Gifts for American Visitors

[Jaffacake76]

Hi,

We are hosting a group of 12 Americans in the summer & I thought I’d make up some little gift bags to help them remember their trip to London. Does anyone have some amazing ideas of what to include? What Americans would like?
Thanks so much!

Is it Harry & Megan? 😄

Tins of shortbread, fridge magnet, tea towels, baseball caps?? I have American family and there favourite souvenirs are always English food 😍

Cadburys chocolate. Shortbread. Some individually wrapped breakfast tea bags. A tiny jar of marmite. A miniature of scotch whisky. A Christmas decoration that is something uniquely British eg a phone box or red bus so they can hang it on their tree and remember their trip every year.

Marmite!

A bottle of HP sauce.
Something tube-themed, from the London Transport Museum shop.

Good options above, I especialy like the christmas decoration idea.

A postcard
Baseball cap
Union Flag Umbrella
Keyring
Pen

This.

Definitely Cadbury chocolates. Ours taste different from those in the UK. The UK ones taste better. As of a few years ago, Cadbury stopped allowing the UK chocolate into the US. I have read about UK chocolate oranges but have never seen them so that might be nice.

It is easy to find Walker shortbread and Twinings tea in the US, so other brands of shortbread in tins or tea would be nice.

The Christmas decorations are a good idea.

I brought back Jaffa cakes which were a big hit since we don't seem to have them here.

There are Polish jaffa cakes in all the supermarkets around here. The brand is Delicje. If the American visitors live in the Chicago area, don't bother with jaffa cakes.

Don’t buy tat for the sake of buying tat. If you’re going to buy then gifts select items they’ll actually get to use and enjoy. Tea towels, mugs, edibles, etc. are all good choices, though bear in mind their suitcases will likely be bursting at the seams so keep the gifts small.

Lovely tea and biscuits - can you stretch to Fortnums, might be a bit pricey for 12 but the packaging is lovely. Emma Bridgewater mugs.

Unless they’re tea drinkers they won’t care about “lovely” tea. Elderflower spritzer and M&S biscuits should do the trick.

You can get all that stuff in the States (they even sell Marmite on Amazon, though it's very pricey, but you know it's Marmite so most people hate it unless they grew up with it), unless they live particularly rural. I wouldn't want a bag of stuff that 90% wouldn't use to lug back.
It's a nice thought but I think you'd be wasting your money.

How much are you spending?

I've bought coins as gifts a few times. https://www.royalmint.com/gifts/under-25/

The uncirculated collectors coins start at about £12 but you could get a bag of new 50p coins from the post office and distribute them, currently they are the only coins in circulation with the king's head on them.

Sweets / chocolate / biscuits.

Kinder eggs but they have to eat them before they return.

Fridge magnets are cheap and light. As are key rings.

Morrisons sells tiny jars of jam, lemon curd, marmalade they are the size you get at some breakfast buffets.

Are they all adults or are there any children?

When my brother's children were small I brought an Australian children's cook book for them, and I also bought a set of Aussie cups to use with it.

Depends on budget but a tea towel, shortbread, fridge magnet type gift in a London carrier bag would work

Wow thank you for your replies & great ideas!!

If you look on the Fortnum and Mason website there are relatively inexpensive things to by eg tins of tea - tea strainer etc - which are very prettily packaged. Otherwise if you can order online the Royal Hospital Chelsea shop ( home of the Chelsea Pensioners ) have some things they may like - https://shop.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/collections/all?page=2