Home Comforts... Get Your British Treat Fix!

If you're anything like me, then you worked hard to get your fill of fish and chips before you set sail for the States. Knowing that they would be a rarity from now on gave me a fine excuse and certainly made them taste extra special each and every week that I indulged (seriously). However, now that I am stateside I find myself fooled often by 'Cadburys' Dairy Milk bars, Creme Eggs and Fruit n Nut's, all sporting a teeny tiny little disclaimer on the back revealing their true identity... made by Hersheys! Rats, foiled again! I do not care for Hersheys chocolate and I daresay it is not a taste I am willing to develop over time. Give me Nestle or Mars any day.

When it comes to getting the genuine thing, you have to be prepared to either pay an arm and a leg in shipping costs, or pay an exorbitant amount upfront just for purchasing it from inside the USA.

Inside the States you can visit local grocery stores such as Kroger, which usually have a limited yet existent 'World Foods' aisle. These tend to stock the stereotypical British favorites including teabags, Birdseye custard, Bisto gravy granuals and an Aero bar or two (at least here in Knoxville). However if it's something a little more specific that you are after, namely your Curly Wurly's, Buttons and Dip Dabs, well then you are going to have to look further afield.

Costs online range from 99cents per bar of chocolate (Crunchie, Boost, Giant Buttons) to $1.99 per bar depending on which site you choose to shop with. You can find all kinds of items online ready for purchase and shipping such as; Bass Shandy, Twiglets, Jammie Dodgers, Wagon Wheels, Mini Rolls, PG Tips, Yorkshire Tea, Roses... hungry yet? Phew!

I have researched many options, their shipping costs and their overall value for money and surprisingly Amazon.com is right up there with the leaders. The shipping costs remain low and the asking prices reasonable for overseas demand. The only drawback is that the quantities tend to stay in the bulk range and whilst 48 Cadbury's Creme Eggs may be bargain at $50.00 not everyone wants to fork that much over at once (but if you do I don't judge you - they are fabulous!).

Below are the top three UK food shipment sites that I recommend (ranked on price and availability):

British Food Shop

British Cornershop

British Food Depot

Sidenote: I recently had my very generous Mum ship me over some, ahem, essentials from the UK. This lot (pictured above) cost her around 20.00 British pounds to ship, plus a similar amount to purchase in store in the UK (mostly at Morrisons). Hopefully that can provide some perspective into the typical value of this overseas food market. Happy chomping!