Willow Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 My FIL mentioned he's do a day trip to France soon and was there anything we wanted him to pick up. A quick check of my store cupboard and cooking chocolate and cassoulet went on the shopping list. But it set me to wondering what food items other people always get to bring back from other countries. Both those items are easily available near me (local butchers stocks tinned cassoulet) but getting good quality is still cheaper to pick up in France. So what do you bring back from trips ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Merci chocolates and local sausages when i go skiing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Xoriguer Gin from Menorca ....... it is amazing & the main reason we went back last year. Love their Mahon cheese too. Metaxa 3 star from Greece,plus dried herbs & spices. From Kos we get their cinnamon syrup which is made in one little mountain village,& of course we always come back with olive oil,& a very undrinkable local liqueur of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I always bring back dried spaetzle from France or Germany. We absolutely love the stuff but can't get it in the UK and have not succeeded in making it ourselves even though a friend from Strasbourg bought us a spaetzle maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 When we go to Germany I try to go to a supermarket and buy loads of spice and sauce mixes. I bought a massive bottle of something last time, I don't really know what it is but it's lovely in gravies and casserole. I like to stock up on curry sauce to make currywurst. I also bring back bags of spaetzle, they're so nice. I bring back giant pretzels as well but they're usually past their best by the time we've driven home. My favourite German wine is Muller-Thurgau. ES brought back a bottle of Stroh once which was excruciating to drink. When we go to France I always buy kinder eggs and bars for the kids even though they're not kids - I probably always will. I also buy olive oil and French cereals which are not as healthy and have lots of chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I always bring back dried spaetzle from France or Germany. We absolutely love the stuff but can't get it in the UK and have not succeeded in making it ourselves even though a friend from Strasbourg bought us a spaetzle maker. Snap CM From Portugal - a tomatoey/garlicky/lemony marinade which we love and use a lot, morcilla (a sort of blood sausage) plus tinned sardines & tuna; somehow they taste better From France - fizz, cassoulet, tinned mackeral in lemon/oil (bit of a theme here!),miscellaneous dried sausage/salami, plaits of garlic, dairy/yogurts/soft cheeses (we have family in Normandy), trays of soft stone fruit if we have gone in the car in summer, lovely big veg From Spain - brandy, sherry, turron and pimenton (though I know you can get this here) From Greece - oranges and Metaxa Nice to dream of the sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Mushroom flavour stock cubes from Italy. Confit de canard, gesiers and saucisson from France, and orangina rouge which I can't get here. Plus cheese! Montreal steak spice from the USA, and pretzel flavour M&Ms - sweet and salty, yum. There were MILLIONS of varieties of baking mixes and the like, but I prefer to make from scratch so I looked at recipe books instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 We buy a special colouring/seasoning from Spain. White chocolate peanut butter cups from America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Portuguese sardines....I forgot about those,& that brilliant sardines paste in the little pots too. Can I also add Lays crisps in the Feta flavour (Greece) or olive oil & oregano. Seriously,there is nothing I love more than a foreign supermarket. They smell so good & there are brands you know in different favours,like piri piri Heinz tomato ketchup in Portugal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 France - wine, jars of asparagus, wine, big jars of dijon mustard, wine, lindt chocolate, wine Norway - brown cheese Haven't been anywhere else for years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 From France - it's got to be that lovely syrupy cordial that comes in the tin bottles (hope you know what I mean). It always reminds me of childhood as we used to bring back tins of it when we went on family holidays to France. I don't bring back anything specific from other countries, it depends what takes my fancy although local wine and olive oil often features on my shopping list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seagullukuk Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 From Kuwait dates!! and that stuff from crocus flowers Saffron soo cheap according to the bar maid in the pub! Would love to bring back bone in beef shin from Belfast but fear the X-ray machine at airport! Olives from the med! Holy water from Lourdes, Fatima and knock. A special kind of wafer biscuit from Prague Oh and Brighton rock from Brighton well Hove actually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Bisquik baking mix from america, anyone going I've nearly run out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Going in the other direction, a friend who lives in Hong Kong always takes Henderson's Relish back with her. It is the vilest stuff imaginable, but Sheffielders go mad for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I used to get to go to Brussels with my old job. I always bought back cheese, wine and the curly choc shavings that you put on toast Mmmmm On one trip I came home with 6 bits of cheese but only found 5 when I unpacked the car, we had that car for about a year after too and that cheese never put in an appearance. Someone out there has one very stinky Renault Megane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superkitty Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Chorizo from Spain Stroopwaffles and a really mild mustard called Mosterd Snacksaus (which always makes me smile) from Amsterdam. My husband works there regularly so we can get a bit overstocked on the stroopwaffles....which can be a bad thing if I'm feeling a bit peckish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Going in the other direction, a friend who lives in Hong Kong always takes Henderson's Relish back with her. It is the vilest stuff imaginable, but Sheffielders go mad for it. Hubby is from Rotherham and we have to stock up on Hendersons when we visit family. It's Sage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 On the same sort of topic - Snowy do you really like that cheese from Norway, I can't quite make out the icon? If so, you are the only person I know who does For anyone unfamiliar with it, it looks like fudge, but it tastes like ....er....indescribable..... I will happily send any which comes my way to you! On a much happier note for me, Feta flavoured crisps - I didn't know they did those, yum yum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Going in the other direction, a friend who lives in Hong Kong always takes Henderson's Relish back with her. It is the vilest stuff imaginable, but Sheffielders go mad for it. Hubby is from Rotherham and we have to stock up on Hendersons when we visit family. It's Sage I had a couple came to my till on Monday who bought 8 bottles of sesame oil....I asked them why,as I am a nosy moo, & they said that they love it,but they live in Switzerland & it isn't available there. Also a chap I know has a huge estate on Barbados & he comes in & buys heaps of olive oil,Gentlemans relish,Branston pickle & so forth. Another chap once came to me with lots of baking goods, Cookies,crisps & a HUGE amount of cheddar (no, it wasn't Worral Thompson!) When I say a huge amount,I mean 12 of the big blocks from the Deli counter,plus other cheeses & alcohol too. He was flying back to his home in Singapore that afternoon & had bought an extra suitcase for all the food & drinks he was taking back with him....his wife was pregnant & craving cheddar which you can't get over there. He was really worried that customs would find out though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel19 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 From France the list is long - herbs (pepper especially is very cheap there), chorizo, olive oil, confit duck in tins....... , petit pois in tins, apple puree stuff in jars, squash cordials, lots of wine and cider, long life milk and cream as it is very cheap and much nicer than the stuff here and i think we bought some horse steaks back with us last year as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I regularly send 'red cross food parcels' out to an ex-pat friend in Oz - just things she can't get over there. When my father used to work in Africa a lot and the company had families based over there, he used to send my mother out with shopping lists from the wives; she would buy in bulk and get it delivered to the office which would freight it all out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NannyOgg Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 From Jamaica...a long list! Jerk paste, seasonings, Jamaica Joe's hot pepper jelly (oh yum, it really is amazing), hot pepper sauce, Pickapeppa Sauce, tinned cheese, coconut cream powder, festival mix, breadfruit, patties (you really can't get them anywhere near as good over here), and, of course, Wray & Nephew rum! To name but a few!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 What wonderful lists including several things I'd never heard of. I googled 'spaetzle' but I'm not convinced I'm much the wiser I'll have to add that to my shopping list next time I'm in France or Germany and try it. I'm glad I'm not the only person who loves wandering around foreign supermarkets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 many years ago when in my teens I got mum a ripe Camambert. Smelt the whole coach out an she wasnt that grateful - cant think why Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 From Egypt - Kakadee ( Hibiscus tea) & vanilla sugar From Thailand - Milo nuggets( a bit like Malteasers) From India - fish curry powder From Austria - Mozart kugeln ( Mozart balls pralines) & Milka chocolate as the factory is half a mile up the road from our hotel, oh & Hagebutten marmelade ( rosehip jam) France - cheap booze ( lots of) ..Normandy Cider, Calvados brandy & Pol Remy ( Cava copy for 80 cents)!!! I love foreign foods! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
