Buying Australian food in the US

[fenchurch]

A day or so ago babyotto asked me what mail order places I use to buy my favorite Australian treats (she wanted the info for a friend), and I realized this might be something of interest to more people.

There may be even more places I haven't found yet, but here are the ones I use most often... they've all been good, I just shop around to find the ones that have the items I'm looking for in stock at the best price:

Simply Australian -- I've actually been to their storefront, since it's about 20 minutes from where rackham's aunt and uncle live (about an hour and a half away). They also seem to be fairly speedy (but that could be because we're in the same state -- I've ordered things from them on a Thursday morning and had it delivered Friday afternoon).

About Australia -- nice wide selection and occasionally some really good deals.

Australian Catalog Company -- wide selection and they don't run out of stock often.

Australian Products Company -- these guys carry a brand of lemon squash I really like and tend to have really good prices. They also sell frozen meat pies, sausage rolls and desserts.

Great Aussie Food -- this store is based out of Australia and, I believe, ships worldwide. They have some items that I haven't found anywhere else.

Obviously, there are some similarities in products from Australia and the UK, so I also pick some things up locally at The British Pantry (in Redmond, WA). I've also discovered that Cost Plus World Market has a respectable British foods section and also carries Bundaberg Ginger Beer in 4-packs. The other place to check would be any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores around where you live. The one just up the road from us often has things like dessicated coconut as well as various Australian candies and chocolates.

For meat pies and the like, you can try the Australian Products Company I mentioned above or The Australian Pie Company will do mail order (or you can just stop in, if you live in the Seattle area, or hit The Kangaroo & Kiwi Pub). I've never tried this place, but Australian Bakery Cafe also looks to do mail order meat pies and desserts -- based out of Georgia.

Even better, if you happen to be driving through Idaho Falls, ID (and who doesn't at some point in their lives?) there's always my favorite place, Aussie Eats! They have *fantastic* meat pies (I really wish they'd do mail order) and really yummy lamingtons and ANZAC biscuits. Plus, where else in the world can you go to find signs up advertising things like the Chicken Curry Meat Pie with mashed spuds!

If you know of someplace I've missed, please email me! I'm always on the lookout for new sources to feed my addiction... Now excuse me while I go pace the floor waiting for my delivery of lemon squash and Cherry Ripes.

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it is the little differences that scream at me, between the two sides of the Atlantic. Like it hadn't ever occured to me until I joined LJ that the US doesn't have proper syrup. Now I find myself thinking 'What? Dessicated coconut is a speciality? You have to catch your own coconut and grate it?'

I have made curry pie - but my speciality is chilli pie!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it is the little differences that scream at me, between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Not long after we "met" online, babyotto and I exchanged a few boxes of grocery items (which mostly wound up being junk food), for things we knew the other didn't have. It was a bit surprising figuring out some of the differences... things we each took for granted as just being at any grocery store.

Like it hadn't ever occured to me until I joined LJ that the US doesn't have proper syrup.

Do you mean golden syrup? We have plenty of maple syrup and corn syrup... but I have to go to specialty shops, mail order or drive up to Canada in order to find golden syrup.

Now I find myself thinking 'What? Dessicated coconut is a speciality? You have to catch your own coconut and grate it?'

Well, we do have shredded coconut, but not dessicated coconut. I know it's not a big difference, but when I'm making things like lamingtons it's really not the same.

I have made curry pie - but my speciality is chilli pie!

Mmmm... those both sound good. I still need to try making my own meat pies, especially since I've discovered I like them so much (we can get things like frozen pot pies at any grocery store, but once again... they're really not the same). This is one where I can at least drive over to Redmond and buy them at the British Pantry (they have an attached restaurant that makes those sorts of things). Hmm. I think I may have to head over there for lunch to day, because now I'm really wanting one of their cold pork pies.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Do you mean golden syrup?
We don't have corn syrup, except as an additive in ready meals, and we call maple syrup maple syrup - so for anyone in Britain syrup is golden syrup, we don't bother putting the golden in front of it!

It is the thing I was most surprised that you didn't have, as you obviously grow sugar in the States. How do you cope without flapjacks, syrup pudding, fridge cake, syrup tart etc.?

Very few people ever make the type of pies that we think of as cold food - the basic pork pie, as they are so readily available in corner shops and supermarkets. They are made with 'hot water crust' which is actually easy to make, and it is possible to make them in a high sided cake tin. But generally when we make pies we use shortcrust.

When my daughter was in Australia she was amazed by how few varieties of sausages they had - she said she only ever saw 'beef', 'chicken' and 'Cumberland' which was actually plain pork, not proper Cumberland at all. She fell on pork and shallot, chilli flavoured, Irish breakfast etc. with great glee when she got home!