I didn't wanna appear Greedy asking for the Gold......
.....we can get it here......Now...
At one time...every visitor from the UK came over with yorkshire teabags in their suitcase...and went back with it full of ciggies...
But the prices caught up....so no-one takes ciggies back now.
When we first come over in 2000...the ciggies were so cheap compared to the UK...we worked out that if we got a flight every 3 to 4 months and bought our ciggies in bulk....the Savings paid for the mortgage of the small cheap place we bought to stay in.
Not now though....
Why the Spanish love tea, Marmite and Cathedral City cheddar
Spain is now the fifth-biggest export market for British food products. So what does one of Britain’s top Spanish chefs make of his compatriots’ penchant for British grub?
Big in Barcelona … Marmite is proving a hit with Spanish tastebuds
I’m very pleased that the Spanish are realizing that British cuisine is amazing. When I arrived in London 16 years ago, I thought: “Wow! Every single food in the world is here.” I had been living in Madrid, where you had one very good Italian, and everything else was basically Spanish. It wasn’t very diverse – there was no great Indian or Chinese food. The Spanish were very regional: close to their own food and wine and not so open to anything else. I’m happy that Spain now loves Britain as much as Britain has always loved Spain. London is the best city in the world for eating out, and these are both my countries. Working together is only going to bring more good things to the table.
I grew up in Extremadura in central-western Spain, near the Portuguese border. I knew nothing about British food, and my perception was of a cuisine that was not very good. It was all about fish and chips and pies. Now I’ve tried those pies and they are so good! The perception may have been wrong, but it is the same as Brits going to Barcelona, eating out on Las Ramblas, and thinking: “Bloody hell, this Spanish food is disgusting.” Seriously, that is not Spanish food.
The first thing I eat in the morning is a bowl of porridge. I absolutely love Marmite and cannot wait for British asparagus to arrive. It’s the best in the world. I use salt marsh lamb in my restaurants, and British milk and eggs – pretty much everything I source is from here, apart from ingredients such as jamón ibérico and manchego. Spanish people love quality and strong flavours, so it doesn’t surprise me that they are going for cheddar and Marmite. People in the UK eat and cook better now, and that is having an effect on Spanish people when they come over. They try things and want them back home. So much of the best produce is British.
When I go to Spain to visit family and friends, I always take Marmite, shortbread and my earl grey and camomile tea. My mum loves it, bless her. My friends always ask me to bring them tea and Seville orange marmalade. So we produce the orange in Spain, make the marmalade in Britain, and then I take it back to Spain – how wonderful. Britain and Spain have always had a good cultural relationship, which means we all like a cup of tea. And who doesn’t want a nice piece of shortbread with that?