These comfort staples give UK expats a taste of home

While packing tea bags is becoming the norm in Brit’s baggage, UK expats in it for the long haul can’t always carry cases full of beloved British classics to their new overseas home.

According to Britsuperstore, around 532,000 people emigrated from the UK in 2023, and 52 per cent of Brits would consider leaving to work in another country.

Research from the UK grocery exporters calculated the search volume of British-made foods per percentage of the expat population in the top countries where Brits live abroad.

Weetabix, a staple in over half of British kitchens, was found to top the ‘Taste of Home’ charts.

The cereal performed best overall, with 78 per cent of UK expats searching for the breakfast brand, particularly those living in America, Canada, Spain, France and Germany.

In second place, Scottish delicacy Tunnock’s Teacakes with a 32 per cent search volume, closely followed by Heinz Salad Cream, HP Sauce and Kingsmill Bread to round off the top five British bites for expats.

Of course, household names, including Walkers, Warburtons, Pukka Pies and Cadburys were also missed by UK natives living overseas.

In Ireland and South Africa, Brits showed a sweet tooth, with Thornton’s chocolate and McVite’s chocolate the favoured UK export in each country respectively.

However, Germany-based expats were found to be searching mainly for Nestle and McCain products.

As for expats who headed down under, HP Sauce was found to be a firm favourite of Brits living in Australia and New Zealand.

Britsuperstore said that in the first six months of 2023, domestic food and drink products exported from the UK increased by £12 – exceeding pre-pandemic levels from 2019.

The study quoted a Global Talent Report that found remote workers overseas have increased to 23 per cent and said 800 million working professionals are actively looking for jobs abroad.

In May, research found that UK tourists have a habit of travelling with home luxuries, including tea bags and Marmite spread.

Of the Brits surveyed, 44 per cent said they pine for their pillow when travelling, closely followed by tea (41 per cent), TV (35 per cent), bacon (24 per cent) and cheddar cheese (16 per cent).

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