# Food transfer



## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Hiya- just a quickie....

Is there any foods I can't take to Spain from the UK? 

Thanks


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Im not aware of any, no. You never get stopped when you enter Spain anyway. When coming through the French / Spanish border you have a job to figure where the border is


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Stravinsky said:


> Im not aware of any, no. You never get stopped when you enter Spain anyway. When coming through the French / Spanish border you have a job to figure where the border is


Ok thanks, will be coming by plane so I assume that's still no problem?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

sarakas said:


> Ok thanks, will be coming by plane so I assume that's still no problem?


Well, plane, boat or automobile, I have never been strip searched for food


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Stravinsky said:


> Well, plane, boat or automobile, I have never been strip searched for food


Excellent- didn't think so but just wanted to check! 

Also- I'm looking to move to madrid next year, is it possible for family to send/post English "food parcels" if things can't be found there?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

sarakas said:


> Excellent- didn't think so but just wanted to check!
> 
> Also- I'm looking to move to madrid next year, is it possible for family to send/post English "food parcels" if things can't be found there?


Awwwwww, you dont mean that do you 
I should imagine you will find much of what you want here. There are English shops, but not sure how many in Madrid.

Here we have Iceland 

You wiull more often than not find an alternative Spanish product. However, I doubt food parcels would be a problem apart from the fact that the Correos might lose them


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

My husband bought camembert cheese, and kept it in his hand luggage, he was flying from Valencia to Paris, then on to HK, he had his cheese confiscated at French customs, only last year, I suppose it is because it was a soft cheese.
We have taken all kinds of food, including full Jamon, in our check in luggage, both to UK and HK.


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Stravinsky said:


> Awwwwww, you dont mean that do you
> I should imagine you will find much of what you want here. There are English shops, but not sure how many in Madrid.
> 
> Here we have Iceland
> ...


Hahaha! Only reason I ask is because my OH who is spanish has fallen in love with things like- cheddar and Stilton cheese, scotch eggs and some other things which we're not sure we can get in some of the English stores.

I'm going there in two weeks and it seems my suitcase and hand luggage will be full of food rather than clothes etc!! Lol


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Make your own Scotch eggs, much better!!!


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

fergie said:


> My husband bought camembert cheese, and kept it in his hand luggage, he was flying from Valencia to Paris, then on to HK, he had his cheese confiscated at French customs, only last year, I suppose it is because it was a soft cheese.
> We have taken all kinds of food, including full Jamon, in our check in luggage, both to UK and HK.


Thanks fergie, just would be devastated if I lost my cheeses!!! Haha..... And so would he!!


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

thrax said:


> Make your own Scotch eggs, much better!!!


Hmmmmm- although this is a good idea, I'm not sure mine would resemble a scotch egg! Lol

I tried to attempt his mothers chicken croquettes, he said they looked like little dog poos!! Haha


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

sarakas said:


> Thanks fergie, just would be devastated if I lost my cheeses!!! Haha..... And so would he!!


So was he!


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

sarakas said:


> Hmmmmm- although this is a good idea, I'm not sure mine would resemble a scotch egg! Lol
> 
> I tried to attempt his mothers chicken croquettes, he said they looked like little dog poos!! Haha


If you have an Iceland store anywhere near Madrid, you can buy the scotch eggs, mature cheddar cheese etc. If you bring too much from the Uk remember, the scotch eggs have to be eaten within a few days of purchase,, and even sealed up cheddar will go off eventually.


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

fergie said:


> If you have an Iceland store anywhere near Madrid, you can buy the scotch eggs, mature cheddar cheese etc. If you bring too much from the Uk remember, the scotch eggs have to be eaten within a few days of purchase,, and even sealed up cheddar will go off eventually.


No, unfortunately no Iceland store in Madrid.

Won't be bringing too much as it's for my OH's birthday party and he wants English and Spanish Buffett/tapas spread- and I know whatever doesn't get eaten before I return to the UK , he will munch his way through 😊


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Dde0a? Have no idea what that was!!! Lol


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

sarakas said:


> Dde0a? Have no idea what that was!!! Lol


I think its a smiley gone wrong )


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

tonyinspain said:


> I think its a smiley gone wrong )


I tried to add a wink smilie, maybe that went wrong Tony. I couldn't add a cheesy grin when my husband had his beloved camembert confiscated could I!.


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

fergie said:


> I tried to add a wink smilie, maybe that went wrong Tony. I couldn't add a cheesy grin when my husband had his beloved camembert confiscated could I!.


Boom boom- cheesy grin! Camembert- I see what you did there!! Lol


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

tonyinspain said:


> I think its a smiley gone wrong )


I unsmiled!!!?


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

My iphone does this sometimes )

Looks like gobley **** or a secret code lol


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

tonyinspain said:


> My iphone does this sometimes )
> 
> Looks like gobley **** or a secret code lol


Hey why not add emojis to expat forum it would be easier just a thought


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

tonyinspain said:


> Hey why not add emojis to expat forum it would be easier just a thought


Can you do that from iPhone?


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

sarakas said:


> Can you do that from iPhone?


Viber has them why not 
This is the new ex pat app so it would be a great and fun tool to have 
All you do is go into settings language 
Add language emojis and hey presto smileys galore but they don't work on here


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

😄😃😀😊☺😉😍😘😚😗😙😜😝😛😳😁😔😌😒😞😣 ho hold on i think I've found them


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

tonyinspain said:


> dde04dde03dde00dde0a☺dde09dde0ddde18dde1adde17dde19dde1cdde1ddde1bdde33dde01dde14dde0cdde12dde1edde23 ho hold on i think I've found them


No sorry they don't work boo hoo


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

tonyinspain said:


> dde04dde03dde00dde0a☺dde09dde0ddde18dde1adde17dde19dde1cdde1ddde1bdde33dde01dde14dde0cdde12dde1edde23 ho hold on i think I've found them


Hahahaha! Nice try!


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Mercadona sells Irish Cheddar and Mature Irish Cheddar cheese and larger branches of Carrefour hypermarkets carry a good selection of UK products....


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

whitenoiz said:


> Mercadona sells Irish Cheddar and Mature Irish Cheddar cheese and larger branches of Carrefour hypermarkets carry a good selection of UK products....


Perfect- I'm pretty sure there's one just near him! 

Thanks


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Warning, while you are in UK, don't buy a Cheese called 'Stinking Bishop", honestly it is really strong, and really does smell awful, people who like strong tasting cheeses love it. I personally do not like strong smelling or blue cheeses, I put my husbands smelly cheeses in an air sealed plastic box in the fridge.
My friend who used to work in The City, London, bought some 'Stinking Bishop", and travelled on the train to her home with a small portion she had bought in her handbag, the fumes from it gave her some very disgusted looks from fellow travellers, and after she got home had to throw the handbag away as the smell lingered.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Scotch eggs are actually very easy to make. When I make mine I use two week old eggs (easier to peel the shell off) and boil them between soft and hard so the yolk is still runny when you cut into the finished egg.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

As people have said there's no Iceland in the Madrid region. There are a few specialist shops in the capital, but I believe they're pricey. Some Carrefour's have Brit/ American sections, but I think they're only in the big ones called Carrefour Planet. I've seen tea in my local Mercadona. After a couple of years you'll probably find you get fed up carting things to and fro from one place to another and you'll get more used to stuff here. I'll never understand people buying things like Anchor butter for example when you can get perfectly good butter here. When Marks and Sparks first came here (about 15 years ago, then they packed up and came back again in a few selected places a couple of years ago) they stocked things like toilet rolls, olives imported to Britain from Italy and exported again to Spain. No wonder their overseas branches failed!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

whitenoiz said:


> Mercadona sells Irish Cheddar and Mature Irish Cheddar cheese and larger branches of Carrefour hypermarkets carry a good selection of UK products....


Mercadona "Irish Cheddar" (Dunmore?) is like the rubber stuff that goes under the name "French Cheddar" and tastes not much different.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Certain foods seem to trigger the 'investigate more closely' alarm at airport security. Last week my bag was emptied and searched...I had two packs of Danepak bacon. 
When I did my weekly Prague- UK commute I used to bring all kinds of foodstuffs back with me as Prague was a culinary desert. Each week I took a block of extra- mature Cheddar back with me...and every time my bag was searched.
Apparently cheese shows up on the XRay screen exactly like Semtex....


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

The worst are journeys involving the USA with their fear of any infection that may be transmitted to their country (perhaps they have enough already). Officially, one is not allowed to even take stuff you may have saved from your in-flight meal (Yes, there are some people who are *that* desperate!) and, officially, you have to have any foodstuffs cleared by the USDA at customs before passing through or be stopped and have it all confiscated, even if it would have passed!


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

... and don't try taking bananas into Australia... in fact I don't think foodstuffs of any description are allowed through Australian Customs...


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> Certain foods seem to trigger the 'investigate more closely' alarm at airport security. Last week my bag was emptied and searched...I had two packs of Danepak bacon.
> When I did my weekly Prague- UK commute I used to bring all kinds of foodstuffs back with me as Prague was a culinary desert. Each week I took a block of extra- mature Cheddar back with me...and every time my bag was searched.
> Apparently cheese shows up on the XRay screen exactly like Semtex....


Try going through customs in New Zealand or Australia eating the apple they gave you on the plane and kiss goodbye to a right few quid in on the spot fines.

Mary, Tesco and Iceland UK are selling 300g packs of dry cured plain or smoked bacon, generally six rashers, Iceland is £1, Tesco is £1.50 and its good bacon, not pumped full of water as you'll see if you fry it as it can actually burn instead of bleeding water and shrinking to nothing. Its vacuum packed like Danepak but better bacon IMHO and its all I take on my little trips and the smoked will certainly last a few days minimum without refrigeration.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

You can get away with some food in Australia, not a lot but things like chocolate and sweets are generally OK and if you are not sure just go through the "something to declare" line at customs and check the box on your customs card and then you wont get fined it'll just be confiscated.

Can you get real bacon in Spain and not the streaky stuff?
It's like hens teeth over here, same with chops with the fat left on or a proper roast pork it's all French cut and not worth buying. The English shop here makes a killing on importing real meat.
I'm hoping it's a bit better in Spain.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

We were once pulled over flying out of Bristol with half a swede. Bloody embarrassing! A whole swede would have been slightly better - but not much.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Pazcat said:


> You can get away with some food in Australia, not a lot but things like chocolate and sweets are generally OK and if you are not sure just go through the "something to declare" line at customs and check the box on your customs card and then you wont get fined it'll just be confiscated.
> 
> Can you get real bacon in Spain and not the streaky stuff?
> It's like hens teeth over here, same with chops with the fat left on or a proper roast pork it's all French cut and not worth buying. The English shop here makes a killing on importing real meat.
> I'm hoping it's a bit better in Spain.


I've seen back bacon in some Lidl stores but I don't know if they all do it or only only in tourist areas. Roast pork can be bought but no crackling. The butcher will cut chops as thick as you like if you ask (they'll think you're bonkers) - but no fat. 

There is a big difference in what's available between tourist and non-tourist areas which should be a factor in deciding where to live if you really need British products and British meat cuts. 

Like most people over time we have adapted to Spanish products which are fine - just different. A British style roasting joint is a rare but much enjoyed treat these days.

Living near Gibraltar (as we do) is worth considering.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

jimenato said:


> I've seen back bacon in some Lidl stores but I don't know if they all do it or only only in tourist areas. Roast pork can be bought but no crackling. The butcher will cut chops as thick as you like if you ask (they'll think you're bonkers) - but no fat.
> 
> There is a big difference in what's available between tourist and non-tourist areas which should be a factor in deciding where to live if you really need British products and British meat cuts.
> 
> ...



The fat is not good for you anyway.
If you like a decent thickness of your pork steaks (boneless chops) do as we do, buy lomo (cheaper if you buy the whole cinta) and cut how you wish
Cinta de lomo (that's the whole lomo [loin] at about €3.50 - 4.50 per kg depending on whether it is on sale or not) makes a fair number of pork steaks and also a couple of joints one of which I usually spiral cut so that it can be stuffed (either savoury or sweet) and roasted or slow cooked in a wine sauce.
If you like to make your own sausagemeat and or sausages buy cabeza which usually has just the right balance of fat and lean.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

The fat is the best bit, life without crackling is no fun. 
It's one of those things that you never know you miss until it's gone but it sounds as if it is the same in Spain as it is here.
The only real roasting cuts we get here are lamb but that is pricey.

The butcher here thinks I'm mad anyway as I go in and buy them out of pork belly, they call it lardon and people just normally go in and ask for strips cut to make bacon but I buy the lot of it uncut. It's dirt cheap too.

I like the idea of buying a whole joint, as you say you can do many things with it.


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## sarakas (Feb 5, 2013)

Hmmmm, all this talk of food- I'm off for a full English!!!


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Can you get food sent over from outside the EU or will you have to pay import fees.
Basically is it worth having a little care package sent over?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Aw, missing your Vegemite? 

These rules apply to the UK but probably other EU countries too - basically no animal products (meat or dairy) or potatoes.

Don't think you need worry about import duty unless you're thinking of a container-load.

https://www.gov.uk/personal-food-plant-and-animal-product-imports


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

I order my Vegemite from amazon.uk 

Basically I want to try the Gravy flavoured crisps that have been released back home before they stop selling them.
I can probably live without it though, have done until now anyway.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Have just repeated a post I made earlier...didn't realise this was an old thread revived...
A senior moment, methinks...either that or too long in the sun. Thermometer on terrace reads 36C.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

fergie said:


> Warning, while you are in UK, don't buy a Cheese called 'Stinking Bishop", honestly it is really strong, and really does smell awful, people who like strong tasting cheeses love it. I personally do not like strong smelling or blue cheeses, I put my husbands smelly cheeses in an air sealed plastic box in the fridge.
> My friend who used to work in The City, London, bought some 'Stinking Bishop", and travelled on the train to her home with a small portion she had bought in her handbag, the fumes from it gave her some very disgusted looks from fellow travellers, and after she got home had to throw the handbag away as the smell lingered.


You should try visiting a village in the Asturias called Cabrales


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Chopera said:


> You should try visiting a village in the Asturias called Cabrales


I dislike Manchego that is preserved in oil.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> I dislike Manchego that is preserved in oil.


It's a blue cheese:










...the production of which stinks out the entire village:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> It's a blue cheese:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, cabrales is a blue cheese, but Baldilocks is referring to cheese in oil


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

The worst-smelling cheese I've ever smelled in my whole entire life is Limburger. My parents used to keep it in the freezer to reduce the smell, but the whole freezer stank of it. When they took it out to get a slice, the smell would just clear the kitchen of everyone. My best advice to anyone who has not yet experienced the olfactory assault of Limburger is this:


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, cabrales is a blue cheese, but Baldilocks is referring to cheese in oil


He was replying to, and quoted my comment on Cabrales - which gave the impression that he was saying that Cabrales was cheese in oil (which I can be a bit hit and miss). 

Of course you could try preserving carbrales in oil, which normally serves to strengthen the flavour even more, but I wouldn't want to be the first to try it!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, cabrales is a blue cheese, but Baldilocks is referring to cheese in oil.


Queso emborrado. They make it here with goat's cheese, it's deliciously tangy.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Queso emborrado. They make it here with goat's cheese, it's deliciously tangy.


Really?
I love cheese, but I've never tasted this - I've never fancied it...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Really?
> I love cheese, but I've never tasted this - I've never fancied it...


It's well known in the Sierra de Cadiz. Our cheeses have started to win international prizes so should be appearing in a deli near you soon!

La Vida Alcalaína: La Quesería Gazul: Alcalá's prizewinning cheeses


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## ExpatWannabee (Jul 6, 2011)

sarakas said:


> Hahaha! Only reason I ask is because my OH who is spanish has fallen in love with things like- cheddar and Stilton cheese, scotch eggs and some other things which we're not sure we can get in some of the English stores.
> 
> I'm going there in two weeks and it seems my suitcase and hand luggage will be full of food rather than clothes etc!! Lol


There's no shortage of Stilton or cheddar cheese in Spain. Just go to the cheese counter at the large El Corte Ingles supermarket and you'll have lots of choice. I think you're on your own though for the scotch eggs.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

I make scotch eggs with quails eggs. People often get put off using them because they might be difficult to peel. Once you have hard boiled them, put them in iced water to stop them cooking then soak them for 10 minutes in malt vinegar. The shells then peel off like paper..


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