Holiday Hypermarket asked a number of customers who are currently living or have lived abroad, what typically British food and drink they craved the most while abroad. This was the response…
Fish and Chips
This was top of the list along with a parmo and a roast dinner. It seems that the British can’t get enough of them! Some specifically missed fish, chips and mushy peas, but one of the things they missed the most was them being wrapped in newspaper. Although not many fish shops do this anymore, we can’t deny it – they did taste better this way.
Parmo
For those of you who do not live in the North East of England, you may be wondering what a parmo is. Well, it is about time we clear things up. A parmo is one of the most popular takeaways or restaurant dishes in the North East of England – which is where Holiday Hypermarket’s headquarters are based. The dish consists of chicken or pork flattened and coated in breadcrumbs. This is then covered in a white béchamel sauce, topped with cheese, and finally baked in the oven. Often served with chips and salad, this meal definitely won’t leave you hungry.
Roast Dinner
Complete with all the trimmings, you can find a roast dinner in most countries, but nowhere does it quite like the British. And even if you attempt to make a roast dinner abroad it never seems to taste the same as one from home.
Indian Takeaway
This was surprising as this isn’t typically British food. But apparently it is hard to find an Indian takeaway as good as the ones you get in the UK.
Chips and Garlic Sauce
Lots of you missed this takeaway favourite – especially after a few alcoholic beverages.
Sausage Rolls
This is a British favourite, but most said it has to be a Greggs sausage roll.
British Chocolate
Unless you are in Belgium, Switzerland or France we cannot think of anywhere that rivals British chocolate. Brands that people craved the most included Cadburys, particularly Dairy Milk and Galaxy.
Branston Pickle
No other pickle will do apparently. Need we say more, a cheese sandwich is not the same without it! I mean what else do you eat pickle with?
Yorkshire Puddings
Although these are part of most peoples roast dinner as mentioned above, we feel that they deserve their own spot. Why do they not make them abroad? Apparently they do not rise anywhere else.
Crisps
You can buy crisps anywhere but we have to agree that British flavours and brands tend to be a cut above the rest. The flavours that people missed the most were cheese and onion, Hula Hoops and Beef Monster Munch.
Bacon
We have seen the bacon that they put out for breakfast in other countries and it never looks or tastes quite the same, despite the fact that most of the bacon we eat is Danish. In the UK we love a bacon roll or a ‘buttie’, this is usually dripping in ketchup or brown sauce and served with a cup of tea.
Sliced Bread
The French are known for their freshly made bread, but us Brits still seem to miss the sliced loaves that we get here in the UK. Many said that the bread in the UK is the best if you’re making toast.
Fish Shop Chips
We mentioned before that fish and chips was one of the most missed flavours when abroad, but a lot of people said that they missed a bag of chips drizzled in salt and vinegar. This is a must on a day out at the seaside.
Greggs
How many of you said that you missed our number one bakery? Too many to even count! That’s right, it seems us Brits love Greggs, and it seems their favourites were cheese pasties and sausage rolls.
Hand Pulled Real Ale
Real ale drinkers said they craved the taste of a traditional hand pulled beer.
English Cheese
Continental cheese is delicious, but nothing beats a cheese sandwich more than English Cheddar or Wensleydale. Top this off with a slice of English apple and you have a real taste of home.
Jacobs Crackers
No other cracker will do. These typically British crackers are missed most with a slice of English Cheddar and a spoonful of Branston pickle.
Lurpak
This is the brand everyone mentioned, no one missed butter as you can get it anywhere, but Lurpak was definitely missed.
Heinz Salad Cream
A favourite condiment which goes with most things, Heinz Salad Cream is a must with salad and chips.
Lager
We were confused with this one, as lager is everywhere. Normally called beer abroad, it seems people were referring to the brand of lager they missed the most, which for most was Carling Black Label.
Parsnips
One person said she could get these in Germany, but these sweet tasting vegetables, which most people either love or hate, are hard to find in most places. And we believe that a roast dinner is not complete without them.
Ham
Along with bacon, a lot of places do not have ham quite like we have in the UK, so this was also mentioned.
Chinese Takeaway
Another non-British food that does not taste the same abroad, or even in China is a Chinese takeaway. And sweet and sour chicken balls with fried rice, was the most missed dish.
Marmite
According to the famous slogan, you either love or hate Marmite. But taking into account our feedback, it seems a lot of people love it as many mentioned that this was one of the things they missed the most.
Teabags
A proper cup of English tea is definitely the thing most Brits miss. Yes, it seems Brits live up to their famous tea-drinking stereotype, but we don’t just drink any tea. It seems us Brits are fussy when it comes to the type of tea we drink, and popular brands such as Yorkshire Tea and Tetley’s came out on top.
Full English Breakfast
It doesn’t matter where we go on holiday, us Brits will somehow manage to track down a traditional English breakfast. Even though most places cater to the British, their version of a cooked breakfast doesn’t always meet our expectations as a lot of places do not have ‘proper’ bacon and sausages or Heinz Baked beans of course.
Other items that were mentioned were:
Battenburg Cake
Tinned Peaches
Non UHT Milk (semi-skimmed of course)
Peanut Butter
UK Branded Sweets
Cumberland Sausages
HP Sauce
English Mustard, particularly Colman’s
Custard
Oxo’s
Cornish Pasties
Some of you said that you didn’t miss anything about British food and one mentioned that when she was away she craved British food but when she came home from Turkey she missed Turkish food.
One thing we have noticed when doing this survey is that most of us crave takeaway food and processed foods while abroad. This is because most countries have a lot of fresh and natural products in comparison to Britain. But as much as this does sound tasty, there are times when you crave a good old British takeaway or a Sunday dinner. What things do you miss most when you’re away?
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