Obtaining UK food when living abroad

There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont

On 3/21/07 2:12 PM, "Bruce Fletcher" wrote:

There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk

LOL - this begs the question as to why anyone would be looking for UK food -
known as it is for culinary highlights vbg

OTOH, there are a couple of British shops here in the metro DC area - good
to get tea, custard, pickle, and the like. Also, I've found that most of
the Indian spice shops carry a bunch of British food, and our Wegman's
grocery store has a good selection.

Ellice

ellice wrote:
On 3/21/07 2:12 PM, "Bruce Fletcher" wrote:


There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk


LOL - this begs the question as to why anyone would be looking for UK food -
known as it is for culinary highlights vbg

Hey! I _just_ got back from a trip which included a stop at a British
import shop. Now I have some Jaffa Cakes and plain chocolate Hob Nobs.
All's right with the world again.


Karen E., who wishes that Lilt hadn't switched over to using Nutrasweet...

ellice wrote:
On 3/21/07 2:12 PM, "Bruce Fletcher" wrote:

There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk

LOL - this begs the question as to why anyone would be looking for UK food -
known as it is for culinary highlights vbg

OTOH, there are a couple of British shops here in the metro DC area - good
to get tea, custard, pickle, and the like. Also, I've found that most of
the Indian spice shops carry a bunch of British food, and our Wegman's
grocery store has a good selection.

Ellice


The reputation of UK food (and cooking) fell during and just after the
war when "normal" foodstuffs were either unavailable or in very short
supply. I still shudder when I remember childhood culinary delights such
as meat loaf, Woolton pie, sweet potato pudding (NOT made with sweet
potato but ordinary potato and honey) and that tinned fish "snoek" which
even the cat wouldn't touch. But, looking on the bright side, a report a
few years ago said that in 1946 the British population was, generally
speaking, healthier than it had been for some time - lots of exercise,
no excessive sugar, fat etc. And I do remember that lovely, thick orange
juice in glass bottles.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont

On 3/21/07 4:06 PM, "Bruce Fletcher" wrote:

ellice wrote:
On 3/21/07 2:12 PM, "Bruce Fletcher" wrote:

There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk

LOL - this begs the question as to why anyone would be looking for UK food -
known as it is for culinary highlights vbg

OTOH, there are a couple of British shops here in the metro DC area - good
to get tea, custard, pickle, and the like. Also, I've found that most of
the Indian spice shops carry a bunch of British food, and our Wegman's
grocery store has a good selection.

Ellice


The reputation of UK food (and cooking) fell during and just after the
war when "normal" foodstuffs were either unavailable or in very short
supply. I still shudder when I remember childhood culinary delights such
as meat loaf, Woolton pie, sweet potato pudding (NOT made with sweet
potato but ordinary potato and honey) and that tinned fish "snoek" which
even the cat wouldn't touch. But, looking on the bright side, a report a
few years ago said that in 1946 the British population was, generally
speaking, healthier than it had been for some time - lots of exercise,
no excessive sugar, fat etc. And I do remember that lovely, thick orange
juice in glass bottles.

I think the reputation has only recently started to recover. Though,
personally, I never suffered when there, and quite like certain of the UK
traditions (like chocolate penquin cookies).

But, after spending most of a summer during grad school times there, in the
fall a friend was travelling to London in November. Said friend, rather a
fine cook herself, was a bit older (an adult in her 30s at the time) and she
and husband had some business/leisure trip they were doing. So, my then
fiance - who had family in Richmond-upon-Thames, and I recommended as best
we could. When she returned she spent days, weeks, months, moaning about
the incredibly awful food they had encountered. Of course, this was in
November - in '84 - with bad weather, and before the culinary scene started
to improve. But, man, did she give me some stuff about the horrible food,
etc. I do however, still have the tea cozy she brought me!

ellice

"Bruce Fletcher" wrote in message
...
ellice wrote:
On 3/21/07 2:12 PM, "Bruce Fletcher"
wrote:

There was an enquiry (I think it was this newsgroup but cannot be sure)
some time ago about the availability of British food to those who lived
outside the UK. There's an online shop at www.britishcornershop.co.uk

LOL - this begs the question as to why anyone would be looking for UK
food -
known as it is for culinary highlights vbg

OTOH, there are a couple of British shops here in the metro DC area -
good
to get tea, custard, pickle, and the like. Also, I've found that most of
the Indian spice shops carry a bunch of British food, and our Wegman's
grocery store has a good selection.

Ellice


The reputation of UK food (and cooking) fell during and just after the war
when "normal" foodstuffs were either unavailable or in very short supply.
I still shudder when I remember childhood culinary delights such as meat
loaf, Woolton pie, sweet potato pudding (NOT made with sweet potato but
ordinary potato and honey) and that tinned fish "snoek" which even the cat
wouldn't touch. But, looking on the bright side, a report a few years ago
said that in 1946 the British population was, generally speaking,
healthier than it had been for some time - lots of exercise, no excessive
sugar, fat etc. And I do remember that lovely, thick orange juice in glass
bottles.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont


LOL! I remember those - and dried egg?

But to be fair, Bruce, you should make it clear that these "delights" were
only due to the wartime rationing. It`s amazing what our mothers could
achieve with so little.

Pat

lucretia borgia wrote:
You would be surprised that this side of the Pond they believe they
had food rationing during the war. I usually fall on the floor
laughing at what was considered 'rationing' - big luxury.

My mother and my aunt were in the RAF during WW2 and, at different
times, both had cause to visit an American military base in East Anglia.
Imagine their amazement when they entered the dining hall and found that
eggs, bacon, pork, beef and many other "rationed" items were freely
available on the daily menu.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont

"lucretia borgia" wrote in message
...
Bruce Fletcher ,in
rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote:
and entertained us with


The reputation of UK food (and cooking) fell during and just after the
war when "normal" foodstuffs were either unavailable or in very short
supply. I still shudder when I remember childhood culinary delights such
as meat loaf, Woolton pie, sweet potato pudding (NOT made with sweet
potato but ordinary potato and honey) and that tinned fish "snoek" which
even the cat wouldn't touch. But, looking on the bright side, a report a
few years ago said that in 1946 the British population was, generally
speaking, healthier than it had been for some time - lots of exercise,
no excessive sugar, fat etc. And I do remember that lovely, thick orange
juice in glass bottles.

You would be surprised that this side of the Pond they believe they
had food rationing during the war. I usually fall on the floor
laughing at what was considered 'rationing' - big luxury.

I have recipes from my grandmother for eggless cakes, fatless cakes,
cakes made from bread, you name it. I salute the cooks in my life at
that time that I felt I was well fed.

I have always wondered if my superior health is due to a very good
diet throughout my childhood. I loved that orange juice but the
adults used to swipe some for the odd gin they managed to get lol

I read an article not long ago that scotched talk of bad English
cooking. The cooking, even outside of London, is fabulous and I have
noticed when over how great the selection of relatively rare
ingredients is now.

Come to think of it, I have a wonderful recipe for Bread Pudding my
aunt gave me. That recipe always gets raves. She cut it out of the
Telegraph in about 1948 and it was headed "Now that we can have a
little splurge again"...


I'm sure we had more in the U.S. than was ever available in Britain, but I
do remember that sugar and meat, eggs, flour and things like that were
rationed and in short supply. My father drove a truck that delivered fruits
and vegetables during the war years and I know from him that most of the
fresh fruit and veggies went to the Army base in Fort Monmouth, NJ and just
a little was delivered to the local stores.

On my visit to London in 1977, I was one of the odd people who didn't think
English cooking was horrid. Maybe that's because I like plain broiled meats
with little, or no sauce or embellishment. However, the best restaurant I
went to at that time was recommended to me by a friend of mine who lived in
London and it was a place called the Gay Hussar and featured Yugoslavian
cooking.

Lucille

On 3/21/07 4:41 PM, "lucretia borgia" wrote:

ellice ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote:
and entertained us with


I think the reputation has only recently started to recover. Though,
personally, I never suffered when there, and quite like certain of the UK
traditions (like chocolate penquin cookies).

At least the UK can never be blamed for the introduction of McDonalds
- that is a far worse thing and likely the cause of much obesity
today.


No argument from me. I generally am not a fast food person, and hate in
ways the McDonaldization of the world.

OTOH, when I was working in France, I did notice how the working women
really missed some of the convenience we had at the time with the ability to
get decent take-away or ready to heat foods - which they just didn't have.
So, I could understand how fast food has taken hold. That being over 10
years ago, I can say that things in the groceries, and those availabilities
have gotten more like here, or even the UK.

ellice

On 3/21/07 5:56 PM, "lucretia borgia" wrote:

"Lucille" ,in
rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote:
and entertained us with

On my visit to London in 1977, I was one of the odd people who didn't think
English cooking was horrid. Maybe that's because I like plain broiled meats
with little, or no sauce or embellishment. However, the best restaurant I
went to at that time was recommended to me by a friend of mine who lived in
London and it was a place called the Gay Hussar and featured Yugoslavian
cooking.

Lucille

You can eat any cuisine you desire in London these days and really
even in more outlying parts there are good international food type
restaurants.

True - that some years back I remember our best meal being at a great Thai
restaurant in Kensington. And a nice French, country place right off the
Strand, near our hotel.

I am not known for favouring the British but I will defend their
cooking these days.

It certainly has improved. But, it takes a while for reputations to change
and progress. At the least, here, we get a full dose of Gordon Ramsey!

ellice