Marmite

Our local Intermarche (Coutances,(50)) stocks a wide range of English foods. Including HP sauce, custard powder and Fray Bentos steak pies.

In France the manager of each individual supermarket has more buying power than in the UK. You could speak to him and see if he can get hold of some. Ours helped us out with ordering peanut butter once and it became a real hit in our SuperU. Even the English shop in our town bought a lot of their stock from the local SuperU!

I get it in Carrefour here and our local supermarket Delhaize. Perhaps you could ask in your local Carrefour.
I use it in Brown stews just a little makes it much richer.
I am surprised there was a problem with the Flemish, I have never had a problem in Flanders, now the Wallies that is a different kettle of fish.

There is very little that I miss, but spices and ingredients for Indian cuisine are top of the list.
Tricia I may have said this before, but have you tried your local organic shop for flour? We have never had a problem getting good flour for cake and breadmaking from Type 55 to 150. We hardly buy any flour now we are low-carb, but can still get excellent spelt flour to make the odd loaf (which lasts in the freezer for weeks).

Wasn't it Denmark that banned Marmite?

Thanks anyway for this thread - it reminded me that I wanted to send off an order to the English Shop in Cologne, but not till after Christmas, because nothing Christmassy was desperately needed (still had the Christmas pudding I bought there last year. It didn't get eaten again this year - erm, last year, in 2016, I mean)

So I've sent off for Marmite, Branston pickle and brown sugar, light and dark. They also supply Dettol, E45 cream, crisps, beer and ciders - all the things we know and love and miss.

Doesn't that just prove TriviaF how many preservatives go into our bread made in the UK if it lasts so much longer?

TriciaF.... isn't it strange that one of the most popular reasons for holidaying/ living in France is the bread and yet like you I found when actually having to buy it on a daily basis the baguette bought in the morning is only any good for knocking a nail in by teatime. When you see how much is piled into supermarket trolleys the wastage is criminal! And I did actually break a tooth on a bit of 'pain de compagne' a few years ago.

Marmite should be fine in hold luggage. In hand baggage it would be governed by the same rules as makeup and sun cream.

DS heading back to Malaysia with two large pots of Marmite bought at Costco. No shortage now that I have noticed. Strange the things that expats crave, my Canadian family want orange squash and gravy granules!

That rings a bell with me,rubysong - I think I once had to relinquish a jar of Marmite before boarding a plane. It was in hand luggage. Probably be OK in a case.
Best to ask the airline you're using, it should be on their website.

Does anyone know if Marmite is allowed to be taken to USA? DS1 loves it (he has a jar with his name on the label) but I'm never sure if it is allowed in. I know it isn't a meat product but do they know?

Meant the vegemite no b12!! Marmite has it added .....

Love Marmite.love Vegemite more but it doesnt contain b12 and need that being vegetarian...?

Thanks to all - looks as if there are several suppliers still around. Tried Vegemite once and it was nothing like!
Mamie - I'll have a look at the British Corner Shop, I've seen there website before.
Going back to foods I miss when out of the UK - bread flour! Whatever the french think about their bread it's so different from british bread. The main difference is that it dries out quickly, you can break your teeth. Something to do with low gluten in french wheat.
So I get UK bread flour from my supplier here. I think it's from english or canadian wheat.

Yep, loads of it on Amazon.

I have recently tried Marmite popcorn. Delicious. As was the mojito flavour.

I had never had Marmite, until we were married and it became a regular on the shopping list. I do like it, occasionally, but just a smidgeon. When Tesco didn't have any on the shelves, I bought Vegemite instead, tried it and liked it. I think it has a bit less 'bite' than Marmite. D H hasn't tried it, yet!.

Marmite has a higher salt content than Vegemite. I think it tastes different.

Tricia have you tried the British Corner Shop? (Just Google the name for the link). We had a Brinjal crisis and I stocked up on horseradish and mustard too. I was very impressed by the service as it arrived by post in a few days. You need to buy a reasonable amount to justify the postage but maybe you can find some friends who need stuff too. They do some Waitrose goods.
We still have Marmite in the supermarkets round here but it is expensive.

Theoretically the same, but the taste is not quite the same.

I love Marmite as do my C and GC.
When my D lived in Antigua everyone who went out was asked to take Marmite and Branston Pickle.
Is Vegemite the same as Marmite?

My DF was stationed in Herenthals in the early 1960s. I was at university at the time. My strongest memories are of how unfriendly the locals were. Herenthals is in the Dutch speaking area and the Belgians there would make no concessions to anyone who couldn't speak Dutch. DS and I had both learnt German and French at school and were prepared to converse in both those languages as well as English, but would they meet us half way, they would not. Dutch or nothing

Cross the border into Holland and the Dutch really appreciated that we were prepared to find some common ground other than English - but still insisted in talking English to us to improve their own language skills

Oh yes, Marmite. I think the marmite 'shortage' was caused by a price battle between Unilever and Tesco. New Zealand has troubles because their marmite factory was destroyed in the recent earthquake.

I used to miss proper cream when we lived in Belgium; it used to come in small tins; and proper back bacon (streaky bacon came in tins too!) and tea bags. All sorts of things. So much so that once a month we had a rota to raid the NAAFI shop at Herentals. This entailed a drive quite literally from one side of the country to the other, as we were stationed in Mons. When it was your turn you took several lists and came back with the car bulging at the seams with "essentials" - baby milk was much in demand and they rationed that - and several other things - to us in the end, as we went through the place like locusts! And yes! Marmite! Having said that, there were lots of local foods I missed when we left, too. The superb fish and shellfish, charcuterie, and wonderful breads and pastries from the local bakery. There was nothing like them here in England for years. Different now of course. Sorry! What a digression!

Isn't it weird what we miss when we live abroad?! Gravy powder, digestive biscuits and proper cream to whip up.

It has always amused me that in US supermarkets it is to be found in the 'Ethnic' section, along with Birds custard powder and Tetley tea bags