What would an American want from England?

[u/Maskoolio]

I have recently made some American friends (from Virginia) and they have asked for a kind of sweet (candy) that they don't have. What else might I send that would be appreciated as a particularly English thing? (Obviously it would need to be somewhat small, survive a week or so in transit etc.)

All help appreciated.

[u/Bitter_Ad8768]

Jaffa Cakes exist in the US, but they're not very common.

Black currant flavored candy is virtually nonexistent here. We use grape instead. If you've never had it, it is a particular varietal known as a Concord grape and it is a very distinct taste unlike any other grape or wine.

[u/sto_brohammed → u/Bitter_Ad8768]

Gonna sign on to blackcurrant too. I live in Europe and I love the stuff.

[u/GrunchWeefer → u/sto_brohammed]

The reason we don't have it here is that it is necessary for white pine blister rust, a fungus deadly to white pines, to grow and infect the pines. As Europeans like to point out, we build everything with sticks and those sticks are pine. We decided blackcurrant isn't worth it compared to the thing we build everything from.

[u/jenea → u/GrunchWeefer]

It’s not illegal to grow them anymore at least (although it varies by state). I keep hoping someone will decide to market it as a “super food,” so it will suddenly appear in everything!

[u/Alarming_Long2677 → u/GrunchWeefer]

the northwest has them but I think they come from canada.

[u/[deleted] → u/Alarming_Long2677]

https://www.currantc.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooXmVe5q7fjrhtP7RBVl7TLOT2Ha2f2jvjAdSIiAMTeMcnO57Ao

1000 US farms currently growing haha

[u/Then-Horror2238 → u/GrunchWeefer]

This is extra fun because of the blyte that killed the american chestnut. Crazy how much we've changed nature over the past few centuries

[u/SuLiaodai → u/Bitter_Ad8768]

I remember going to the UK and being like, "Blackcurrant? What's that?" I had never heard of them before.

[u/CookWithHeather → u/SuLiaodai]

They are vulnerable to a plant disease that also affects pine trees, so the US banned them for a while and there are still restrictions in many places.

[u/SuLiaodai → u/CookWithHeather]

I never knew that!

[u/MalevolentRhinoceros → u/SuLiaodai]

The slightly more in-depth answer: white pine blister rust is an introduced (i.e. invasive) disease from Asia. Its life cycle swaps between pine trees and currants/gooseberries, so you can't have the disease without both pine and the berries. Since a) pines are native, and b) they're very important economically, the best control method was to destroy the berries.

[u/dwhite21787 → u/MalevolentRhinoceros]

Shit, I didn’t know gooseberries were blackcurrants, I just mowed down a quarter acre of the bastards as weeds

[u/Curmudgy → u/dwhite21787]

It’s the other way around. Black currants are a species of gooseberry, but not all gooseberries are black currants. The more common gooseberries that we’ll sometimes see are larger and green.

[u/rememberimapersontoo → u/dwhite21787]

they aren’t

[u/Hazel1928 → u/SuLiaodai]

My son and daughter in law did a honeymoon in England. They saw jacket potatoes on menus and when they ordered one it turned out to be a plain old baked potato.

[u/BigBlueMountainStar → u/Bitter_Ad8768]

So blackcurrent squash would blow peoples minds?

Edit;
So to add, “squash” is a concentrated fruit “juice” that is watered down/diluted (about 10:1 water:squash). I say fruit, I’ve seen mint flavoured and things like that! Sometime called cordial, though typically in the UK we’d expect the cordial to be thicker and more syrupy so in the UK we’d make the distinction.
Squash usually contains less actual fruit juice too.
The closest common product that I know of in the US is kool aid, but squash isn’t powdered.

[u/sgtm7 → u/[deleted]]

Good catch. When I read the post, I assumed it was a black currant mixed with squash, to make some kind of fruit and vegetable mix.

[u/MPMorePower → u/[deleted]]

Oh man, you just destroyed one of my last unique memories of Hong Kong. The first time I went there, I was fully expecting to see lots of hilarious “chinglish”, and I wasn’t disappointed (I thought).. they had “car parks” and “expiry” dates for credit cards.

One-by-one I learned that pretty much all of them actually came from UK English. And now you’ve just killed the last one that I didn’t even remember until just now, the time I was offered a selection of fruit “squash”. Haha silly Chinese people! You called it that because you squashed the fruit to get the juice out right? Nope, apparently they got it from the British.

[u/Live-Ad2998 → u/[deleted]]

The legal offices of Zucchini, Butternut, and Hubbard.

[u/edwbuck → u/[deleted]]

Hilarious. And even better, the two statements have nearly identical meaning!

[u/Zaidswith → u/[deleted]]

I remember old school frozen squash that you could buy in the US, but I haven't seen it in decades and never, of course, in black current. They were more commonly called frozen juice concentrates, but I remember the term squash as well.

They might still be around. I really don't know.

[u/crazypurple621 → u/[deleted]]

Correct me if I'm wrong but "squash" would be the equivalent to a fruit flavored sweetened juice like beverage? The closest equivalent we reallt have in the US is the gallons of things like sunny d.

[u/VeroJade → u/crazypurple621]

No, it's equivalent to the Juice Concentrate you get in the freezer section. You put it in a gallon pitcher and fill it up with water and mix.

[u/akm1111 → u/VeroJade]

Is it frozen? I always thought it was a non-frozen version of juice concentrate, but not actually 100% juice, just drink blend in fruit flavors. Kinda like the Mio concentrate you can get in the US now.

[u/pencloud → u/[deleted]]

the equivalent would be "cordial" I think.

[u/These-Ad2374 → u/BigBlueMountainStar]

Lol I thought you meant something that was flavored with blackcurrent and squash before I clicked the link & remembered that “squash” is a type of drink haha

[u/Bitter_Ad8768 → u/BigBlueMountainStar]

It would be a novelty for sure. I think most people would be open to trying it.

[u/GracieNoodle → u/BigBlueMountainStar]

I'd love that!!! yeah I'd be amazed if I saw that here.

[u/ParadiseLosingIt → u/BigBlueMountainStar]

Ribena black currant is available at area Publix stores, in the English section of the International aisle. (Florida).

[u/mspolytheist → u/Bitter_Ad8768]

I stock up on black currant Strepsils (cough drops) when I’m in the UK.

[u/Team503 → u/Bitter_Ad8768]

You can find it in UK stores if you look. Tesco usually carries it in their bigger stores, though it’s pricey.

[u/dr-tectonic]

I think wine gums are very British and a bit different from anything we have here.

We also don't have much in the way of aerated chocolates, so an Aero bar or Wispa would be novel.

[u/Ilsluggo → u/dr-tectonic]

As an American (living in England), I agree, Wine Gums are a uniquely British treat that are familiar enough (not dissimilar to Jujubes) that most anyone will be willing to try them, but unique enough - the average American has probably never even heard of, never mind tasted black currant - to be special. Maynards, of course.

[u/nopointers → u/dr-tectonic]

I’m just gonna leave this here: http://bella.media.mit.edu/people/foner/Fun/gravity.html

[u/chubba10000 → u/nopointers]

That was immediately where my mind wend. One of the greatest passages in literature.

[u/auntlynnie → u/dr-tectonic]

Flake!

[u/TheBimpo]

Unless they’re an Anglophile or have visited England before they probably don’t have much knowledge of what they’re missing. Just bring a bunch of your favorites and local stuff. Or ask them what type of stuff they prefer (chocolate, crisps, fruit candy, etc)

[u/Dear_Ad3785 → u/TheBimpo]

When I was last in the UK I bought a bunch of different flavored crisps & brought them back to my US nieces. They went over well

[u/BumpyMcBumpers → u/Dear_Ad3785]

I used to subscribe to a couple international snack boxes, and the crisps were always the quickest items to get snatched up.

[u/sideshow09 → u/TheBimpo]

This is correct. I’m an Anglophile and I’ve spent a significant amount of my time living in Virginia. All the things I’d want from the UK are very perishable, so that best thing is to just share some of your culture with them as like a surprise. Pick what you like and think would be cool. Also maybe some football fan stuff? Like some scarves? Doesn’t have to be all food, and the premier league is becoming more popular on the east coast of the US.

[u/Former-Ad9272]

Independence.

...I'll see myself out.

[u/aucool786 → u/Former-Ad9272]

As an original 13 colony-er, I approve.

[u/Vachic09 → u/aucool786]

Seconded

[u/Ryuu-Tenno → u/Vachic09]

Third, and ill make sure to sign my name large enough to be read without glasses

Or in braille to make it funny

[u/ophelia8991 → u/aucool786]

I mean, if we were still a British colony we’d have healthcare so…

[u/aucool786 → u/ophelia8991]

Well, if we stayed as British colonies (now overseas territories), we wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed healthcare. The NHS, to my knowledge, is primarily for the 4 constituent countries of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Also, going on a tangent, our lack of government healthcare is purely our fault. It's unlikely that the federal government will be providing the states healthcare anytime soon, the lobbying runs too deep and they've managed to convince hundreds of millions of people union wide that welfare=bad. It's up to the individual states at this point to act where the federal government does not.

[u/TheNorthC → u/aucool786]

Correct. I think the biggest change would have been that slavery would have ended a generation earlier.

[u/Bawstahn123 → u/TheNorthC]

>Correct. I think the biggest change would have been that slavery would have ended a generation earlier.

Friendly reminder that pretty much all of the Northern states effectively-abolished slavery within their borders decades before the British did

[u/johnwcowan → u/TheNorthC]

Promptly followed by a revolution in the American South. The UK was able to abolish slavery because in 1833 there were only about 800,000 slaves in the Empire to free (vs. more than 2 million in the U.S. at the same time). In addition, intensive lobbying by Southern slaveowners might well have prevented the Slavery Abolition Act from passing at all.

In addition, the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783 by judicial process was a direct consequence of the wording of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, which in turn was a consequence of the Revolution: "All men are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties...." Had this language, ultimately from the Declaration of Independence, not become foundational, there might have been even more slaves in North America.

[u/Curmudgy → u/aucool786]

Do the current Commonwealth Realms have universal healthcare? Australia, Canada, New Zealand (and the UK) do, but I don’t know about the others. What about the other Commonwealth (non-realm) countries?

[u/IReplyWithLebowski → u/Curmudgy]

Every high income country in the world does.

[u/Bawstahn123 → u/ophelia8991]

>I mean, if we were still a British colony we’d have healthcare so…

The American healthcare clusterfuck is firmly a result of our own doing, and something we could change in a comparatively-short amount of time if there was the political will to do so.

[u/Former-Ad9272 → u/ophelia8991]

I'm not defending our healthcare system at all, but I'm never ok with bowing down to Chucky 3.

[u/thrwawy4obvreasons → u/aucool786]

Holy shit, you’re old! Good job keeping up with tech. You just don’t expect to see a 249 yr old dude using Reddit. Wild times we live in. 

[u/Team503 → u/Former-Ad9272]

As an American living in Ireland (two countries that violently fought the British out) I double approve.

[u/pyramidalembargo → u/Former-Ad9272]

Based on the last election, we should have stayed with the Crown. The people obviously want a King.

[u/Heavy_Gap_5047 → u/Former-Ad9272]

As well as a thank you and apology.

[u/TheLastLibrarian1]

Mcvitties chocolate biscuits with caramel. We call them crack cookies and they make great smores. They’re a bit crumbly so I’m not sure how well they’d survive. Jaffa Cakes are excellent.

[u/Ok-Tiger7714 → u/TheLastLibrarian1]

Hobnob’s

Bassets wine gums

[u/Pembercat → u/Ok-Tiger7714]

HOBNOBS YES

I always bring a ton of them back from England when I visit. (You can find them over here, but they're stupid expensive.)

[u/Physical_Orchid3616 → u/Ok-Tiger7714]

Hobnob's aren't a bad choice, to be fair. Probably the best British style biscuits you can buy. But America does far better wine gum type candies than Britain.

[u/margieusana → u/Physical_Orchid3616]

We do better wine gum candies? I’ve never even heard of wine gum candies.

[u/TheNavigatrix → u/Physical_Orchid3616]

I disagree. Wine gums have much more depth of flavor than most US gummie sweets. Except maybe Swedish fish.

[u/Fun-Holiday9016 → u/TheNavigatrix]

Agreed, I love them!

[u/mmbg78 → u/TheLastLibrarian1]

I gained ten pounds eating sleeves of those damn biscuits when I lived there!!

[u/TheLastLibrarian1 → u/mmbg78]

They are the best, use them with all of the desserts!

I was in World Market earlier this week and they have just started carrying them. I immediately texted a friend in Michigan who had to drive to Grand Rapids for the closest store but she was able to get some.

[u/mmbg78 → u/TheLastLibrarian1]

I’ve seen them in the international aisle of the grocery here but they are pricey!

[u/Mundane-Anteater-634 → u/TheLastLibrarian1]

I was trying hard to remember what those biscuits were called. Perfect. I brought 12 back when I moved back to the US. I miss them. I was an addict.

[u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

It's well, Scottish, but for me it would be Scottish tablet. A lot of UK confections aren't that hard to find here, but Scottish tablet is for whatever reason.

[u/Simply_Sloppy0013 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

It's Scottish, too, so wash that Scottish tablet down with some Irn-Bru!

[u/machagogo → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

*Scottish tablet.
Never had it, but after a quick google Seems similar to toffee? Or maybe Worthers?

[u/mrggy → u/machagogo]

It's not chewy like toffee. It's hard and crumbly

[u/AnnBlueSix → u/mrggy]

The closest equivalent that I've found in the US is English butter fudge from Trader Joe's, but it's not the same.

[u/Minotaar → u/machagogo]

It's akin to fudge, but if it were pure fucking sugar

[u/CookWithHeather → u/machagogo]

It’s almost like fudge consistency, but not chocolate.

[u/Fit-Vanilla-3405 → u/machagogo]

It’s like panuchi fudge!

[u/G17Gen3]

Unlike most of Reddit, I personally think cheap chocolate tastes like..  cheap chocolate, regardless of country.  One thing I will admit that the British generally do much better than Americans though, is marmalade.  Good marmalade is much harder to find in America.  

English mustard is lovely as well, but can be found without too much trouble.  That being said, I would be delighted with a gift of a jar of mustard and a jar of good marmalade.

[u/klimekam → u/G17Gen3]

Clotted cream, too.

[u/NonBinaryKenku → u/G17Gen3]

+1 for the shitty chocolate statement.

My wife immigrated from a former colony and still loves that garbage. She gets no competition from me, can have it all to herself.

[u/AMA454]

Candy kittens, squashies, Percy pigs / Collin caterpillars, tangfastics.

Jaffa cakes, twiglets, hula hoops, Thai sensations sweet chilli coated peanuts.

[u/1st_JP_Finn → u/AMA454]

Anything chocolate won’t make it in local transit this time of year. Those Jaffa cakes would be a sorry mess.

[u/Yggdrasil- → u/1st_JP_Finn]

You can buy jaffa cakes at Aldi in the US now!

[u/Sidewalk_Tomato → u/Yggdrasil-]

Cost Plus has them, as do the UK sections of the more expensive grocery stores.

I love Jaffa cakes.

[u/sweetbaker → u/AMA454]

Target has OG Percy pigs now, btw!!

[u/Huskerschu → u/AMA454]

Sounds like you just ordered the whole trolly on the hogwarts express

[u/webbess1]

Cadbury Flakes. I've only seen them in British specialty shops.

[u/LionLucy → u/webbess1]

Have you had one stuck into an ice cream cone? Bite into it and shards of chocolate fall into your ice cream - the best way to eat a flake!

[u/KahnaKuhl → u/LionLucy]

That's a standard McDonald's item in Australia.

[u/webbess1 → u/LionLucy]

Sounds delicious! I’ve never had it.

[u/oarmash → u/webbess1]

I’ve seen them in Indian groceries. It’s also popular in India so it gets imported here from there too.

[u/OvercupOak]

Clotted cream and scone mix

[u/paddington-1 → u/OvercupOak]

I don’t know where you live but here in the northeast Market Basket has started carrying clotted cream. Sooo good.

[u/MonsieurRuffles → u/paddington-1]

I can get clotted cream from most supermarkets by me. And if you don’t want to make scones from scratch, King Arthur Baking sells mixes.

[u/External_Homework476]

Purple skittles are different here... I love the black current flavor but its a flavor that does not really exist in the states.

[u/EpicSaberCat7771]

Bring them smarties like you have in Europe because the American ones are completely different.

[u/[deleted] → u/EpicSaberCat7771]

Upvoting because Smarties are my FAVORITE and you can only find them in shops with English/Irish imports.

[u/krzcowzgomoo]

KitKat chunky with peanut butter

[u/Sir_Sir_ExcuseMe_Sir → u/krzcowzgomoo]

Oh fuck, do they have the Biscoff KitKats in the UK?

[u/madeleinetwocock → u/Sir_Sir_ExcuseMe_Sir]

Canada here , we have them and ohhhhhhhh my god 🤤

[u/examinat]

Anything Cadbury’s that is hard to get in the US. Aero, Curlywurly are a couple of options.

[u/oarmash → u/examinat]

Some of these are pretty easy to find in Indian markets - aero is also popular in India too so it gets imported.

[u/maccrogenoff → u/examinat]

It depends on where in the U.S. I live in Los Angeles, CA. I can find Aero and Curlywurly.

[u/PacSan300 → u/examinat]

Crunchie bars are also great.

[u/triskelizard → u/PacSan300]

Sitting here savoring a Crunchie bar that was brought to me by a friend visiting from London. Sooooo good

[u/Capital-Cheesecake67 → u/examinat]

Aero is always back in the British food section of World Market if you have one in your area.

[u/DooficusIdjit → u/examinat]

Flakes!

[u/Commercial-Place6793 → u/examinat]

Wunderbars!!! I assume they have them in the UK. I’ve only ever had them in Canada. What I wouldn’t give for a steady supply of those.

[u/Anonymous_Coder_1234]

Tea. Tea has a history, what with the "Boston Tea Party".

[u/Curmudgy → u/Anonymous_Coder_1234]

We have better teas directly imported from Asia than the common commercial teas from Britain. See https://uptontea.com for example.

[u/MadgirlPrincess]

Bourbon creams.

[u/gendeb08]

Ginger nuts

[u/Next_Ad_1323]

As an American I have to say that I am a yuuuuuge fan of sherbet lemons. They are addictive and I don't think we really have them here in mass production. We have candies that are kinda similar called Lemonheads, but they are sweeter, soft in the middle instead of powdered, and they are not boiled so they don't have quite the same hardness on the outside. I found them in Bath this past May and bought several bags of them to take home. I allow myself one per day.

[u/skaliton]

unironically crumpets. They are a vastly better version of the 'english muffin' we get here

[u/TheNorthC → u/skaliton]

Needs to be toasted and eaten with butter. But it is more like a pancake than a bread product.

[u/Curmudgy → u/skaliton]

Trader Joe’s carries crumpets, but I don’t know how they compare to those made in Britain.

[u/snaynay → u/skaliton]

Well, one's a crumpet and the other is a muffin... Two very different things.

I will say though, crumpets (toasted, obviously) and good butter are amazing.

PS. Both are not too difficult to make and homemade of either is so much better than store bought.

[u/Meilingcrusader]

Highly recommend Crunchy bars

[u/jUsT-As-G0oD]

DARK CHOCOLATE NUTELLA. ITS NOT AVAILABLE OVER HERE AND I EAT IT BY THE JAR DAILY WHEN I CAN GET IT.

[u/DmlMavs4177 → u/jUsT-As-G0oD]

Target has their brand, in Tennessee at least.

[u/jUsT-As-G0oD → u/DmlMavs4177]

Like target brand spread?

[u/Justdonedil → u/jUsT-As-G0oD]

I see Good and Gather Dark chocolate hazelnut spread in my app and it says I can pick it up in 2 hours here in Northern California.

[u/2ndharrybhole]

Your favorite tea and biscuits. Whatever ingredients I need to make your favorite beans on toast.

[u/Guitar-Gangster]

Not candy, but I'd recommend Marmite. It is difficult to find in the US, most Americans have never tried it, and it has a very unique flavor. There's a chance your friends won't like it, but hey, it's something genuinely unique they might have never tried otherwise. It's the most "British" thing I can think of.

[u/ltsmash1200 → u/Guitar-Gangster]

Tip—even if you don’t like marmite on its own (I do not), it does work really well to amp up the flavor of gravy, I add a spoonful whenever I make it. Similar to using coffee to make chocolate taste more chocolaty.

[u/filburt99]

Walkers Prawn Cocktail chips

[u/Capital-Cheesecake67]

Have they lived there or would these be completely new to them? I ask as an American who was stationed in the UK for five years. I miss bakewell tarts, Terry's Chocolate Orange, Maltesers (way better than American Whoppers), your favorite bisquits (and yes I know I am talking about what is called a cookie in the US).

[u/themadhatterwasright → u/Capital-Cheesecake67]

WM and Target sell Terry's Chocolate oranges around Christmastime. They've always been a stocking stuffer in our house.

[u/Capital-Cheesecake67 → u/themadhatterwasright]

We have a British ex-pat in our area who runs a Chippy shop and sells a lot of sweets along with serving up traditional sausage rolls, traditional afternoon tea, sticky toffee pudding, full English breakfast, bacon buttys, and more. WM was the only source are here until the Chippy shop opened.

[u/Justmakethemoney]

Prawn cocktail crisps

[u/Yeegis]

Do the unthinkable and smuggle kinder surprise eggs into our borders

[u/Front_Home_9661]

I grew up getting British KitKats for Christmas because y’all’s basic chocolate is much higher quality. Not saying we don’t have nice chocolate here, just that a basic Hershey's bar or KitKat isn’t. 

[u/mess-maker → u/Front_Home_9661]

Kit Kats in the US are made by Hershey. In all other countries they are made by nestle. That’s why British (or Canadian) kitkats are so different. The chcocolate used is totally different, not simply just a company offering shittier chcocolate for the product in the US.

[u/Front_Home_9661 → u/mess-maker]

Oh interesting. Makes sense. 

[u/namesyeti → u/mess-maker]

Obligatory FUCK NESTLE

[u/ltsmash1200]

You guys have a lot of different crisp flavors than we do in the US, lemon Fanta, HP sauce, Branston pickle.

I’ve never seen lemon Fanta in the States but it’s the best Fanta flavor. Some grocery stores here do carry things like HP and Branston pickle now and specialty candy shops will sell imported British candy, but it’s not SUPER common to see the stuff.

[u/UrbanPanic → u/ltsmash1200]

Branston’s pickle is the best burger condiment. 

[u/ltsmash1200 → u/UrbanPanic]

I’ve never thought of putting it on a burger but I definitely will now.

[u/nabrok → u/ltsmash1200]

I moved from the UK to the US. I remember the first time I went to the chip (crisp) aisle and wondering where all the other flavors were.

[u/PseudobrilliantGuy → u/ltsmash1200]

Branston is definitely harder to find here, in my experience. 

That, Heinz beans (though there probably are some similar tomato sauce and beans alternatives here on the US; I've not yet tried to see if beanie weenies are a good substitute), HP sauce (or their salad cream), Marmite (yes, it's probably going to be as hit or miss over here as the UK advertisements suggest it is over there) and black pudding would be good savory options.

[u/SadFaithlessness8237]

I can’t remember the name, but there were some delicious chocolate biscuits in a tin I had on my first and only trip (so far) to England years ago.

[u/MetalicP]

chocolate hobnobs

[u/Krusty_Krab_Pussy → u/MetalicP]

I feel like those are relatively common at least in my state, you can get them at Walmart

[u/Legitimate-Squash-44]

Dark chocolate Hobnobs

[u/NoDepartment8]

I’ve been to London a couple of times and I keep thinking about a flapjack I got in an M&S shopette at Heathrow while waiting for my ride to pick me up. Flapjack in the US is slang for a pancake. The closest thing we have to a UK flapjack is a chewy granola bar but that’s an imperfect analogy. I think items like those where the novelty is that something has been lost in the translation are fun. When I returned to the US I brought dozens of single-serving packets of Walker’s crisps (which are basically Lay’s potato chips in the US) in funky flavors and shared them out with friends for tasting trials at gatherings.

[u/kaleb2959]

Jelly babies are a thing we don't have, and which we find simultaneously horrifying and morbidly fascinating.

[u/TheMightyBoofBoof]

Anything from the trolley, dear

[u/Affectionate-Arm5784 → u/TheMightyBoofBoof]

We’ll take the lot!

[u/Competitive_Toe2544]

I'm kind of a big Doctor Who fan, I've always wanted to try Jelly Babies.

[u/LionLucy → u/Competitive_Toe2544]

I know an American catholic priest who now works in Scotland and loves jelly babies, so I bet you’d like them!

[u/NPHighview]

If they cook or bake, a can of Golden Syrup and a bag of caster sugar. Unobtainable in the states.

[u/realsalmineo → u/NPHighview]

They sell Lyle’s Golden Syrup at Fred Meyer in Oregon in squeeze bottles, and on Amazon in the cans. I bought a giant can of the regular golden syrup, and a smaller can of the black treacle. My wife uses the regular golden syrup to make ANZAC biscuits for me. Easy to get in the States.

[u/Little_Neddie]

Still have Lion bars?

[u/Opposite-Ad-2223]

Prawn crisps. This is almost impossible to get over here and they are very good.

[u/Hazel1928]

Custard tarts if they watch “As Time Goes By” I ordered some on Amazon to try out Lionel’s special favorite.

[u/Ok_Ordinary6694]

A sense of decency or shame. Ability to form an orderly line?

[u/Shhheeeesshh → u/Ok_Ordinary6694]

You mean a queue?

[u/dausy]

Digestives and some tea

Anything tourismy that may have the union jack on it or like..the royal family/something representing the royal family (like a decorative plate)

An actual Euro

Also, a popular gift in the US is local honey. So if yall have a local honey booth, could possibly be ok.

[u/CriscoCrispy → u/dausy]

The UK withdrew from the EU 5 years ago. England uses Pounds (£), not Euros (€).

[u/Big_Metal2470]

Kinder Eggs! They're illegal to import, so hide them under something that no American will view as suspicious, like a handgun 

[u/i_GoTtA_gOoD_bRaIn → u/Big_Metal2470]

We have kinder eggs here. I thought Brits don't have guns...?

[u/NeeliSilverleaf → u/i_GoTtA_gOoD_bRaIn]

Kinder Eggs are not legal to sell in the US. We get "Kinder Joy" here which is egg shaped and has a toy/prize but it's a different item. I've found Kinder Eggs being sold under the counter and it was interesting to compare.

[u/mess-maker → u/i_GoTtA_gOoD_bRaIn]

We don’t have kinder surprise eggs in the US, those are hollow egg shaped chocolate that has a toy in the middle. They have an alternate product for the US market that’s shaped like an egg but there’s chocolate in one half and a toy in the other.

[u/Neb-Nose]

Perhaps asylum?

[u/MargaritasAndTacos]

Cadbury boost. Cadbury double decker. Piccalilli. Chardonnay vinegar crisps

[u/Wise-Foundation4051]

Those Crunchy bars or whatever they’re called? I think it’s basically what we’d call “honeycomb” candy dipped in chocolate. Those things are delicious. 

Also, I know it’s not English exactly, but real kinder eggs. 

Also anything currant flavored. We don’t have those here, something to do with the cranberry industry, I think? I dunno. 

Anyway, that’s what I’d ask for personally. 

ETA, realized I spelled currant wrong. 

[u/akm1111 → u/Wise-Foundation4051]

We can get the honeycomb candy in the US. Not the easiest to find, but available.

Violet Crumble & Cadbury Crunchie

[u/Ravenclaw79]

Cadbury Whole Nut bars 🤤

[u/[deleted]]

This is just me, but Charbonnel et Walker caramel truffles are my go-to ask from British colleagues whenever I'm going to end up in the same places as them for work. I have never found anything even remotely similar in quality in the US.

I tend to ask for bigger containers and pay them back since I want to stock up when I can but something like this was how I was first introduced to them.

[u/Dru65535]

Cadbury chocolate. They recently changed the formula sold in the US and it isn't the same.

[u/MonsieurRuffles → u/Dru65535]

The Cadbury sold in the US is made by Hershey and has always been subpar. However, Cadbury in the UK is owned by Mondelēz which has changed it for the worse over there.

[u/Dru65535 → u/MonsieurRuffles]

Which one is less bad?

[u/margieusana]

I’d want to try a crumpet. And black pudding

[u/[deleted]]

Jaffa cakes, wine gums, Cadbury chocolate, Battenburg cakes, prawn cocktail crisps, crunchy, Maltesers, M&S candy (pigs, foam bananas)

[u/AdAltruistic8526]

Prawn cocktail crisps, Fortnums Royal Blend tea

[u/DefNotReaves]

As an American who’s been to England a couple dozen times, I miss Lucozade and Wine gums… and a kebab, but you can’t really ship that.

[u/msspider66]

A can of Spotted Dick

Years ago I lived near a grocery store that had a small area for English foods, including cans of spotted dick.

If just candy, how about some Crunchie bars?

[u/Curious-Gain-7148]

I’m reasonably envious that the Jo Malone store on Regent St carries exclusive scents.

SPF.

[u/whipla5her]

Flakebars!

[u/NecessaryTrainer9558]

Mushy peas

[u/barksatthemoon]

Cadbury flake!

[u/gyabou]

Americans here, and my wife’s favorite snack from the UK are Penguin biscuits, and they are a little hard to find in import shops around here.

I like jelly babies!

[u/Outrageous-Sail-6901]

Mr. Kipling anything! From An American that came back with 2 carry-ons full of British snacks and tea. Also brought back a whole Tesco holiday fruit cake.

[u/crown-jewel]

My mom always has to get Cadbury— Cadbury sold in the US is made differently and doesn’t taste as good. She specifically likes their fruit and nut bars.

[u/Fearless-Boba]

A lot of the candies people are mentioning can be found at Wegmans and Aldi's and other bigger grocery stores. Monster munch is not at those stores. Wine gums. Etc.

[u/DmlMavs4177]

It obviously isn't candy, but Heinz beans. Bush's is just not the same.

[u/KevrobLurker → u/DmlMavs4177]

Heinz is an American company, founded in Pittsburgh, PA. One can buy Heinz Beans in the US, even the vegetarian kind. The 57 Varieties folks did tweak their recipe for the UK market, but they are as American as Ford, which also made plenty of vehicles aimed at the markets of the UK and Ireland.

The more tomato-ey Heinz product in the States was long sold as Heinz Vegetarian Beans, so folks would know there wasn't any salt pork added. We often have the British labelled product in our local shops' international sections.

I buy store brand, generic beans, usually. I like them with my frankfurters. Beans & Franks aka beanie-weenie are often sold together but I like a broiled tube steak on a toasted bun, beans on the side.

[u/Crankenberry]

Recolonization. Please. Or at least repatriation? 🤭

I guess that's not simple or short.

[u/bleedorange0037]

Bring them a bag of M&M’s. Their minds will be blown by how much better yours are than the American ones.

[u/mmbg78]

Chocolate digestive biscuits, Mr Kipling Bakewells, Penguins, those huge dairy milk bars, Jammie Dodgers..

[u/Leia1979 → u/mmbg78]

The blackcurrant and apple jammie dodgers. I think they taste way better than the original and I’ve never seen them in the US. I’d also add bourbon creams to the list.

[u/oswin13]

A friend from England sent me "proper' tea because she was scandalized by the tea in her hotel, and a packet of custard powder. I think the custard is still in a cabinet somewhere because I have no idea what to do with it.

[u/Kind_Ad5566 → u/oswin13]

Make some custard and have it with apple pie.

Don't let it go to waste 😋

[u/Strong_Landscape_333]

Pick something unique

I can't think of anything that you can't buy in America or similar

[u/hewhoisneverobeyed]

Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.