Vimto Cordial and Pork Pie

[Yogi]

When we over there a couple of years back only food type things I couldn't live without we didn't find were Vimto Cordial (sugar free) and pork pie (Melton Mowbury prefered).

Anyone illuminate me as to their availability?

Cheers,

Yogi.

[GeorgeM]

Anyone illuminate me as to their availability?

Still no decent pork pies, unfortunately. As a Leicester lad originally it's the one single thing I really miss.

When we go back for a holiday at Christmas I'll be off the M4 at the first exit after LHR and into a petrol station for one, even if it is only a Pork Farms!

[Diny]

Couldn't comment on the Vimto but I'm pretty sure you'll have a heck of a job finding a pork pie in NZ.

I remember when my Kiwi hubby had his first pork pie over here, he nearly threw up !!!!! I think he got it into his head that it would be like one of the meat pies that are sold in every dairy and corner shop in NZ and got quite a shock at the difference

I'm not keen on the meat in the pie but I could make a complete meal out of the pastry

Good luck.

Diny

[Gran]

There are Pork Pies in NZ but I havent found a decent one yet. They are made of pickled pork, I would make one if I knew what flavourings to add.

[Hannah-NL]

Being dutch, I had to check this out, of course:
http://www.pbase.com/orac/great_british_food Yummm :P

[dave k]

Yeah, Pork pies are sadly missed. Not had Vimto since I was a kid in Manchester though.
I've been thinking about all the stuff (food) that we can't get over here and wondered if it would be a viable concern to set up a small deli in Wellington.
There's the Cool Brittania shop, but they just sell sweets & crap.
I guess it must be too far to import UK produce to, or someone would've already tried.


BTW...Hannah, those pics on the Great British Food site made me feel ill, rather than a surging pride in our cuisine

[GeorgeM]

I've been thinking about all the stuff (food) that we can't get over here and wondered if it would be a viable concern to set up a small deli in Wellington.

We were discussing this with some friends recently. The consensus was that the cost of shipping out small quantities of stuff would make things expensive, so even everyday items would be in the luxury price bracket.

If you particularly miss something you might be willing to pay over the odds occasionally, but I don't think that enough people would want to pay the necessary prices enough of the time to make such a venture a goer.

Tastes change over time, and memories play tricks, so you can end up finding that something you (thought you) adored from your childhood makes you want to vomit now. (Ever been forced fed a sugar-rich sweet that you once used to love yourself by a generous child?) If you pay lots of dosh for something which at best tastes very ordinary you'll probably not be making many trips back to the supplier!

Case in point is the introduction about a year ago of Heinz 'English Recipe' Baked Beans. When we first arrived in 2002 our kids (ok, and us as well) missed these - Watties just weren't the same. We bought a couple of tins of the Heinz product in Woolies at some extortionate price and after the first tin decided that they weren't worth the extra. By the time that we had finished the second tin everyone said that in fact they preferred the Watties ones!

Our initial revulsion to NZ sausages is also on the wane.

[dave k]

Yeah..I agree George. But I was thinking of more "quality" produce like some of our great English cheeses, York hams, chutneys, black pudding, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, etc. etc. (the list goes on) rather than the stuff you can get at shops like Cool Brittania. (Heinz beans, WeetAbix, kit-kats, etc.)
It may well still be that the cost of importing this stuff would make it ridiculously expensive..I haven't seriously looked into that side of things...but
at least it would be high quality stuff that you couldn't get anywhere else.

And the Italians seem to manage it with their cured meats, buffalo mozarella, various jars of anti-pasti & so on.

[GeorgeM]

I was thinking of more "quality" produce like some of our great English cheeses

We have a great cheese shop (no comments from Monty Python fans pleeeeze) in Christchurch, run by someone from oop North, which sells great UK cheese - various cheaddars, stiltons etc. He has a special chilled room in which the cheeses are kept - stinks to high heaven!

The cheeses are quite expensive (presumably the cost of getting them here coupled with the fact that they are the top of the range) but well worth treating yourself to every now and again.

I think that he also has a stall in the Arts Centre marketplace at weekends, but I may be wrong.

[KerryS]

Yuk - pork pies are one thing I don't miss. Those pics looked like really nasty cheap and processed food. Really horrid.