Found: Brit Food Items At Cub Foods!

[frigilux]

I stopped at a Cub Foods in Mankato this morning, on a lark, and what should I find but a very impressive aisle of imported foods. It was called The Global Aisle. Along with the usual suspects (Mexican, Chinese, Mediterranean) there were German, British, East Indian and Scandinavian foods galore! Each country had its own section in the aisle.

I gravitated to the Brit foods and chose the items pictured here. The Duerr's Orange Marmalade is far less sweet than American marmalade. The biscuits are very rich shortbread cookies (yum!). That's all I've tried, so far.

Piquing my interest, but not making into the shopping cart: canned treacle Sponge Pudding; Heinz Salad Cream (looked like cole slaw dressing); tea (Williamson's brand) and various biscuits, crackers, chutneys and curry pastes. Oh, and something in a can called Mushy Peas.

Perhaps our Brit contingent might be so kind as to offer ideas for using the HP sauces. On hamburgers, maybe? Also need some coaching on the use of Picalilli relish.

The barley water (orange-flavored) should be interesting. I've never heard of it before.

Grocery stores can be fun!

 

[glamwales]

Easy

hp - bacon sandwich or full cooked english breaky ... as for piccalilli - great with cold cuts and salad

enjoy

 

[zipdang]

I love Weetabix and always keep a box on hand. The biscuits are really good as cereal, but I like them even more with jam on them!

 

[petek]

HP's my favourite. It's always been available in Canada, made here as well. I like it a lot better than A1. I usually put it on my breakfast stuff like hashbrowns and eggs. Sometimes I just use it on fries instead of ketchup. I have never bought the "fruity" type though.
Potato and Leek soups good as well I've only seen it on the shelves here the last couple of years.

 

[frigilux]

I'm going to make a traditional English breakfast tomorrow: Sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, toast. I tried the piccalilli on a turkey sandwich and it was great; a mild mustard base with cut-up vegetables and gherkins in it.

petek--The fruity HP is really good; a little sweeter than the regular, which is excellent, also. The fruity version is kinda sorta reminiscent of a mild chutney.

Hi David! I'm going to try a Weetabix biscuit with some of my homemade blueberry jam as a midnight snack. Sounds really good!

 

[launderess]

Our Local Associated Shop

Has a whole section of UK foods, including those shown above.

Full English Breakfast?

Yum!

L.

 

[frigilux]

I was hoping you'd stop by the thread, Launderess!

I was surprised to find a Global Aisle at Cub Foods, which is a low-priced, no-frills chain. Don't know if every Cub now has an international section; they seem to be somewhat independent in their offerings. A Cub in Mpls. has an array of Mexican detergents. Haven't seen that feature in any of the chain's other stores.

At any rate, it's great to know these (and many other) items are available at one of my frequent destinations (Mankato, MN).

 

[74simon]

Apparently...

The original purpose of HP sauce was to hide the taste of cheap cuts of meat! It's still popular today though. My dad used to stir it into his soup.

It's only recently they stopped making it in the UK - there was a bit of an outcry about this.

The factory in Birmingham was bisected by the A38(M) motorway into the town centre, and a large pipe crossed the motorway - the vinegar main between the two sites!

Si

Pathetic Motorways

Examines and pokes fun at some of the lesser known British motorways. Includes photos and videos

pathetic.org.uk

 

[launderess]

Cheap Cuts And

Meat that had a whiff about it because it was slighly off!

Remember home refrigeration, such as it was, didn't really keep meats and such fresh very long; there was only so much a larder or ice box could do, and electric fridges/freezers did't really take hold in the UK/Europe in great numbers until probably mid 1950's or later because of the war. All this meant that fresh meat didn't stay fresh long, but even poor cuts cost money so people learned ways of "coping" with foods we today would turn our noses up at. Remember Lizzie Borden's father ordering the family to eat that lamb dish from several days eariler which clearly was past it's sell by date? Well that was kind of the norm, if the meat or fish wasn't that rancid, one slatered on lots of sauce, mustard or even pepper and got it down.

L.

 

[panthera]

don't forget the grilled tomatos

My first visit to the UK many years ago taught me two things about breakfast (this is not why I became a vegetarian, but definitely shoved me along that way)
1) Breakfast sausage in the UK is not meant for consumption, no amount of HP or any other sauce can help that.
2) Grilled tomatoes for breakfast has got to be the greatest British contribution to the culinary world, all hands down, ever.
If you have never tried it, do. You'll love it.
I find UK marmalades in general less sweet and more bitter/fruity than German and US stuff, indescribably better somehow.
British food has gotten an undeservedly bad rap, apart from those sausages... I am declassè enough to really like the Dundee Bitter Orange Marmalade in the can, mushy peas and fish and chips, even if the famous newspaper is only wrapped around the hygenically perfect inner wrapper nowadays.

 

[launderess]

Oh Yes,

My local has such things as Heinz curry (several sorts), Bird's custard, UK Lipton tea,HP sauces, and much more.

Personally only stood and looked at the section once or twice. Don't really fancy Bird's as can make and indeed my household prefers homemade custard to the packet sort. Homemade curry is better as well, that is if one truly wishes a proper curry.

L.

 

[frigilux]

And my trad English breakfast is ready! I'm happy to report it would appear to be every bit as unhealthy as its American counterpoint, LOL.

My dad was British, but I don't ever recall having beans for breakfast. My mom (from Italy; her mom was from France) was apparantly not a fan of British food, as our diet was strictly Italian/French.

More reviews: Orange-flavored barley water----delicious! It's like a less tangy Orangina. Now I want to try the lemon and blackcurrant flavors. One thing: although it doesn't appear to be, it's concentrated. Don't take a swig from the bottle. You have to dilute it with 4 parts water. I discovered this the hard way.

 

[polkanut]

I've seen Heinz Salad Cream for sale in the Vermont Country Store catalog, but yikes the price! I'm very interested in trying some in a batch of homemade cloeslaw though. I'll probably have to order some one of these days from somewhere a little less pricey.

 

[bigbubbacain]

I LOVE HP!

Only thing I love more than HP is MARMITE!!!!!

 

[bigbubbacain]

BISTO is quite wonderful too!

I had 2 roommates from the UK. Bisto is the perfecto salvo for a group meal that has gone wrong. The combination of Bisto and HP can take a neglected meal plan and turn it into the perfect Shepherd's Pie. Believe me, my former roommates from the U.K. used to let "happy hour" run overtime. we salvaged the "damage" into a perfect meal plenty of times.