What are your favourite things about/from the UK?

[Affiliatedlink]

The beautiful countryside
Parks with stately Homes
our stunning coastline
Country pub with a nice beer garden!
Our bread
walking
Smiling and saying hello to strangers (not so common anymore).
cheese and onion crisps
cheesy wotsits
our supermarkets

 

[Mustard]

I am feeling a little homesick and missing the UK. I think it is especially because of the Covid situation and not knowing when I will get to visit. It got me thinking about some of my favourite things about the UK, I am sure the list will grow. I am from Scotland.

- The Architecture. Probably one of the things that I miss the most. Over here in Canada many of the buildings are new. It makes you realise how amazing old buildings are in the UK. I miss being able to go on day trips at the weekend to visit an old castle.

- Long spring. Where I am in Canada, Spring still has barely started, the flowers are only just blooming. That being said we do get a very warm summer. But I miss how in the UK things bloom early.

- The dry humour of Brits.

- Wagamamas and Pret. Oh my god. I would love either right now!

- High street stores. We don't really have a "high street" here. We do have Topshop but it is really expensive here. The cheap stores are worse quality than Primark (and I love Primark) and the nice stores are very expensive.

- Being able to walk most places in the UK is really nice too. Here, it is very much a driving culture because the cities are so large.

- Aero and Malteser traybakes. I had a craving for a Malteser one today and will get the ingredients next time we go grocery shopping.

Do you have any Marks and Spencer stores there? I grew up in the US near the Canadian border and we frequently went to the local M&S there to get essential provisions.
I’ve always had to bring my own tea bags when returning to North America just so I can get a nice cup of tea whenever I want. I’ve even had to instruct wait staff on how to put boiling water directly into a tea bag instead of bringing me off the boil water to the table.

 

[bubbletea123]

Do you have any Marks and Spencer stores there? I grew up in the US near the Canadian border and we frequently went to the local M&S there to get essential provisions.
I’ve always had to bring my own tea bags when returning to North America just so I can get a nice cup of tea whenever I want. I’ve even had to instruct wait staff on how to put boiling water directly into a tea bag instead of bringing me off the boil water to the table.

Marks and Spencer's isn't in Canada. Pret is in NYC as is Primark so if visit there, I will take advantage. We can get decent teabags but only because they now have a British aisle in some supermarkets.

 

[vanish]

going to the chippy
cups of tea
countryside pubs

 

[Mustard]

I wonder when they left Canada? I know they were in Paris and then left but I think they’ve returned.

I like going to Panera the last time I was in the States. Are they in Canada? I also like old fashioned delis and diners to eat in. I also love rye and pumpernickel bread for sandwiches as it’s less sweet than a lot of US bread is.

 

[working9-5]

Marks and Spencer's isn't in Canada. Pret is in NYC as is Primark so if visit there, I will take advantage. We can get decent teabags but only because they now have a British aisle in some supermarkets.

Oh man. I didn’t know NYC has a primark! I’ll remember that for when I can go back.
Lipton are the worst teabags. There is a shortest of decent tea at the moment on this island

 

[bubbletea123]

I wonder when they left Canada? I know they were in Paris and then left but I think they’ve returned.

I like going to Panera the last time I was in the States. Are they in Canada? I also like old fashioned delis and diners to eat in. I also love rye and pumpernickel bread for sandwiches as it’s less sweet than a lot of US bread is.

I just googled and apparently they left in 2000. Panera is in Ontario but not the province I live in.

 

[Dexy]

Tea.
Fish and chips at the seaside.
Roast dinners.
Our countryside.
British humour/sarcasm.
The Royal family.
Our chocolate/sweets.
James Bond.
Shakespeare.
Our spirit .

 

[Mustard]

Thornton’s toffee.

Oh man. I didn’t know NYC has a primark! I’ll remember that for when I can go back.
Lipton are the worst teabags. There is a shortest of decent tea at the moment on this island

Lipton’s is diabolical!

 

[working9-5]

Thornton’s toffee.



Lipton’s is diabolical!

Worse than the 20p Sainsbury’s tea I would drink at home

 

[Mustard]

Worse than the 20p Sainsbury’s tea I would drink at home

I often buy the red box Sainsbury’s tea now for a builder’s cuppa.
It used to be hard to get decent tea bags in Paris (don’t know what it’s like now) and I used to visit an English friend there frequently and was always instructed to bring boxes of Yorkshire tea over for her.

 

[working9-5]

I often buy the red box Sainsbury’s tea now for a builder’s cuppa.
It used to be hard to get decent tea bags in Paris (don’t know what it’s like now) and I used to visit an English friend there frequently and was always instructed to bring boxes of Yorkshire tea over for her.

I’m not usually bothered by brands apart from HP sauce and now tea, it seems

 

[Meh]

One thing I love about UK is our accents.
Travel a few miles in this country and you hear a completely different accent and dialect. It’s so varied.
An example would be being Scottish I sometimes hear non Scots complement or comment on “the Scottish accent” which is funny because Scotland has many, many accents that vary regionally. Someone from Aberdeen will sound noticeably different to a Glaswegian who sound different to folks from a Falkirk/Fife or Orkney etc.

And everywhere is the same in the other nations and regions. It’s amazing but it must surely mess with English as 2nd/3rd language learners imagine listening to tutorials and videos of eloquent RP queen’s English... to land in Liverpool or Welsh valleys or rural Aberdeenshire

 

[AngryBird101]

The people..esp the Scottish..i am a Scot..
Scottish humour..think Still Game
Scottish friendliness
Scottish way with others, everyone loves the Scottish and Irish, these 2 countries people seem to be the most popular out of the 4 in the UK, no offence to the English and Welsh..I just go on what I have heard
The fact we are a nation of sarcastic and witty cunts
The welfare system..we are so lucky to have this when we need it..some take advantage, yes, but thankfully most don’t..it really is an amazing kingdom we have..

 

[2xblended]

Love this thread! So many things...
The rules! And the fact that people follow the rules! From queuing to driving to filling out applications- there's a system in place for everything, everyone follows the system and it all works, which you don't realise until you've left.
Spring time.
Regent's park! And all the stunning parks dotted all over the place.
Early morning runners at 5/6am before starting their work day- I just don't see them in such large numbers anywhere else.
Pret porridge!
Cream tea in the countryside.
Proper television
Waterstones and Foyles
The West End and theatre in general, including Fringe plays
Buskers
Museums and art galleries
I'm sure I have loads more that will come to me.

 

[Kim Mild]

Castles

 

[AngryBird101]

The people..esp the Scottish..i am a Scot..
Scottish humour..think Still Game
Scottish friendliness
Scottish way with others, everyone loves the Scottish and Irish, these 2 countries people seem to be the most popular out of the 4 in the UK, no offence to the English and Welsh..I just go on what I have heard
The fact we are a nation of sarcastic and witty cunts
The welfare system..we are so lucky to have this when we need it..some take advantage, yes, but thankfully most don’t..it really is an amazing kingdom we have..
the UK has some amazing real estate too, houses, commercial properties, churches, etc etc in English counties & their typical little English villages all over England..just gorgeous..🤍

English counties and typical little Villages within counties, all over England has some of the most amazing scenery and even their real estate, churches, commercial properties, etc etc, are eye catching...so much of the UK is gorgeous

 

[Kmt2019]

The amount of seaside towns / beaches there are- I guess because we are a relatively small island. I love the traditional seaside arcades. I don’t think I could live anywhere that wasn’t close to the sea.

Fish and chips (with extra vinegar) and a battered sausage

Music festivals, especially Glastonbury.

TV - Location Location Location

Sarcasm

Earl Grey tea

Wagamamas

Cheese and onion pasties

Going for a drive in the countryside

 

[AngryBird101]

UK caravan holidays!! Amazing!! Love travelling overseas but can’t beat a wee UK break in a fancy caravan!

Trains in the UK are pretty great!
The fact we have a NO GUNS ALLOWED POLICY!! Lol
The fact we are so popular for people to want to immigrate too, we have an amazing education system, NHS..

We are a lucky country to live in in terms of no massive earthquakes, tsunamis, things of Mother Nature reacting to hotter climates and a notion that with global warming, then these places will get hotter, and then there are Countries that can get colder..we don’t have bad winters, we THINK we do but it’s hardly Russia in winter!

We have pretty good TV options..
sometimes..too much+too many reality shows/people though..but looks like the majority rule here..there are more votes FOR these shows to be shown, than there are no votes..it’s the day and time we are in though so I’ll suck it up!!..lol

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Despite the fact I complain a lot about this country, I lived in the US for a while and things I remember really missing were...

- The sayings. ‘If he were chocolate he’d eat himself’ etc. I remember once apologising to a work colleague and saying ‘sorry I was away with the fairies then’ and he looked at me like I was certifiably insane!
- Cheering in a pub when a glass gets smashed by accident
- Pubs in general
- TV especially documentaries and there not being ads on every 2 minutes
- Groceries not costing an insane amount - like a loaf of bread costing 70p instead of $4.99 wtf
- Walking places by choice and people not thinking you’re weird/asking is there something wrong with your car!
- Tea! And the kettle not taking 100 years to boil on the lower voltage
- Not having to explain I’m not from Australia/New Zealand/South Africa because they can’t understand anything but the Queen’s English
-There not being a massive gap on the door hinge you can see through on a public toilet stall?!
- Motorways aren’t a complete free for all
- And finally, I could go on but, Marmite