Reply With QuoteTea, a brew made anywhere else just doesn't taste the same.
The weather thread has me thinking - things I miss from the UK.
He is my off the top of my head list...
Beer in pint glasses - nothing fancy even Directors would be fine
Donner Kebab
Proper fish and chips - haddock and chip shop curry sauce
Newspapers - not online
Theatre and Cinema
Bit more general - woods, parks, Autumn
Central London just before Christmas - if it is cool and crisp
Anyone else - what do you miss if you have left or what would you miss if you did take the plunge?
Tea, a brew made anywhere else just doesn't taste the same.
The NHS
enjoy it while it lasts
Tea ,there's nothing like a good cuppa,Yorkshire puds,I've never managed to find one abroad,I'd miss proper chip shop chips,not the fish as much
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'd miss tea as it never tastes the same.
Or sliced bread isn't quite right either.
Or grass!! 0ther countries don't seem to have lawns as good as in the UK
As others have said tea.
Hendersons relish. Although I miss this when I leave Sheffield never mind the UK.
My beloved Wednesday. Been part of my life for about 40 years.
Winter. Although not this cold crappy one we've had. Just a nice snowy but sunny day.
We spend a lot of time in France, beer and curry are usually the things I hanker after when I return.
I generally take my own tea with me, my wife's mother invested in a proper kettle on my behalf and these days you can find proper fresh milk so tea is now sorted thank goodness!
TBH, I don't miss much else which is why I see myself living over there one day.
Being able to say the exact opposite of what I mean and knowing that I'll be perfectly understood
Funny how tea is a recurring item - I have tea covered - none of that funny foreign tea here
Sent from my iWatch using magic
But there is so much fun to be had teasing CanadiansOriginally Posted by Der Amf
When I was living in the Middle East, I missed the culture, countryside and the range of stuff to do on the weekend.
Walkers cheese and onion crisps.
netflix
aussie shampoo
Ribena
hanes underwear (can get in USA but not Europe)
fruli beer (unless you go to Belgium to get it)
flavoured coffee
marmite, although I've found it abroad before at extortionate prices.
Manchester chicken donner kebabs made out of naan with mango chutney and raita.
proper sausages.
When I've lived overseas it's only really been people in the UK I've missed. A cliché I know but it's true.
We have a little Waitrose section in the supermarket so get some UK stuff.
I've not seen any Branston for 6 months but there was a Ribena glut recently and they were selling 1L bottles for $2 and they only went out of date in Feb !
Sent from my iWatch using magic
When we where in the Philippines I missed:
Weather that wasn't just hot & humid / raining & humid
Crisp autumn days
Proper beer
Back bacon
Proper beer
Pork sausages
Proper beer
Bread
Decent beef and pork
A good nights sleep not interrupted by dogs, cockerels, tri-cycles, jeepneies.
Decent milk
Being able to sit outside without sweating my arse off 24/7
Proper lawns
Oh yes I'd better say family and friends
I've found British tea brands in other countries but to me it still doesn't taste the same. Perhaps it's the water or milk but there's just something not quite right.
You have to check the packet . Some Twinings is actually made in the USA (well probably not actually made)
but tastes different from UK Twinings.
Personally I don't like UK Twinings much either, PG Tips, Yorkshire or Tetley does me. However, the Twinings breakfast you get abroad seems to be worse than that here. Better than nothing, just about...
All this talk of tea made me get a brew on - PG
On things I miss - anything to do inside - even a shopping mall would be nice some days.
Sent from my iWatch using magic
You do know that tea doesn't come from England -it comes from India and Sri Lanka and and other foreign places?
Sent from a corner of a foreign field that is forever England
I hate to ask but do you have any Canadian in you Simon
Sent from my iWatch using magic
Whilst there are many wonderful things coming out of Canada - Cobie Smulders, cool Police uniforms, Robbie Robertson... I am not one of them.I hate to ask but do you have any Canadian in you Simon
Phew - I'll knock it up and you can head it in
Sent from my iWatch using magic
I don't really miss much other than family and seasonal variations (but regional travel largely takes care of the latter). Eventually I expect that we will be living back in the UK so tend to concentrate on the advantages of our current location, wherever that happens to be. I probably miss just as much about other countries we've lived in. The test comes when visitors ask if there is anything we want bringing out; usually I'll request some Mature Cheddar, Branston pickle and HP sauce.
From my time overseas:
Tea/having a kettle that can boil water at a reasonable rate.
Proper grass, lawns and fields.
Black pudding and haggis.
Being able to walk around. Far too much of where I've been has been geared up for cars, with walking positively discouraged. It's depressing when you can't even walk between parking lots on a strip mall to go to the next shop along.
Scotland
Its so strange, when I lived in the UK I couldn't wait to leave and go somewhere else but now 5 years on I miss it loads!
Key things:
1) Driving - taxis are so cheap in HK, car tax is crazy expensive, parking charges are crazy as well = No car for me
2) Decent Bacon then a decent fry up
3) Get all the Tea brands here but i stock up when I come back so no real issues
4) Miss having space / house - Apartments are so expensive out here that it makes it stupid when you compare prices to even central London to Rent/Buy.
Lived away for 8+ years now.
I miss the seasons, especially the few cold, crisp blue sky days during the Winter. I go to Japan for those now.
Proper pubs and the British sense of humour. There is a wonderful stoicism and grittiness.
Our local supermarket in Singapore has a good collection of tea including PG Tips and Yorkshire. And Twinings English Breakfast and Earl Grey.
Things I definitely don't miss. The ridiculous obsession with house prices. The rain. Pear-shaped women drinking pints.
Must be drinking if different bars to the ones I was drinking in when I was last in Singers. Talking about some expats mind not the locals
Yup, I avoid the adult disneyland that is Clarke Quay like the plague!Must be drinking if different bars to the ones I was drinking in when I was last in Singers. Talking about some expats mind not the locals
Family and friends foremost for me.
Stilton
Back bacon
Good English sausage
Proper clothes at a decent price. Available in HK (and locally to an extent) but at a huge premium
I'm fortunate to be in an area of China where they cater quite well for the western expats food and drink wise. We have a good selection Euro food shops and an English and Irish bar. Micro breweries are also becoming very popular too, which is a welcome bonus.
And then there is the difficulty buying, selling and trading watches on here.
Chimes, bricks, and the four floors are decent enough for a drink.
It has got to be the water. Milk can be weird though.
The Harrow at Steep, and specifically a pint of their Ringwood Best or Flacks Double Drop (straight from the barrel).
The Hampshire/Dorset/Sussex roads I drive for fun.
English cheese, the finest in the world. Especially Tunworth so ripe you have to eat with a spoon.
"A man of little significance"
When I was away for extended periods it was a proper pork sausage that I missed although other countries to pork sausages they are not quite the same.
Agreed!
Greenery and convivial pubs selling cask beer.
And another big yes to the NHS.
Sometimes you need something taken away from you to appreciate its greatness.
I imagine my medical insurers would agree (2x GBP 12,000 bills for ACL reconstructions).
'British' Tea (I know it comes from other places, but nowhere else blends it like the UK - I know quite a few non-Brits who ask us to bring them 'British' tea when we visit, so it's clearly not ONLY 'Little Englanders' who like it) and Autumn (Although that depends where you go, of course), so mostly Tea!
If I lived abroad (again) I'd avoid buying 'British' products - It would seem like cheating! The odd "Red Cross" parcel from home would be permissible though!
M.
PS Oh, and Digestive biscuits...
Last edited by snowman; 28th April 2016 at 08:43.
I miss ASDA
In TZ agreement regarding Tea together with the British humour and complexity of saying what you don't mean. The UK is also the most beautiful country in the world - when the sun is shining!
Tea needs soft water to taste right. The mineral content of water in many countries is higher than the UK ( although this varies from area to area) and a water softening filter is needed to get the minerals out. Trust me, that's the key factor. Using bottled water can make things worse because the mineral content is often higher.
Usually I don't bother with tea when overseas, but if I was living for any length of time I'd invest in a permutit filter or similar.
Paul
Decent cask ale served in pubs not just crap larger
Southend United, my daughters, Tea, Beer, my choir... nothing else.
Ribena
Walkers Cheese & Onion and Roast Chicken flavour crisps
Propper fish and Chips, although we've just had a Harry Ramsdnens open up so that's take care of
Sensible driving
Cool crisp autumn evenings
Cheese ploughman sandwiches
Actually not something I've missed in 2 seperate stints abroad. In both France and Spain waiting lists were shorter and service comparable or better.
My list:
British summers (when we get one) are unbeatable for combination of warmth/sun and lack of humidity.
Cask ale
Access to world foods - the selection and availability in the UK is amazing, especially if you like Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese
Clotted cream
Quality British cheeses
British countryside is something to be missed.
Our motorways aren't bad either. Although the way they're going...
Sent from my E6833 using Tapatalk
The typical British countryside, whilst there's some left.
Proper Queuing, without the need for barriers.
During my stints abroad I always missed real beer, good cheese and proper bacon.
If I were to live abroad now I think I would miss her in doors quite a bit, but I would still be inclined to leave her here! :-)
Last edited by Sinnlover; 28th April 2016 at 14:42.
Posting Permissions
