Things You Might Miss Most

Every couple of years, my cousins from Italy fly to Canada to spend a few weeks with the family. And every time they come, they leave with things like peanut butter, instant hot-chocolate, and graphic t-shirts.

Naturally, when I was doing my pre-move research, other than the obvious such as clothes and personal items, I wanted advice on which of my favourite—read essential—things are not available in the UK.

Here is a short list of things that are not available here, that you might want to bring with you. If you know of any others, please add them in the comments section, as this could definitely become a reference page!

• Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Advil Liquigels (Ibuprofen is available here, but not the Advil brand, and nothing in "liquigel" format that I have found.)
• decent deodorant
• food & snacks (see below)

Many Canadians in the UK insist that the meds here are not as strong or don't work as well as the meds from back home. And the last thing you want when you're sick is to be without the medicines that you trust.

Cough/cold/flu medications are the most commonly complained about. NyQuil is my brand of choice, so we brought a few bottles with us. However, the UK has its own version called Night Nurse. I haven't tried it yet, so I couldn't say if it works as well or not. Lemsip is kind of like NeoCitran except not as strong.

We also stocked up on Tylenol, though so far the UK equivalent paracetamol has done the job for our 11 year old's headaches. The only ick with the Tylenol has been knowing whether or not it can be taken with other drugs, because even pharmacists draw a blank when you say acetaminophen.

Lastly, and no one mentioned this to me, and it never turned up in my research, but let me tell you: deodorant in the UK just doesn't work. They mostly sell aerosol cans of spray-on deodorant, but there are sticks as well as roll-ons. Most have aluminum or titanium in them. And I've tried them all, and none of them get me through a 12-hour stretch without reapplying. Highly annoying. Also, for any of you ladies using a deodorant stick on the inside of your thighs (to prevent chafing in a skirt), sadly, so far I haven't found a single stick that does the job.

Boots is a big pharmaceutical chain across the UK, so maybe taking a few minutes to see what they have and the ingredients involved might help you make a more informed decision. If you're into natural medicines, Holland & Barrett might be a better resource for you.

Foods & Snacks:

Cheese Whiz • Cheetos • Clamato juice • coffee cream • Coffee Crisp • Goldfish • Kraft Dinner (there's a frozen one but it doesn't really taste the same) • Lipton Noodle Soup (or any reasonable facsimile) • maple syrup • Montreal Steak Spice • Nibs • Old Dutch potato chips • relish • root beer • Ruffles potato chips • saltine crackers • Shake 'n Bake • Twizzlers

For obvious reasons, the Food & Snack list could go on and on. The items that have made the short list are those most-missed by our fellow Canadians abroad.

They have tons of chips (called crisps here), so that's not really an issue. "Savoury crackers" can do the trick if you're having a cracker-craving, although nothing beats a good saltine, and I have seen Ritz Crackers in some stores. There are all kinds of chewy candies to replace your Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers, Maoam and Strawberry Shoelaces for instance. Burton's Daily Fish'n'Chips are on my next-to-try¹ list, because I've been craving Goldfish like a mad-woman. Only the ones I've seen so far are salt and vinegar flavoured, so I'm holding out for the red or brown sauce ones.

In my opinion, foregoing my favourite snacks and eating the things that are available here is part of the experience. But I won't deny my terrible longing for a saucy-cheesy-all-dressed pizza, or a perfectly brewed Timmies double-double. Also, our move here is temporary. The yearning is still there, but it's tempered by the knowledge that I will have those things again one day, and frees me to enjoy the special things here that I will miss when we return to Canada.

Plus, the allure of visiting the UK might draw family and friends to your door. Family and friends with suitcases filled with your favourite treats and pain relief!

More grocery-related posts forthcoming.

Are you living in the UK and perhaps missing something that isn't listed here?

Or maybe you plan to move and already know what you'll be carrying over in bulk...

Leave a comment, it might help out a fellow Canuck!

[¹Edit: As of October 2016, I have tried both the brown and red sauce Daily Fish'n'Chips, and wow, they absolutely cannot replace Goldfish crackers, despite their fishy shape. Firstly, they aren't crunchy and dry, they are more like Ritz-textured. The red sauce ones taste like a poor man's version of ketchup chips. The brown sauce tastes a bit like gravy, but bland.]