what typically English/ British sweets and treats?

[catinapatchofsunshine]

I've been away too long I guess, I don't miss anything, or I don't remember what I miss...

I'm going to London in a couple of weeks and want to bring back typically English/ British sweets or chocolate or biscuits or something to share at work and college on my birthday (tradition of birthday person being the one to bring stuff in, and I don't want to bake because I get back late the night before, have an exam at college and work straight after college on that day ). There's a reason I definitely want to bring English/ British treats to share though...

What sweets/ treats do I buy in London to share in Germany? I honestly can't think of anything, the only things I bother acquiring online or bringing back these days are teabags, but I assume I'm just jaded!

What sweets and bought food snack treats do you miss?

Ooo black jacks, fruit salads, rhubarb & custard, jelly tots, dolly mixture... mmmm!

Grasmere gingerbread.

Bakewell tarts.

Aniseed Balls. Midget Gems. Floral Gums. Wham Bars........

I have lived abroad. Cadbury's chocolate always tasted different to Milka or Ritter. Maltesers. Local fudge. Pear drops.

Swizzles do tubs of old school tuck shop sweets. Blackjacks, drumsticks, Palma violets, love hearts etc.
Cadbury Heroes or Roses for a selection of chocolates.
Supermarkets do bags of traditional sweets, pear drops, mint humbugs, aniseed balls, dolly mixtures.

Don't forget the liquorice allsorts and jelly babies!

Shortbread?

Thank you! Some ideas in directions I definitely wouldn't have thought of! Midget gems absolutely! Also retro pick and mix is a great idea - pick and mix is common here (at the cinema anyway) but not the fruit salad, rhubarb and custard, jelly tots, jelly babies stuff!

You can get shortbread and malteesers here easily now, though they are definitely good things :o

British style gingerbread is a good idea, it's really different to lebkuchen.

Bakewell tarts are a good idea too - I don't actually like them, but then it's not all for me :o The word tarts gave me the idea for jam tarts too! :o

Definitely something to go on!

I'm tempted to try to bring back an m&s decorated children's cake as a joke and because there is nothing like that here, but I doubt that would travel well ...

Jaffa cakes

Thanks - jaffa cakes you can get in every supermarket here (called something else but same thing), but would certainly be a good idea for places they aren't available.

The thing I missed the most when living in Germany was teabags too, OP . We're moving back in 8 months so I'm going to have to have a big box shipped. Some good ideas on this thread for things to take for the children to share with their classmates when they arrive.

My German friends love shortbread! What about ginger nuts and custard creams to go with the tea?

When we moved out here I bought 500 tea bags as my mother in law warned me they were difficult to get!! When they came over at Easter she brought us some Earl Grey...yum!

Go to M and S and get a Colin the Caterpillar cake!! You could fill the box with kitchen roll to pad it out......

Im in Germany and you can’t gonqromg with a big selection tin of classic English biscuits, and/or shortbread. Or hobnobs / choc digestives — yes you can get a sort of substitute, or a tiny expensive packet, but always welcome.

We bought penguins for DDs class as a birthday treat and they went down really well.

Failing that, roses/quality street type things — also not that easy to get here.

Gonqromg? Go wrong.....

Galaxy!

Parma Violets
Ripple
Creme Eggs

You can get proper shortbread in Rewe all the time, though I agree it's popular, known and seen as typically English! Edeka has gingernuts and actual Mcvitties chocolate digestives too, not enough of a price difference to justify the handluggage space.

Maybe I'll just buy that stuff here and bring it in :o

The retro sweets and Bakewell tarts are definitely things not available in the local supermarket, as is Colin the caterpillar, I'm so tempted!

We always end up bringing back chocolate buttons and polos.

My friend in Norway asks for marmite, tea bags and salt and vinegar crisps, as apparently that flavour is only popular in Britain and is harder to replicate than one might expect. Are any of these things on your list OP?

Oh now chocolate buttons and penguins are also an idea... Although I find cadburys disappointing nowadays, and for the last few years haven't bothered with it on trips to the UK, but chocolate buttons are worth making an exception for...

You can get salt and vinegar crisps here now - didn't used to be able to when we first moved. I might buy some here to take into work and college as they're not a typical German (paprika) choice.

I'm looking for things to take into work and college where almost everyone is German and the few who aren't are Easter European, so no nostalgic Brits to cater for, it's a different target audience I guess. I'm not wasting my good PG Tips (though I keep my own stash in my locker at work - someone was nicking them when I left them in the kitchen )

Really just looking for "English" / "British" sweets to put out to share. Lots of good ideas on here!

*eastern not Easter

As previous posters suggest, the typical sweet jar sweets, so cola cubes, teacakes, winter mixture, Olde Fashioned Sweet shops are quite common near me! Flying saucers!

There are 2 things my European relatives want to take back when they visit:-
Crumpets
Cadbury's flake