Typical english gifts

[happi_red]

I have a friend who has been living in Britain for several months. She is French and is due to return home in about 6 weeks. I would really like to give her a bag with lots of different, typically english things. Any ideas? Thanks

[leandrews]

Well, I'm living in Germany and I'm missing lots of English things. Mainly Branston pickle, Marmite, Dairy Milk chocolate, Ginger Biscuits, Digestives, Walkers crisps, and shortbread.

Maybe your friend would like some of these.

[beryllium]

I had the same problem, and decided on a very british piece of china/porcelain. my french friend adored coffee so I bought a Royal Worcester demi tasse cup, there is also Wedgewood and Doulton. perhaps a set of 2 Edinburgh crystal glasses? some you can get for �10... worth a look, or a marmalade pot and marmalade, if she likes that... or even a good ol' teapot with made in england stamped on the bottom!

[lafrancaise]

Cast iron miniature post box, double decker bus and telephone box. Different flavoured crisps (not much choice in France cos there are too many E...s) tea bags (PG) real marmelade (ie scottish) and mint sauce. This last one she'll never use unless she's an exception, but she'll let everyone smell it!! Oh and yes, cranberry jelly as then she can let eveyone taste the 'jam' brits eat with their meat!!

Hope this helps

[Cheekystar]

what age is she?

[happi_red]

Thanks everyone!!

I like the bus and post box idea. I am also putting a tin of mushy peas in because she thinks its hilarious that we mush peas up. Aparently its not something they have in France!

Oh Cheekystar she is 24 :-)

[Bohne]

Having lived in England for six years, there are lots of things you could make me happy with:

PG Tips
Tigger/Winnie Pooh Kitchen Towels
Penguins
HobNobs (blue ones)
Cadbury's Cream Eggs
Cola Cubes
Scrumpy Jack
Tigger Mugs/cups/glasses (don't seem to be popular in Germany)
Shortbread
Terry's Orange
Ginger+Grapefruit Marmelade
Branston Pickle
Hoy Sin Sauce (not English, I know, but I've never found the right one in Germany)
Wadsworth Classics
New tea pot, brown or blue (4-6 cups)
Catnip drops
Sainbury balsamico vinegar
Whittard's plates (the unicolour ones they only have every other year, I broke a few of mine)

My birthday's in August.
Anybody wants to send me a little gift?

:o)

[happy_face]

Hey leandrews, can you really not get Walkers crisps, digestives and ginger biscuits in Germany?

In Denmark, which is only across the border hence me finding it strange Germany don't have it, you can get Walkers Crisps but they're called Lays, made by Walkers though and digestives and gingernuts are quite common among the rest of the biscuits

[Bohne]

@Happy_face:

I think I have seen Lays in the supermarkets, too.
Not a big crisps fan, though, so I am not sure.
There definitely are other brands that do all kind of flavours now. Not like ten years ago, when all you could get was paprika flavour.
And the advantage of German crisps: They come in big sizes...

[Bohne]

One more addition:

For the seriously addicted to anything British, there are also English/British Shops in all major towns.
You just pay twice as much for anything as you'd pay in England.

A plain teapot is about 15 to 20 pounds...

[leandrews]

All the crisps in Germany seem to be paprika flavoured! There are Pringles of course, but there are some times when only a bag of Walkers Salt & Vinegar will do...

Thank goodness I'm going home in a few days, I'll be able to pick some up!

Thinking, actually I went into a Subway a few weeks ago and they had Walkers, only thing was they were asking 90c for them, which is about 60p! Quite expensive for a bag of crisps I reckon. But beggers can't be choosers!

And yes Bohne, crisps do come in massive bags, I'm not sure about Kracks though, the name scares me!