Anonymous wrote:Seriously, just go to a big Waitrose and buy everything in the candy/cookie/chocolate aisle.

+1 (former Londoner here)

Cadburys is not good--the ones I got in the tube have always been awful!!

The opposite of sweet, but barry norman's pickled onions...
Also extra mature cheddar cheese.

Probably the wrong time of year, but there's nothing tastes as good as a fresh donut, hot out of the fat, after a nice walk by the seaside.

You can try a stick of rock, too. There's no candy quite like it, stateside. It's sort of like a peppermint stick, only softer inside, and comes in different flavours.

Millionaire's shortbread. Victoria sponge.

Clotted cream, clotted cream, clotted cream!

Anonymous wrote:Sticky toffee pudding with warm custard from the pub. I thought it was marvelous. I like ribena too. I have also been known to bring back tins of custard. WHAT? Yes, how practical to have tins of custard. Oh England, how we have failed as former colonies. Where are the tins of custard at the Safeway? The marmalade is better there too.

Yes to everything you say! Also, hobnobs.

Sticky toffee pudding with warm custard from the pub. I thought it was marvelous. I like ribena too. I have also been known to bring back tins of custard. WHAT? Yes, how practical to have tins of custard. Oh England, how we have failed as former colonies. Where are the tins of custard at the Safeway? The marmalade is better there too.

I guess we are outliers but DH and I hated British candy and most of the desserts. The candy bars all tasted off -- their chocolate formulation must be different. And the traditional desserts like sticky toffee or treacle tart we found awful. However, if you can find French pastries or Swiss chocolate, I'm sure they will be excellent.

Boost bar!!

Anonymous wrote:I have bad news - Cadbury has been bought by Kraft and the quality of their chocolates has really deteriorated. They taste as shitty as hershey's now.

A Flake bar is still pretty good though. Also recommended - milk chocolate Hobnobs, Jaffa cakes, bakewell tarts.

Very tragically true.

Anonymous wrote:Clotted cream and scones with tea. Known as "Cream tea". A must do. You will thank me for this later.

My favorite thing ever.

Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb Custard.

I don't get the appeal of Cadbury's. It's maybe a step up from Hershey's but to me, it's still somewhat of an average chocolate bar.

London has a lot of great chocolate. Artisan du chocolat, William Curley, Melt, Paul Young.

If you want to splash out a bit, make reservations for afternoon tea. The Ritz is probably the fanciest/most lavish and definitely worth a visit even if just once in your lifetime, but another one that is fun and a little more non-traditional is the Fashionista's tea at the Berkeley Hotel. Little cookies and desserts shaped like Hermes bags or Louboutin shoes.

Oh, and Laudree. The Macaroons are insane. I prefer these over chocolate, actually.

Clotted cream and scones with tea. Known as "Cream tea". A must do. You will thank me for this later.

Spotted Dick!