can get at a price, with the exception of candied peel for some reason.

Christmas brunches in the hotels are amazing, likewise you can order a full meal and add your own touches from any of the hotels or golf courses. Santa always comes to Wafi, and most school fairs. Lots of the communities have fairs. Also Arte and Ripe have a large number of stalls selling locally (maybe) made gifts.

Hearing Christmas carols playing whilst listening to the call to prayer is one of my fondest memories.

Sorry, wandered a bit off topic there.

Make sure you go out into the desert and actually think of the birth of Christ in the Middle East. In fact Dubai Drums usually do a Christmas event. Just be prepared for the fact Dubai isn't prepared until way after you think they should be, although I did get an email today from Dubai Opera about a Christmas musical show 😮 Unheard of in previous years.

Enjoy your Christmas.

Sage for your sage and onion stuffing just in case you go nuts and 'have' to eat that Paxo then find you can't find sage anywhere. One year, a lady was really harassing the poor store assistant for Paxo and her DH would go mental if they couldn't have it. If she'd have been nicer to him I would've shared my stash with her.
Nutmeg/mixed spice is sometimes impossible to find.
Christmas Crackers can be found pretty much anywhere but Saudi I've found. Buying our tree there was like doing a drug deal! Very bizarre.
If you're anywhere BUT Saudi, the big shops heavily discount all decorations by about the second week of December because a lot of people 'go home' for Christmas. Oddly, they don't seem to discount Easter Eggs ever! My DH nearly bought one last week, I just gave him the 'Are you kidding me' look.

When I was in Egypt Carreforre turned into s Christmas shop in December. There were more decorations than you would get in some shops in England.

In India (I know it is not ME but I like this story) we had Christmas songs playing and chocolate advent calendars on sale in late January. They sell Waitrose things and I presume they were left overs.