an aussie in austria

As the years have ticked by in Austria I have managed to leave many of my Aussie-food-isms behind. Part of the reason for this is that logistically it’s difficult and expensive to ship things from Australia. Another part is that I have adapted to the food here and to what’s available. It’s nice to bring back or receive Aussie food on the odd occasion. But let’s be honest, I don’t need it. I can survive without it. Also being close to the UK means that it’s quite easy to get many of my favourites – or at least acceptable versions of them. But not everything. Here’s the top 10 things I still bring back with me from Oz when I go.

Savoys
Sure, crackers are crackers, but in the early days in Austria I could never find something that got me quite like the humble Savoy… especially the cracked pepper Savoy! So when I have space I always stuff a couple of packets into my luggage.

Tim Tams
I have never come across an alternative chocolate biscuit that delivers the same satisfaction than the Aussie Tim Tam. There are plenty of imitations but they’re just not the same. So Tim Tams are always on my list, both for eating and for undertaking the famous Tim Tam Slam.

Hot English Mustard
Yes, you can get many versions of this in England, and yes it even has the word ‘English’ in it as if the best one may be found in England. But I just haven’t found one better than the Masterfoods Hot English Mustard. It’s the one I love.

My Cadbury favourites
I didn’t know until I moved here that not all Cadbury is created equally. And it’s not all available the world over. So while some Cadbury chocolate is available in England (though it’s obviously inferior there), you can’t get everything. Here’s what I bring back from Oz.
Cadbury Crème Egg – The original Cadbury Crème Egg has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid. I remember these things being so big growing up.
Cadbury Snack – I found out when I asked an English work colleague to bring me a block of Cadbury Snack over to me that it doesn’t exist there. There’s just something about the different flavours that I love… and I enjoy eating them all, even the disgusting Turkish delight.
Cherry Ripe – The humble cherry ripe is apparently only available or widely sold in Australia. To be honest I am not a fan of dark chocolate but with Cherry Ripe’s epic coconut filling it is absolutely a favourite of mine. No one but me will remember when Cadbury briefly introduced a milk chocolate cherry ripe way back when. Now that was my heaven.

ETA BBQ Sauce
I love BBQ sauce in general and my favourite has got to be the ETA BBQ. It may not be fancy, but it does it for me!

Pizza shapes
All the varieties of Arnott’s Shapes biscuits are great. I would never say no to BBQ, Chicken Drumstick, or even Chicken Crimpy. But my favourite has got to be Pizza Shapes. I can’t get enough of them. And after having intense cravings of these when I was pregnant, I’ll always want a spare pack in the pantry!

Canned spaghetti
Canned spaghetti does not exist in Austria. And yeah, it probably shouldn’t exist at all. But I love it! When I was doing regular trips to the UK for work I brought it back sometimes, but there was something not quite right about the UK brands. So it has to come from Oz, and yep, my husband thinks I’m mad for eating it.

Angus Park dried apricots
For whatever reason, I can only find soft dried apricots here in Austria. So I bring these in from Australia. The Angus Park brand is the one my mum buys and therefore it’s my favourite. I import the finely cut version and put it in my muesli for a touch of home.

Port Wine Aeroplane Jelly
Honestly, it just has to be port wine flavour. I just don’t care for any of the rest. One of the things I like to eat when I’m sick is jelly, and the first time I got sick in Austria hubby went to every supermarket to try and find some for me. He did come back with some pre-made tubs eventually, but flavoured jelly… gotta get that from Oz.

Vegemite
Obviously there is nowhere else in the world where people smash Vegemite quite like Australia. Places like the UK and New Zealand like to boast about their Marmite and although it does live in the same family, it’s just not the same, ok. To be honest I don’t eat a lot of it, except for craving it when I’m sick, but it’s gotta be in the cupboard, and it can’t be too long before Sam has a taste.