What UK things aren't available in the USA?

[PandaEyes56]

I have an American friend who loves all things UK. I generally send her a parcel at Christmas, but I'm a bit stuck as to what to put in it this year. I used to send things like Quality Street and Terry's Chocolate Orange, but she can get those at a supermarket called World Market now. All ideas welcome! She's also a huge reader, so ideas for bookish gifts welcome too!

On a related note, I'd like to send her 17 and 18 yesr old daughters a small gift (maybe make up) but am also not sure what brands they have access to.

I could ask them of course, but that would ruin the fun of a surprise package!

Why on earth would anyone miss Roses or Quality Street? F&M truffles?

They get some M and S food products in Target now.

https://www.target.com/c/marks-spencer/-/N-s80gx

My American colleague always requested anything earl grey from M&S when I visited!

There's cinnamon toothpaste in the US.

I've sent Fortnum and Mason hampers to the US at a fairly reasonable cost, but this was before the tariffs.

But whatever you do don't send Christmas crackers or kinder eggs. Neither are allowed.

Chocolate pancakes/crepes the ones you pop in the microwave

Scottish Shortbread

I’m sending my American friend a set of British Christmas decorations. Big Ben etc that I bought from Marks and some Percy pigs .

You can get Scottish shortbread everywhere in the US.

I miss Quality Street but I’ll be fucked if I’m paying $30-odd dollars at World Market for a tub that’s £6 in the UK. Posh choclolate and truffles are available everywhere but it’s the cheap stuff that is so disgusting in the US.

This is 100% correct in so much that the FDA does not allow any food stuff that has non-food item inside it so kinder eggs, because there is a plastic capsule containing a toy inside the chocolate, it is not allowed to go into the usa.

(Some people argue that the USA has kinder eggs and yes they do have a product that has the same name and looks similar when wrapped but it's actually not the same thing at all as what the rest of the world understands to be a kinder egg)

Not sure if Christmas crackers fall under the same category because it's not a food, but it is possible that the cracker part, with a tiny teeny little bit of gunpowder to make the snap in the bang might be considered a firearm? Yeah I know, crazy but, best to find this out before you send it.

Also I'm just wondering this year, ever since August 29th when the US global de minimus was suspended, how much tariff will have to be paid by your recipient upon receiving the package.
More than likely your recipient has never had to consider tariff on a package before (only if it was over $800 us, prior to August 29th 2025) so that might be a unpleasant extra that they'll have to pay this year.

Just something to keep in mind.

There is an English clothes shop called Subdued that is not yet in America (set to open next year I think) but my friends daughters (14 &19) love getting clothes from there. There is one in Covent Garden and you can buy online.

Go European and trawl the Aldi aisle of shit for naff German market fodder. I bet they’d love it!

You can get most things even at Amazon now. Amazon does Yorkshire tea and digestives and hobnobs. I do still take the pigs, even though you can get them at Target now.

It definitely does not do rag pudding or parkin. But I don't think you can ship rag pudding!

The USA has aldi’s complete with the aisle of shame!

is marmalade eaten in US ?

My american friend always wants me to send chocolate digestives

We have Aldi here. They’re not quite as good as the ones in the UK yet but the “German Market Fodder” is available

As for the teenagers, send them a Sephora gift card.

I'm in America now. I was asked to bring crunchies and chocolate honeycombs from M&S.

Crunchie is a good call, you only rarely see them over here in Indian supermarkets.

Books (trying to think of ones which are quintessentially British) :
Raising Hare
Something by James Herriot
I capture the castle
A Famous five book

Good tea. You can get it here but it's outrageously overpriced. I'm not sure I've ever seen Yorkshire gold here.

“Proper” Cadburys - it’s got a higher soya content in the USA (something like that). Also marmalade - if the recipient likes it. Db can get jam but no marmalade.

I once sent some Jacob’s Mini Cheddars to an American friend who got a taste for them on a holiday here but couldn’t get them at home.

If she's a tea drinker, Brew Tea Co brand English breakfast teabags. I now have to bring it for all my American friends when we go.

Agree; we go for a month every year and we're always gasping for Yorkshire Gold by the time we come home. If your friend likes tea then it's a must.

I send my brother (he's lived in the US for 35 years) a Christmas decoration for the tree, every year. We started by sending expensive classy ones (from Selfridges or Harrods etc) ... but for the past few years we've sent the most awful/tacky/UK-themed (eg Union Jack corgi) ones we can find. They accumulate on his family Christmas tree and we get a photo each year. It's lovely. Like a timeline, and a small connection between our families.

Not sure if you have Albertsons supermarkets where you are but the one near me sells yorkshire tea, pg tips and heinz beans ($5.99 a tin though so I rarely bother).

The only thing I really bring back with me when I go home are brand name crisps like tayto, monster munch or hula hoops and lyons tea bags. Pretty much everything else you can get in various places.