American RVers try British Snacks… Camping!


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Back in September during our trip to the UK, one of the most memorable things I did was participate in a British snack-tasting session served up by our British hosts. Even though it’s been a couple months since we filmed it, if you stick around toward the end of the video, you’ll see why we decided to release it now:

 

Some of you probably remember we were in Yorkshire as guests of Glawning.  They make a rather posh campervan awning that creates a whole room of protected space just outside your van.  They wanted our opinions on their product, and how we thought it might do for US RVers.  You can read all about the whole UK trip here, at this link.

 

Anyway – while we were there, our hosts thought it would be a bit of fun to introduce us to some of the snacks that they take along when they head out on trips.  Knowing of the less-than-spectacular reputation of British cuisine, Stefany bravely nominated me to be the guinea pig for this video.

I’m happy to report that most of the snacks they had me try actually weren’t that bad.  I say most because there was one that was truly awful.  See if you can guess which one that was in the video, lol.

But!  Some of the snacks were downright good!  I wasn’t expecting it, but they were.  I got to try a lot more snacks than the ones you see in the video, but my favorites were:

Crumpets:  Hands down my favorite bread product from the UK.  They’re kind of like an English Muffin, but kind of not.  They’re spongier.  And when you slather them with butter, they’re awesome.  (Though come to think of it, nearly anything slathered in butter is pretty awesome.)

Marmite:  Apparently, there’s a bit of a divide in the UK about this product.  After trying it, I definitely come down in the pro-Marmite camp.  This stuff is a SUPER SALTY yeast extract that’s the UK counterpart to Australia’s Vegemite.  When I first tasted it, I thought it was softened beef bullion smeared on bread.

Space Raiders:  Yes, the shape is a bit silly, but I’ll admit to liking them.  These Funyon-like crisps (not chips!) have the distinction of being the only snack I tried that I’ve actually bought more of since the taste test.  OK.  Maybe they’re not the healthiest choice, but the salty-vinegary-oniony thing is pretty compelling.

Pot Noodles – Bombay Bad Boy flavor:  Hang over food, college food, easy camping food… Call them what you want, but this unique and spicy Ramen-like dish didn’t last 5 minutes once I had tasted it.  (I didn’t figure anyone wanted to watch me slurp noodles, so that one didn’t make the cut.)  These were WAY better than the Ramen noodles I had in college.

 

So there you have it.  UK snacks… not as bad as you might be thinking… particularly when camping.  We’d like to thank our friends at Glawning again for the opportunity to try out their awning… and their snacks!

 



James is a former rocket scientist, a USA Cycling coach, and lifelong fitness buff. When he's not driving the RV, or modifying the RV (or - that one time - doing both at once), you can find him racing bicycles, or building furniture, or making music. In his spare time, he works for a large IT company.


    6 thoughts on “American RVers try British Snacks… Camping!

    1. diane

      My son and his wife live in the UK for about a year now. I have come to love McVities HobbNobs and scones with clotted cream. The HobbNobs come in various varieties, some are ginger or orange, or plain; and all of those varieties can come with chocolate on one side. There are online stores in the US where you can buy them, and Wegmans also sells some as well. As far as the scones w/cream, the scones we have here in the US are not similar and I can’t fine clotted cream anywhere. But I did find clotted cream chocolate bars at Wegmans too. They have a good international isle. Its fun to see people try different foods. Thanks for that!

      Reply
    2. Bethan

      We have chicharrones here which are pork rinds. You can get a number of these things here… Trader Joes have crumpets for instance.

      You should have tried pork/jubilee pies! I miss them so much here. Also proper cornish pasties!

      I brought back skips when I came back from England this year for my husband and kids.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Well, crumpets are stone cold awesome.
        Now that I know they have them at Trader Joe’s… they’re on the list.

        Reply
    3. Graham Smith

      I can imagine Stef sitting there freaking out over all the unapproved junk food you were eating, but it was all in the name of scientific research so… Anyway, Marmite and Vegemite are definitely polarizing and they are one of those foods that seem to prove that taste is partly genetic – people literally taste things differently. As to the pork skins, I had some in London and they were truly atrocious while I like the ones from the Southern US.

      Reply
    4. Sam Pellegrino

      Spanning the Globe to bring us a constant variety of gustatorial delights!
      James, the sacrifices that you make for us all.
      No wonder you are held in such high esteem!

      I can sense Stef being off-camera, doubled-over and stifling her laughter, trying not to be heard.

      And did I hear what sounded like pummeling down rain in the second half?
      Oh, The Humanity!
      May the Crisps be with YOU!

      Merry Christmas!!

      Reply

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