# Food: USA vs. UK



## DDJ_US_UK (Dec 15, 2007)

Are there any foods in the US that you cannot find in the UK? With my husband being from the Uk, there are so many foods he misses from there since living in the US, and he is really looking forward to going back to those things. Just wondering if the opposite will be true for me once we get to England.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Oh yes, indeed - there will be something. The situation has changed since I was living in the UK nearly 20 years ago, but there will be something you won't be able to get (or not easily).

US style Brach's jelly beans have not made it over to Europe for certain. The array of candies (sweets) is certainly different. Meat is cut slightly differently, so you may have to learn new terms for old cuts - or approximate when preparing your favorite dishes.

Not sure if chocolate chips are available these days in the UK (they sure aren't in France), and you'll have to see how the flour compares if you're into baking. French flour has a higher moisture content, so you have to adjust recipes to compensate. I think British flour is more like the US kind, but you'll find that out for yourself.

I'm sure those living there currently can give you more item - from their lists of what to stock up on when they're home. I know lots of European expats bring big boxes of baking soda back with them - it's much cheaper in the US, and used for much more over there than here.


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## DDJ_US_UK (Dec 15, 2007)

Onething just came t mind. When some of DH's friends were visiting us here in the US, they couldn't get enough of grape jelly! They want us to bring over a couple jars. Now that you mention sweets, there are some chocolate bars that they had never heard of before when here.

I'm very concerned about how I'll adjust to cooking over there. I can't cook worth a darn here, so I'm sure we're in for a lot of boxed dinners when we get there! LOL!!!!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

One thing I found very handy in the UK (and in France, come to think of it) is the availability of chilled prepared meals and dishes. You can get frozen food (and there are some great shops that sell nothing but frozen food), but for quick dinners and the like, "chilled" ready-made dinners are much more common that the US-style "frozen tv dinners." They also heat up much better than frozen dinners!


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## DDJ_US_UK (Dec 15, 2007)

Bevdeforges said:


> One thing I found very handy in the UK (and in France, come to think of it) is the availability of chilled prepared meals and dishes. You can get frozen food (and there are some great shops that sell nothing but frozen food), but for quick dinners and the like, "chilled" ready-made dinners are much more common that the US-style "frozen tv dinners." They also heat up much better than frozen dinners!


Oh yes. When DH was living in the UK as a single man, he said he practically lived on frozen dinners, and has commented about how the frozen dinners in the US are not nearly as good.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

They're pricey - but Marks & Spencers has some of the best chilled dinners! Even "exotic" stuff like enchiladas and some excellent Indian tandoori meals.


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## DDJ_US_UK (Dec 15, 2007)

Is that a store or a brand name?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

DDJ_US_UK said:


> Is that a store or a brand name?


Marks & Spencer are a store - google it


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## izzysmum04 (Nov 26, 2007)

*There are quite a few things in the states you can't get over here. Yes, you can forget about any sort of grape jam. They don't even know what Concord grapes are. They are big time into blackcurrant....YUCK!! Even the Starbursts over here have blackcurrant flavour instead of grape. They do have Welch's Purple Grape Juice though, so hopefully grape will catch on. *


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I've been told this has changed, but Reece's Peanut Butter Cups are hard to find everywhere I've ever been. Now, twenty-five years ago my answer would have been 'good'. You would miss good food. But things had improved a lot when I last visited about 15 years ago.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Peanut butter in almost any form seems to be an "acquired taste" and can be difficult to find in many European countries. Or, when you do find it, it is expensive (because it's imported). Peanut butter flavored foods - from Reece's cups to those peanut butter chips - are normally only available in "exotic" food sections, if at all.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I've never had much trouble finding peanut butter. I remember buying some in Africa, freshly ground with a mortar and pestle, and delivered on a banana leaf. But peanut butter cups are especially hard to find.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Anything made with peanut butter (cookies, candies, etc.) is nearly impossible to find. Peanut butter itself is usually available - but until recently, the only peanut butter available in some of the French hypermarkets has been the generic kind that comes either from Africa or from the Caribbean. Chunky style is more difficult to find than smooth.

Skippy peanut butter has suddenly become available pretty widely here - probably some marketing push by the manufacturer - but a small jar costs more than the giant size jar does back in the US. It still pays to stock up when visiting. <g>


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## izzysmum04 (Nov 26, 2007)

We have no problem getting either Skippy peanut butter or Reese's Cups here where we live in England. Every Woolworth's, Tesco's and Sainsburys we have here carry Reese's. They also carry the Reese's Nutrageous Bars. Aldi carries a really good peanut butter from a company in Georgia (US). Tastes almost as good as JIF.


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

I was bought up on peanut butter, crunchy and smooth, made by a company called Sunpat. There are now many differents kinds of peanut butter available in ALL UK supermarkets and small shops. They are usually found next to the jams (jelly).

There are always going to be things that are missing when you relocate, but there will always be something new to compensate. To me this was the least important worry when we moved. Schools, housing and jobs was far more important. I really wouldn't get stressed out over this. Some evenings we sit and discuss all the things we miss and we have a good laugh about it. When my oldest son goes back to London later this year, I think he will bring home suitcases full of food products that they miss.


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