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At Christmastime a lot of stores start carrying imported treats for the season, and this is the only time of the year we can find certain goodies in most of the US. So, if you've run across a traditional treat in a store somewhere, let everybody know so they can run and get some too! biggrin



I'll start!
Stuff I have seen in the past week or so:
---Jaffa Cakes at Big Lots (These are NOT UK made, they are from Poland. the brand being Primart. Still, they taste a lot better than the LU Pim's which I've seen in groceries like Harris-Teeter & Lowes Foods, and at Southern Season, and much closer to the real Jacob's Jaffa Cakes I got a package of last year.) They have 2 flavors, Orange and Raspberry. See?
For those who don't know, Jaffa Cakes are cookie-sized, thin sponge cakes with a disk of fruit-flavored jelly on top, which in really good brands is extremely sweet, with a coating of chocolate over the top. Downright addictive. Folks from the UK I've met online often declare they gobble these by entire packages at a sitting.

--Norfolk Manor Brand Jelly Babies at Southern Season (This is for North Carolina folks, but I know there are a few of you here! Southern Season is in Chapel Hill. These are the soft, powdered-sugar-coated kind of jelly babies, not the hard, small, gummy-like ones I've seen in the past from Bassett. This may be the ones that have been seen at Krogers stores as well, as they have a British flag in the box design.) Link for picture reference
Southern Season also has Wine Gums, Licorice Allsorts, Aero Bars, and many other candies & other UK foods and beverages. And they bake fantastic scones in their own bakery. biggrin


Anybody else had great luck this season? Spread the good news!

Primart brand Jaffa Cakes are from Poland. Jacob's & McVities brands are UK made. And then there are Pim's by LU, from Belgium, which look like Jaffa Cakes but don't actually say they are. A lot of the online UK people I've talked to turn their noses up at Pim's. I know they don't have as intensely sweet a flavor as other brands I've tried so far.

My favorite Jaffa Cake flavor so far is orange. I haven't opened the raspberry package yet because I think I'd probably devour all of them in one day. sweatdrop

A whole section of which?

And I tried the Primart raspberry Jaffa Cakes today--they aren't nearly as addictively delicious as the orange ones. Good, though.

Big Lots has them $2.50/package.

Lucky! smile There must be a demand in your area, then.

Find a nice, big Big Lots & search through all the foods section, Ceribri! smile

Something I've been seeing that isn't imported but is from a UK sweets tradition is Turkish Delight (which anybody who has read The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe probably remembers). Here in the US up in Washington state is a company called Liberty Orchards that makes a turkish delight type candy. I see it in many stores this time of year, including Target, occasionally Wal-Mart, gourmet shops, and this year at Dollar General stores. They come in different varieties, including Aplets & Cotlets (apple & apricot fruit candies), Fruit Delights (variety of fruits & nuts) and Berry Delights. They're very rich and sweet. At Dollar General, they're selling $3 a box. Other stores are anywhere from $4-$6 a box.

Exactly! So it's an awesome gift! biggrin
I get these for my Mom & she sticks the box in the fridge. She makes it last her for weeks that way, & when she wants one she takes it & warms it a few seconds in the microwave, and it's nice and soft again.

Ooh I had some lovely turkish delight the other day, mum brought some home randomly. Like, the proper stuff! in the cubes! wow.

It was that lovely pink colour and tasted just like rosewater. Except they always put way too much icing sugar on the outside, you can barely taste the inside and it goes everywhere and makes your fingers sticky mad so I just washed it off.



You mean there are others apart from orange? and not just one type of jaffa cake? wow. Maybe that's where I went wrong.

EDIT: oops... you said so in your first post. I must be going crazy...

What, they bought out Bassett's? surprised

Norfolk Manor still seems to be making the proper ones....