Bring from Home!: US Food Items Not Generally Available in UK

After months of research and hunting around Birmingham I have compiled this list of items that are tough or impossible to find here, and I stock up on the non-perishable items on visits back home:

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry and bottled)

Good Seasonings Italian Dressing mix

Lipton Onion Soup Mix (for dips and recipes)

Lawry's Taco Seasoning

Accent seasoning

Pepperjack cheese

Corn tortillas (available here, but not so good)

Veleveeta cheese

Mezzetta Brand pepperoncinis, cocktail onions, gardiniera

Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix

Salsa con queso/spicy cheese dip for tortilla chips

Crystal Light lemonade and iced tea packets

Chicken Rice a Roni

Sourdough bread

Canned chopped green chiles

Chipotle peppers

Pequillo peppers

Wheat Thins crackers

Zatarains Jambalaya Mix

Wonton wrappers

The following items are available at Partridge's Grocery store in Kensington in London (thanks for the tip Allison!), but are not readily available in Birmingham (or I assume, in other cities outside of London generally)--also watch out for the very high prices!!:

Motts Applesauce - regular and unsweetened

Stove Top Stuffing Mix

Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Garlic Salt and Lemon Pepper

Zatarain's mixes - Dirty Rice, Red Beans and Rice and Creole Gumbo (no Jambalaya)

Bisquick Pancake Mix

Heinz Chili Sauce

Graham crackers and graham pie crusts

Crisco vegetable shortening & canola oil

Betty Crocker cake & brownie mixes

Heinz Dill pickles - chips, spears and relish

Vlasic sweet and dill pickle spears

Pop Tarts

Hershey's Chocolate syrup

Light and dark corn syrup

Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips (most UK grocers carry only milk or dark chocolate chips)

Skippy Peanut Butter

Old Bay Seasoning

Libby's canned pumpkin

Quaker corn meal

Baker's semi-sweet chocolate chunks for baking

Jiffy Corn muffin mix

Progresso Italian style breadcrumbs

Various american cereals (fruit loops, apple jacks, grape nuts)

I also found these items at Whole Foods in London on Kensington High Street, but have not seen them anywhere else:

Tarragon vinegar

Green tomatillo salsa

Libby's canned pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Raw pearl onions

Smoked mozzarella

Spanish tuna in olive oil

Grocery Stores in England

There are a large number of supermarket chains in the UK, but they vary widely in quality and selection of foods depending on what neighborhood they are located in. I've shopped in many of them over the past 6 months, and can evaluate them below:

The largest supermarket chains are Tesco and Sainsburys, followed closely by ASDA and Morrisons, who all carry own-brand products but also stock a large number of name brand foods, as well as a growing number of international foods. Morrison's and ASDA seem to be newer chains, doing what they can to catch up to Tesco and Sainsburys. Tesco and Sainsburys both have clothing lines and homewares departments (similar to Walmart or Target in America), and both "Rewards Card" programs that provide the opportunity to amass points from shopping in store, as well as from buying gas at their store-owned pumps. Since I wind up shopping at both chains frequently, I have opted to enroll in both programs and earn points no matter where I shop. ASDA and Morrisons may also have these features, but they have fewer store locations, and their products are not as well publicized as those of the larger chains. Tesco and Sainsburys also both operate a large number of small, neighborhood grocery outlets (i.e., Tesco Express and Sainsburys Local) in urban centers or residential neighborhoods where space is at a premium, that carry only essential grocery items and have a small produce section.

Other national chains are ALDI, Lidl, Somerfield, Iceland, Waitrose and Marks & Spencers. ALDI, Lidl and Somerfield seem to be at the cheaper end of the scale in terms of quality and selection, so it's a better choice for food staples than for gourmet or hard-to-find items. Iceland is primarily a "frozen food" supermarket, and I don't believe they stock any fresh produce, so again, it is best for stocking up on freezer staples like pizza and dessert items. Waitrose seems to be a higher-end store with higher average prices (similar to Whole Foods in the U.S.), and their stores are usually smaller than Tesco & Sainsburys, but I've found many gourmet & hard-to-find items there when I thought hope was lost!

Marks & Spencers has become one of my favorite grocery chains, but I mention them last because they are not a traditional grocery store. Their grocery outlets are always attached to a larger Marks & Spencers (M&S) department store that stocks all the traditional clothing and home items carried by stores like JCPenny or Macys in America. M&S grocery stores also do not carry any outside brands, so their non-perishable sections are very small, and they tend to stock only basics (some canned meat, canned vegetables, tinned fish, pasta sauces and frozen items), as well as some dry baking goods and lots of sauces and condiments. They usually have a basic fresh produce department (although few items are sold loose--most are pre-washed, chopped and or packaged), and a good bakery, but their star feature is a huge selection of fresh, pre-packaged food and ready-meals, many of which are restaurant quality. Their prices are a bit high (more like buying food from a take-away restaurant), so I can't shop there all the time, but I've come across a few great items, the most recent of which was their canned Chicken Tikka Masala. It's the closest I've found to my favorite recipe for the dish in America, and it's easy to serve with basmati rice, green veg and naan for a quick meal.

NOTE: Whole Foods has recently opened in London, and I've only been there once on a brief visit, so I'm not sure how many common American foods or brands are available there, but I'm hoping they will bring the chain the Birmingham soon!