禁漫天堂

Go cold turkey - you left the UK for a reason, embrace your new home and don't look back. 馃槑

If that's too hard, there are a couple of British food shops you'll find when you remember that Google is your friend, but not all of them are 100% reliable.聽 Try a few small test orders before you splash out...

@Gibbery

What are you missing? My local Kaufland has a pretty wide selection, I can't think of much that I could buy in a Tesco, but not in Kaufland! :-)

But, definitely, we don't have a lot of fish & chips shops or curry houses over here. And it's been a few years since I had a Thai Green Curry. Plenty of pizza though, it's just as popular here as in the UK.

Like @JimJ, I enjoy the Bulgarian food options. There's plenty of fresh fruit and veggies and nice fish. We eat much more healthily here than we did in the UK, and mostly make our meals at home. But eating out is a very affordable treat, and there are some great little restaurants around. We don't do it a lot, but even the dark, stone, Mehana-type traditional Bulgarian restaurant has grown on me (there's a great one near the Bachkovo Monastery that we sometimes visit for Sunday lunch after a scenic drive in the Rodope Mountains). Come join me and @JimJ on the Dark Side, Luke. :-)

Recently, I even added a traditional Bulgarian dish to my (very limited) cooking repertoire...聽 Sirene po Shopski, or Cheese Shopski Style. My (non-traditional) interpretation uses fresh tomatoes, courgettes, spring onions and peppers, along with some fancy artisanal sheep's cheese, all from my local market. It's easy-peasy and absolutely delicious (even if I say so myself). :-)

@gwynj

Mainly, the things I cannot find in Kaufland, Lidl or Billa and needed to sustain life are Yorkshire Tea, Princes Corned Beef, John West Pink and Red tinned salmon.

@gwynj
Mainly, the things I cannot find in Kaufland, Lidl or Billa and needed to sustain life are Yorkshire Tea, Princes Corned Beef, John West Pink and Red tinned salmon. - @Gibbery

Little London stock the first two on your list, and possibly the last two as well - perhaps in the Pet Food department... 馃槀

@Gibbery

You can still order from UK supermarkets and have it sent with GGBG, it would work for the type of things you're after, you can either have it delivered directly to them or ask a friend/family member to box it up and sent it to GGBG, they'll then bring it over and forward it to econt.

@Gibbery try but there are quite a few companies.

@Gibbery try but there are quite a few companies. - @SimCityAT

I wouldn't if I were you - their delivery charges are exorbitant! 馃槑

@Gibbery

If you insist on specific brands, such as Heinz and Yorkshire Tea, then I agree you can't get absolutely everything. But Kaufland has a bunch of black teas, beans, mystery canned/packet meats, and a wide range of different versions of canned/frozen fish (including salmon).

My very old dad, who's with me in Plovdiv, and very attached to his British tastes, can't tell the difference between his old PG Tips and the Kaufland own-brand breakfast tea, and his old Heinz Beans and the Kaufland knock-off. He can't abide the Kaufland spicy ones though, that's a step too far. :-) I've also swapped his daily Scott's Porage Oats for Kaufland's own-brand wholegrain oats (excellent, and cheaper than chips). Kaufland and Lidl both have some dirt cheap canned sardines (one of the healthiest fishy options, and very tasty especially Kaufland's version in lemon or spicy pepper) and some tasty and affordable frozen salmon fillets, along with some very nice smoked salmon options. They both also have a load of mystery meats, I'd be shocked if there wasn't a plausible corned beef substitute. But, in any case, some folks reckon corned beef is one of the worst processed meats, a UPF high in fat, salt and nasty cancer-causing chemicals (nitrites). Surely, you can find yourself a healthier Bulgarian alternative? :-)

To be brutally frank in my response, I am certainly no adherent of Heinz in any shape or form and feel that brand has devolved very significantly in quality and taste since the turn of the century and, indeed, was a far better brand in the 80s and 90s.聽 As far as their baked beans go, if buying in the British Isles, I would always plump for HP or Branston, which I always felt were much tastier.聽 In Bulgaria, I by far prefer the Lidl version to that of Kaufland and prefer the Lidl version over and above any other baked bean I have ever tried so am now a staunch adherent.

Porage oats, I have no preference and am generally as happy as a sandboy with Bulgarian own brands.

As far as teas go, all the teas blended in the UK have devolved over the past 20 years or so except Yorkshire Tea, which, to my taste, may even possibly have improved, so I must insist on that variety.聽 I have endeavoured to taste all the other supermarket brands in Bulgaria and the UK and find no other brands compare.聽 PG Tips and Tetley certainly fall into the by far inferior category as do Ahmad, Lipton, etc.聽 Twinings in all it's glorious forms, still remains highly palatable and oftentimes a viable alternative to Yorkshire in times of need.

As far as corned beef goes, I must confess that this is one of the ultra processed foods I do have an indefatigable predeliction for in it's canned form.聽 Actually, I would not buy Princes as I feel that brand is now devalued and devolved in the same way that Heinz has been and is now really mainly pap.聽 I fear I am totally and unwholesomely addicted to corned beef (ideally the Asda own brand version if truth be told).聽 I find nothing to compare in Bulgaria.聽 The German version sometimes found in Lidl is no comparison to the selection available in the British Isles. I find it is an indulgence I avail myself of reasonably illiberally, so do not feel it is affecting my health adversely to any great extent.聽 There definitely are good meats available in Bulgaria, which I will purchase, but they are not corned beef, which is more of an art form.

Although there are versions of canned salmon in Bulgaria, they seem very crude and malformed in comparison with the brands available in the British Isles.聽 Not a UPF, so not injurious to health, fortunately.聽 I have to state that I am especially fond of the Sainsbury own brand Pink Salmon over John West, though I do not feel that the John West brand has devolved as have Heinz and Princes.

Frozen or chilled fish are of no use to me generally (or at least in summer) as I have not used a refrigerator or freezer in well over 20 years.聽 In Bulgaria, I just hang goods out of the window in Winter when necessary as many East Europeans are inclined to do.

I am not able to find grape jelly. Can anyone advise if you actually can buy it聽 in Bulgaria聽 and if so where.

( I know it is not the end of the world since Amazon has it)

After an exhaustive search in my local Lidl, I am OUTRAGED to report that I found NO corned beef, NO black pudding, NO Tetley's and NO grape jelly! It seems civilization has still not arrived in Plovdiv. There was some fancy eurostuff called Bresaola which might be in the same kinda ballpark as corned beef (it's definitely beef), and the blueberry jelly looked fairly grape-like to the untrained eye (very blue).

Amazon Germany stocks all of those items, @Gibbery, though at eye-watering prices. If the delivery prices are too high, using a service like ggbg that provide a local address for delivery then you pay to have them being it to you in Bg might help. I suspect looking at the Amazon .de prices, getting them shipped in from the UK might work out cheaper.

@SimCityAT

They are currently only delivering to UK and USA addresses.聽 It fell into administration for the second time, on the 2nd January, 2024.

@SimCityAT They are currently only delivering to UK and USA addresses. It fell into administration for the second time, on the 2nd January, 2024. - @cyberescue1

Ahh, thanks for the info. I knew they came out of administration hadn't realised they went bust twice.

But there are others though, and yes the price's are stupid.

With the schengen area expansion although there are still checks in place with some countries it might be easier to have products from other countries delivered.

We've decided that we could in the future return to the UK for a short time around Christmas to have a proper Christmas dinner.

We've decided that we could in the future return to the UK for a short time around Christmas to have a proper Christmas dinner. - @Kath948381

What's a proper Christmas dinner?聽

@Kath948381

My my that鈥檚 one hell of an expensive Xmas dinner you must have money to burn lol.

We've decided that we could in the future return to the UK for a short time around Christmas to have a proper Christmas dinner.聽 - @Kath948381
What's a proper Christmas dinner? - @SimCityAT

This being Bulgaria, I cooked a "proper Christmas dinner" for my wife and her parents: a large - and even though I say so myself, very tasty - traditional Kapama (袣邪锌邪屑邪) made with homemade sauerkraut and a mixture of fresh pork, chicken and charcuterie.聽 The outlaws were doubly chuffed because there was a good two days worth left at the end of the meal, so they didn't have to cook for a while... 馃槑

I had to look up 袣邪锌邪屑邪. Wow, that is some meal! For anyone interested, there's an "official" recipe pdf聽 download here . A real feast, especially for anyone who kept the Advent fasting rules.

LOL, we're vegetarian, so we had homemade not-beef wellington with all the usual British Christmas veggies.

Kath, you can start the parsnips and brussels sprouts this spring in your garden and by December they'll be ready for you to have a Brit-style Christmas dinner right there in Bg! What else do you need that you can't buy there? There's sure to be a solution that's less spendy than shelling out for Christmas airfares!

Brussels (fresh and, much more often, frozen) are available in BG, as are parsnips (锌邪褖褗褉薪邪泻 in Bulgarian). Herr Lidl does frozen parsnips in a honey glaze from time to time, in his regular "British Weeks". The 15-month aged cheddar there is quite pleasant also, as well as the Blackcurrant jam (don't confuse it with the over-sweet and somewhat weird-tasting Blueberry jam).

I had to look up 袣邪锌邪屑邪. Wow, that is some meal! For anyone interested, there's an "official" recipe pdf download here . A real feast, especially for anyone who kept the Advent fasting rules.LOL, we're vegetarian, so we had homemade not-beef wellington with all the usual British Christmas veggies. Kath, you can start the parsnips and brussels sprouts this spring in your garden and by December they'll be ready for you to have a Brit-style Christmas dinner right there in Bg! What else do you need that you can't buy there? There's sure to be a solution that's less spendy than shelling out for Christmas airfares! - @janemulberry

That's an interesting "traditional" recipe - I've never seen pastry used before, although it's common to seal the lid of the traditional "Crockpot" on with a ring of pastry when cooking other dishes. With kapama it'll be really soggy if you cook it sealed.

Being a great Instant Pot fan, I cook mine in one of my large ones (they're ideal for such dishes and only take 25 minutes to cook from scratch). I then chuck the still-pressurised IP in the car, and on arrival at the village decant the kapama into a big and deep tapsiya (traditional round oven dish) and bake it for a while to evaporate some of the excess wine and liquid from the sauerkraut. A sweet red wine (like Lidl's el-cheapo but still quaffable Hungarian in 2-litre plastic bottles) is excellent for kapama, as it reduces the salty taste of the fermented cabbage.

Interesting! I might have a go at a vegetarian version some day, Maybe slices of frozen or pickled eggplant and something with lentils or beans to replace the meat layers. A horrible travesty of the dish for meat eaters, I'm sure, but maybe worth trying for us veggies!

@janemulberry

You could also try the approach of the owner of my favourite taverna in Corfu when I informed him that I had become a veggie*: "I can cook your favourite veal dish with chicken - or use veal but take out the meat before I serve it!" The concept of vegetarianism was somewhat lost on him, I fear! 馃槀

*It was only a fad, it seems - 17 years later I was suddenly re-ensnared by the aroma of frying bacon.... 馃槷

LOL! Yes. We've been told many times in UK restaurants, "But it's only got a little bit of chicken in it," or "We can give you this"-- points to premade meal -- "but take the meat out of it."

17 years is quite a long-lasting fad!

17 years is quite a long-lasting fad! - @janemulberry

Mr Bacon is a cunning - and very patient - adversary; you never know when or whence his next olfactory assault will come... 馃槀

馃ぃ Obviously so!

All these foods are available in Little London store in Sofia.

All these foods are available in Little London store in Sofia. - @mccallum

Some are, some aren't. People have their own preferences for brands etc, and "Little London" certainly isn't giving Lidl any competition when it comes to low prices...馃榿

@janemulberry

It reminds me of the TV programme The Royle family. The son was bringing his vegetarian girlfriend for lunch. Nana says "Can she have wafer thin ham Barbara?"聽 Gets me every time 馃ぃ

LOL, yes! It can be exactly like that. In the UK, meat-eaters way too often put pressure on veggies to eat meat. We'd never expect anyone to prepare a special meal for us and will happily just eat whatever veggies or salad people are having as a side dish.

Oddly, it's not an issue in Bulgaria. I think because of the Orthodox tradition of lots of fast days when observant people abstain from animal products, people in the village are puzzled by us still avoiding meat when it's not a fast day but seem to assume we're exceptionally religious!

@janemulberry

I think it's more tradition than religious observance. None of our Bulgarian family members and friends are remotely interested in the religious side but they still maintain the customs when it comes to what one "should" scoff, and when, in order to avoid eternal damnation or culinary purgatory. 馃槑

Personally, I still feel guilty when I eat meat at any time but my various medical complaints ensure that I only consume white meat/fish, and even then only occasionally. I console myself with the thought that our feline crew need someone to eat dead animals in order for them to receive their share....

That's very true about the cats. Obligate carnivores aren't the best choice of pet for a veggie! We should have stuck to pet guinea pigs, but those #$%^ cats keep coming to us!

And yes, you are so right about fast days being tradition rather than religious conviction. Our neighbours aren't at all faith-minded, but the wife is still observant of the fast days, or at least, she is when she invites me to dinner on fast days. One classic meal during Lent, she and I had a superb lentil and vegetable stew for dinner (she is an amazing cook!). Her husband ate a bowl of nothing but some unidentified meat, possibly rabbit, swimming in a fatty broth. He normally eats veggies with his meat, but has a wicked sense of humour. I do wonder if he was trying to shock me with that.

Hubby is sure everyone in the village now thinks he's Jewish and that's why he doesn't eat meat, because he spoke Hebrew with a neighbour of an older guy he met. She is Bulgarian but lived most of her life in Israel before returning home, and is known to be Jewish. Fact is, hubby is probably Jewish, at least from the waist up, because his great-grandmother was Jewish. Since discovering that, he's made a study of Hebrew, the Torah, and the Talmud, but won't go as far as getting the cut.聽 But he's a language buff and interested in comparative religion, so he would have also spoken Arabic with the Palestinians living next door to her, if he'd met them. And been happy to discuss the Koran with them, too, if they'd been that way inclined.

Our village is an interesting place!