What do Canadians like from the UK?

[MazdaUK]

OK, I've booked my Canadian holiday after much to-ing and fro-ing (and a lot of help from the Dis - thanks all!). While in Vancouver we're going to meet up with an old friend of mine. He's a Canadian national who lived in the UK for many years (we met through work) so he wouldn't appreciate a Windsor Castle tea towel or souvenir Harrods jam. Whenever he comes to the UK he always brings my two boys some lovely clothes from Roots (younger DS has inherited all the stuff he bought older DS, so its good stuff!).

What can I take a single man nearing 60 that I'll be able to get through Customs and that he wouldn't buy himself when he's over here in June?

When I meet him over here I usually take him some home-made jam, but I'd like to take something a bit more special.

Suggestions please!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

What can I take a single man nearing 60 that I'll be able to get through Customs and that he wouldn't buy himself when he's over here in June?

A Canadian 30 year old girl?

 

[cabmom]

Cadbury's chocolate, shortbread, clotted cream, really sharp old cheese, Imperial Leather soap! Oh, these are what I like! I think you'll have to ask him.

Enjoy your trip here!

Marilynn

 

[mom22belles]

Cider ... thats what DH family brings us when they come over.

Nancy

 

[Polynesianfan]

FLAKE bars !!!!

 

[wdwr]

As much as I like a Flake..I can get them here.

What I LOVE, is smarties. Yep. They all taste like Orange chocolate. I can eat those little tubes so fast.

I know if I hunt really hard I can sometimes find the tube here and they are all orange color coated..but it is just not the same. The chocolate is different too. And Smarties have to be all the different colors.

Hmmm, my dad in his 70's and originally from Scotland. What would he like? I should ask him for you. I'll come back and edit the post if I find anything out. ( He never buys himself anything.)

 

[tigger2on]

Just to let you know that Marks & Sparks closed down here many years ago, so when my mom goes home, she always brings back M&S biscuits, sweets and crisps.

 

[siobhan1997]

I know I love Tesco tea and Jaffa Cakes.

 

[siobhan1997]

Also if he likes to golf you could try a souvenir of some kind with St. Andrews on it.

I know we had the opportunity to visit this birthplace of golf St.Andrews when we visited Edinburgh last April. All the avid golfers back here at home were so jealous to see my DH walking around in his St. Andrews Golf Shirt.

What about a favourite football team. Loads of great football jerseys in the UK

 

[laura001]

My vote would be chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!!! All of the Cadbury bars and Flakes are fabulous!

 

[Rachael Q]

Cadbury's - UK Cadbury chocolate is much creamier than North American chocolate.

Pimms - can't get it here

Penguin Biscuits - can find here sometimes
Mcvities Digestives

Why am I all about food?

 

[MazdaUK]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I can see I need to go to the supermarket before I fly!

He's not really into sports - he prefers the arts, opera and so forth. The added complication is that he's probably coming over to the UK in May or June anyway, so may be shortbreaded-out!

I know he doesn't have Internet - what do you order for yourself off the internet that he might like to order if he had it?

 

[wenabre]

Marks and Spencers Jelly Babies and Walnut whips !!!
The last two times I that I was in the UK I had to do big orders of jelly babies and walnut whips for my DD, and for my dog-sitter, Penguin bars.

I'll give you a little laugh...when I was in M&S in 2004 and I stocked up on all the above mentioned goodies my total bill came to 22 Pounds. I turned to my Mother and said to her, that this was equivalent to my last WEEK'S salary in the UK as a Staff Nurse before I returned to Canada (1976). The young girl on the cash looked up at me and I think her eyes almost fell out of her head trying to figure out roughly how old I was !! The Nurses in the UK earn much better salaries now, but then things are also much more expensive over there these days especially the and the fish and chips

 

[CharlesTD]

OK, I've booked my Canadian holiday after much to-ing and fro-ing (and a lot of help from the Dis - thanks all!). While in Vancouver we're going to meet up with an old friend of mine. He's a Canadian national who lived in the UK for many years (we met through work) so he wouldn't appreciate a Windsor Castle tea towel or souvenir Harrods jam. Whenever he comes to the UK he always brings my two boys some lovely clothes from Roots (younger DS has inherited all the stuff he bought older DS, so its good stuff!).

What can I take a single man nearing 60 that I'll be able to get through Customs and that he wouldn't buy himself when he's over here in June?

When I meet him over here I usually take him some home-made jam, but I'd like to take something a bit more special.

Suggestions please!

If it were me I would like Marks and Sparks wine gums and maybe some blackpool rock maybe some pear drops hmm way to many things to list actually. Maybe some sherbert dobbs or fountains I know you can get them here at Sugar mountain but they would just be way better from the UK.

 

[Mortlives]

Does he like Turkish Delight? We always used to get that from Marks and Sparks.

 

[Tinkerjane]

Although you can get the chocolate here, I like when my Mom comes back she brings us the box of small flakes (just like a box of chocolate in miniature size.) I'm with cabmom on the clotted cream. I also always ask my Mom to bring me a newspaper from Cornwall (The Cornishman) and I like all the small books they put out on British Hauntings and such.
Enjoy your visit

 

[CharlesTD]

When I was a kid I loved it when my grandparents brought me back the DANDY book and the Ruepert books and some of the other reading material like that.

 

[MECH8T7]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I can see I need to go to the supermarket before I fly!

He's not really into sports - he prefers the arts, opera and so forth. The added complication is that he's probably coming over to the UK in May or June anyway, so may be shortbreaded-out!

I know he doesn't have Internet - what do you order for yourself off the internet that he might like to order if he had it?

A couple of years ago, we stayed with some friends in Sheffield and meant to try a Bakewell pudding but never got the chance. So, when we got home, I ordered one from the U.K. over the internet.

 

[MazdaUK]

Maybe I'll make him a bakewell tart when he comes over in May

 

[disneykins]

All the chocolate suggestions are on my list whenever I go home. We always pick them up at EPCOT too. Its nice to know we're not the only ones who think the UK choco is the best.
When my parents go every summer (expats since 68) they take an extra suitcase for chocolate!!! They buy the big Cadbury bars 3lb weight I think. They freeze them and ration them out for the year. They are very generous people, lend me your car no problem, drive me to Pearson, no problem, how about a square of chocolate? You like the Canadian stuff you can have that. They visit Cadbury World every summer when they're over 'ome. They must spend in the hundreds on Chocolate.
Dont forget Rowntrees pastilles.
Tony