Jump to content

All the comforts of home are available in Australia


Becontree Boy

Recommended Posts

The recent postings by "ten pound poms" have prompted me to consider how different the migrant experience is nowadays.

 

They had to give up all the small familiar comforts of home. In contrast, contemporary settlers from the UK can easily connect with our favourite British things.

 

Here's my own personal, Melbourne-centric list -

 

- Yorkshire Puddings: bought some "Aunt Betty's" frozen ones yesterday from Aldi's.

 

- Paxo stuffing, Chip Shop Curry Sauce, Bisto Gravy, Pease Pudding, Walkers Crisps. It costs an arm and a leg, but I regularly buy them from "Treats from Home" in Collins Street.

 

- Proper "Weetabix" (not that nasty "Weetbix"), Coleman's Mustard, Robinson's Barley Water, mint sauce, Sarson's Vinegar. No problem: try the "English" section in Coles at North Balwyn. The prices there are far cheaper than at specialist English shops.

 

- No need to forgo Marks and Spencer undies (or other clothes): You can order from their UK web site and get them to deliver to Australia from less than £20. The January sale may still be on - my first delivery arrived on Friday!

 

- A proper "English Curry"? Well, I haven't tried the curry house in Lygon Street where the English Cricket team eats, but when I lived in Brisbane, there was one in Birkdale shopping centre run by a family from Wolverhampton. I'll be looking them up again on our next trip to the Sunshine State.

 

- Steve Wright's show on BBC Radio 2, the "News Quiz" from Radio 4,and Clive Thomas and Pat Edison's shows on Radio Caroline: no problem - I can catch them streaming live on the internet, or - in the case of the BBC - also listen to them as podcasts on my phone while I walk the dog.

 

- A UK phone number, so the relatives think that you still live around the corner? I've still got my Sheffield number. Funnily enough, its from a German company called Sipgate (see sipgate.co.uk - free phone service over your broadband link - voice over ip provider.). There's no monthly rental, and landline calls cost just over a penny a minute. Calls to UK mobiles are just under 10p a minute. To get a location specific no. (eg: 02, 0114, 01268 etc), you have to sign up in the UK (or get someone there to do this for you). From Australia only 0845 numbers are available. Sipgate's service over the past 3 years has been very reliable.

 

- Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and East Enders: my wife watches them back to back on UKTV when she comes home from work. Now that we've been here a few years she doesn't mind that they are some months behind the UK (or over a year behind in the case of Corrie).

 

- In depth news analysis of the world outside Australia: ABC's extensive relays of the BBC World Service on "ABC News Radio" are invaluable, as is my regular purchase of "The Guardian Weekly" (I know I can always rely on the "The Age" for decent coverage of Australian politics.) If I want a good laugh, I can always buy the "International Express" - it is as rabidly right wing as its UK counterpart - although I must admit that I have a secret passion for Ann Widdicombe's column! Each morning, I catch the lastest UK news from Sky News UK on Foxtel Channel 601. It's in one of those little Sky News Active boxes you get when you press the red button.

 

Being a vegetarian, the only things I really miss are products from "Quorn". Now, if somebody could crack that one and import them into Australia then I'd have to say there would be very little I'd miss from my old life in England.

 

I hope I don't sound like a little Englander. I still embrace all the best things that Australia has to offer. But I do think that nowadays we are blessed with the opportunity of having the best of both worlds.

 

So how does my list compare with that of other "Poms in Oz"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest earlswood
The recent postings by "ten pound poms" have prompted me to consider how different the migrant experience is nowadays.

 

They had to give up all the small familiar comforts of home. In contrast, contemporary settlers from the UK can easily connect with our favourite British things.

 

Here's my own personal, Melbourne-centric list -

 

- Yorkshire Puddings: bought some "Aunt Betty's" frozen ones Yesterday from Aldi's.

- Paxo stuffing, Chip Shop Curry Sauce, Bisto Gravy, Pease Pudding, Walkers Crisps. It costs an arm and a leg, but I regularly buy them from "Treats from Home" in Collins Street.

 

- Proper "Weetabix" (not that nasty "Weetbix"), Coleman's Mustard, Robinson's Barley Water, mint sauce, Sarson's Vinegar. No problem: try the "English" section in Coles at North Balwyn. The prices there are far cheaper than at specialist English shops.

 

- No need to forgo Marks and Spencer undies (or other clothes): You can order from their UK web site and get them to deliver to Australia from less than £20. The January sale may still be on - my first delivery arrived on Friday!

 

- A proper "English Curry"? Well, I haven't tried the curry house in Lygon Street where the English Cricket team eats, but when I lived in Brisbane, there was one in Birkdale shopping centre run by a family from Wolverhampton. I'll be looking them up again on our next trip to the Sunshine State.

 

- A UK phone number, so the relatives think that you still live around the corner? I've still got my Sheffield number. Funnily enough, its from a German company called Sipgate (see sipgate.co.uk - free phone service over your broadband link - voice over ip provider.). There's no monthly rental, and landline calls cost just over a penny a minute. Calls to UK mobiles are just under 10p a minute. To get a location specific no. (eg: 02, 0114, 01268 etc), you have to sign up in the UK (or get someone there to do this for you). From Australia only 0845 numbers are available. Sipgate's service over the past 3 years has been very reliable.

 

- Steve Wright's show on BBC Radio 2, the "News Quiz" BBC from Radio 4,and Clive Thomas and Pat Edison's shows on Radio Caroline: no problem - I can catch them streaming live on the internet, or - in the case of the BBC - also listen to them as podcasts on my phone while I walk the dog.

 

- Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and East Enders: my wife watches them back to back on UKTV when she comes home from work. Now that we've been here a few years she doesn't mind that they are some months behind the UK (or over a year behind in the case of Corrie).

 

- In depth news analysis of the world outside Australia: ABC's extensive relays of the BBC World Service on "ABC News Radio" are invaluable, as is my regular purchase of "The Guardian Weekly" (I know I can always rely on the "The Age" for decent coverage of Australian politics.) If I want a good laugh, I can always buy the "International Express" - it is as rabidly right wing as its UK counterpart - although I must admit that I have a secret passion for Ann Widdicombe's column!

 

Being a vegetarian, the only things I really miss are products from "Quorn". Now, if somebody could crack that one and import them into Australia then I'd have to say there would be very little I'd miss from my old life in England.

 

I hope I don't sound like a little Englander. I still embrace all the best things that Australia has to offer. But I do think that nowadays we are blessed with the opportunity of having the best of both worlds.

 

So how does my list compare with that of other "Poms in Oz"?

Very helpfull post Sir.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Lyndhurst
The recent postings by "ten pound poms" have prompted me to consider how different the migrant experience is nowadays.

 

They had to give up all the small familiar comforts of home. In contrast, contemporary settlers from the UK can easily connect with our favourite British things.

 

Here's my own personal, Melbourne-centric list -

 

- Yorkshire Puddings: bought some "Aunt Betty's" frozen ones yesterday from Aldi's.

 

- Paxo stuffing, Chip Shop Curry Sauce, Bisto Gravy, Pease Pudding, Walkers Crisps. It costs an arm and a leg, but I regularly buy them from "Treats from Home" in Collins Street.

 

- Proper "Weetabix" (not that nasty "Weetbix"), Coleman's Mustard, Robinson's Barley Water, mint sauce, Sarson's Vinegar. No problem: try the "English" section in Coles at North Balwyn. The prices there are far cheaper than at specialist English shops.

 

- No need to forgo Marks and Spencer undies (or other clothes): You can order from their UK web site and get them to deliver to Australia from less than £20. The January sale may still be on - my first delivery arrived on Friday!

 

- A proper "English Curry"? Well, I haven't tried the curry house in Lygon Street where the English Cricket team eats, but when I lived in Brisbane, there was one in Birkdale shopping centre run by a family from Wolverhampton. I'll be looking them up again on our next trip to the Sunshine State.

 

- Steve Wright's show on BBC Radio 2, the "News Quiz" from Radio 4,and Clive Thomas and Pat Edison's shows on Radio Caroline: no problem - I can catch them streaming live on the internet, or - in the case of the BBC - also listen to them as podcasts on my phone while I walk the dog.

 

- A UK phone number, so the relatives think that you still live around the corner? I've still got my Sheffield number. Funnily enough, its from a German company called Sipgate (see sipgate.co.uk - free phone service over your broadband link - voice over ip provider.). There's no monthly rental, and landline calls cost just over a penny a minute. Calls to UK mobiles are just under 10p a minute. To get a location specific no. (eg: 02, 0114, 01268 etc), you have to sign up in the UK (or get someone there to do this for you). From Australia only 0845 numbers are available. Sipgate's service over the past 3 years has been very reliable.

 

- Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and East Enders: my wife watches them back to back on UKTV when she comes home from work. Now that we've been here a few years she doesn't mind that they are some months behind the UK (or over a year behind in the case of Corrie).

 

- In depth news analysis of the world outside Australia: ABC's extensive relays of the BBC World Service on "ABC News Radio" are invaluable, as is my regular purchase of "The Guardian Weekly" (I know I can always rely on the "The Age" for decent coverage of Australian politics.) If I want a good laugh, I can always buy the "International Express" - it is as rabidly right wing as its UK counterpart - although I must admit that I have a secret passion for Ann Widdicombe's column! Each morning, I catch the lastest UK news from Sky News UK on Foxtel Channel 601. It's in one of those little Sky News Active boxes you get when you press the red button.

 

Being a vegetarian, the only things I really miss are products from "Quorn". Now, if somebody could crack that one and import them into Australia then I'd have to say there would be very little I'd miss from my old life in England.

 

I hope I don't sound like a little Englander. I still embrace all the best things that Australia has to offer. But I do think that nowadays we are blessed with the opportunity of having the best of both worlds.

 

So how does my list compare with that of other "Poms in Oz"?

 

 

:notworthy: very informative

 

thankyou :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Dionne and Rickie

Thanks for all that it was good to no, i see you are from Dagenham we are too, my dad still lives there( near Martins corner). We brought our house near Becontree station my husband grew up at the Heathway. Small world hey?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dionne and Rickie: A small world indeed. Up until a few years ago, my dad lived at Martin's Corner too! And my brother spent many years on Canvey Island until emigrating to Wales!

 

Being Dagenhamites, you will need to know about our town's most famous Australian son. He is John Farnham who emigrated to Oz and, for a while, became one of this nation's biggest pop stars.

 

Sadly, apart from one minor UK hit, he is largely unknown in his own country. I reckon, by now he should at least have been conferred the freedom of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. He has, after all, got the Order of Australia.

 

See John Farnham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for all the details.

 

Good luck with your plans to move to Oz. Do you know whereabouts you intend to live yet?

 

PS: Another tenuous Dagenham/Australia connection is singer and performer, Max Bygraves. Apparently, he staged his first ever professional performance at the "Merry Fiddlers" public house at Becontree Heath (now the site of a supermarket). After a fantastic TV and recording career (your dad will remember the "SingalongaMax " collections which featured music hall and wartime songs), he retired to Sydney to be with his daughter. And, as far as I know, he's still there. Good on ya, Max.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest PommieLady

I listen to Radio 1 at least 20 hours a week, buy my mate (marmite), watch UKTV (and uk stuff on ABC), use MSN live instead of the phone (free). Used to miss curry's in WA but have some good curry houses here. Husband gets next undies for his birthday from rellies & listens to Radio 2.

 

Can't you make Yorkshire puddings? home made stuffing is much better than the packeted stuff. Give the old fashioned gravy powder a go, it'll remind you of Sunday dinners from your childhood (check the sodium content first though) my hubby won't have anything else now.

 

I miss quorn too, that veggie stuff here is dire.

 

:biggrin:

 

PS If you try the gravy don't put the mix into boiling/simmering water as it'll go lumpy, bit like making custard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest PommieLady

Is she veggie or non meat eater?

 

Its not to bad being a non meat eater, although Aussies frown on it big style (you should see the anti veggie stuff, you'd think they were murders :swoon:) in the 70's there were campaigns against vegetarianism, unbelievable stuff. Even now you are considered anti patriotic (by lots of Aussies) not supporting the farmers etc, they can't possibly grow veg instead, and must use vital resources on unsuitable land to rear animals, that are then treated horrendiously.

 

If she is a veggie you have to be very careful, particularly once you venture outside of large cbd establishments. For instance chips cooked in oil that contains meat products. There's definitely no quick and easy guide to diet on food products, so don't expect a v on the side of anything.

 

Same goes when you order a skinny anything... its usually not skimmed it semi.

 

To be honest most restaurants unless they advertise vegetarianism are likely not to conform to true vegetarianism, ie just ask about rennet and cheese :biglaugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Dionne and Rickie

Wow this is excellent any more Dagenhamites out there. Becontree boy we both went to Robert Clack school you must know it lol. Rickies works at Hanult (underground Engineer) so we are off to somewhere near Sydney for the underground system. We are just waiting to here for the meds now then we will put our house up for sale.

 

Where abouts are you living, how long have you been there???

Dionne.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pommie Lady -

 

Yes, there is a lot of truth in what you're saying. In Melbourne, things are a bit better. Before we came here we counted 42 exclusively vegetarian restaurants on one web site. We found two of them on the first day of our recce without even looking for them! Here in Box Hill, even our local chinese restaurant is vegetarian.

 

But it is true that at social events vegetarians will be completely overlooked. Nobody, will go out of their way to cater for you. We usually end up taking our own food. And hell will freeze over before you see a vegetarian sausage at a "Sausage Sizzle".

 

One of my main, er beefs, is the inclusion of meat products where you really wouldn't expect them: "halal gelatine" in yoghurts for example. Brand name is no guide: brands which are vegetarian in the UK have gelatine in them here in Australia. Fortunately there are vegetarian brands in main stream shops.

 

Vegetarian products in the dominant supermarkets (Coles and Woolworths) are generally limited to "Sanitarium". This was a company set up by Seventh Day Adventists, who strive to be vegetarian. Sanitarium was originally based in nearby Warburton in the Yarra Valley.

 

Sanitarium dominate the market. If you are in the UK and want to try them out, I remember that Holland and Barratt used to sell a few of their tinned range. Their stuff is an acquired taste. The frozen sunday roast is pretty good. Better than the Quorn equivalent, I would say.

 

In bigger towns and cities you will see shops that do offer an alternative range of Veggie products. There's a growing national chain of "organic" supermarkets (who also do meat) called Macro. There are a bit pricey though. Our nearest one is in Richmond. Another chain here in Melbourne is called Flinders Organics. Again, they are best approached immediately after pay day.

 

Talk to vegetarians who have visited the UK, and they will confess that Australia is easily 30 years behind the UK. I believe things will get better, but it will take a lot of organised campaigning by vegetarians to win the advances we have seen in Britain.

 

But the bottom line is that it is possible to live a happy and fulflled vegetarian lifestyle here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dionne and Rickie -

 

Ah yes: Robert Clack: I was a Bishop Ward boy myself (Now All Saints RC for the youngsters). We were the rival school across the road. We live in Box Hill, in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Rickie should ask the (very!) old timers at Hainult depot if anyone remembers Jim Bailey. He was a shop steward there in the 1970's and an old friend of mine. He was quite a character.

 

The wife and I have been in Melbourne for about 18 months. Before that we lived in Brisbane for about 15 months. We have our own little underground train system here in Melbourne called "The Loop". It has 5 stations in the CBD and serves as a way of turning suburban rail services around. I don't know if it requires the specialist skills that Rickie has, but it's something he might want to investigate if you fancied looking outside of Sydney. We also have one of the most extensive tram systems in the world. The Victorian government also plans to build an underground rail link from the Western suburbs through to St Kilda and then Caulfield in the East. Even in Brisbane there are plans to build an underground rail line. So in the longer term Rickie will have some choices about where to live and work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest treesea

Missing things can go both ways....

 

When we lived in Oz, things I missed from the UK were:

 

- Mushy peas - available from Coles now and then.

- Dandelion and Burdock - had some in Coles (Barrs, in a can, $2 or so a can, but worth every penny)

- Tizer - never did find Tizer, though came across Irn Bru in Eastlands a few times.

- Cod - never did come across any in over ten years in Melbourne and several years in Sydney.

- Frys and Terrys chocolate

- the weather (it's sunny, cold and dry over here - just right)

- an insect free life

- a sea that looks "right" (silver for the North Sea, green or grey for the Northern Atlantic, and dark blue for anywhere off the Cornwall coast....)

- Decent libraries

- Samosas (for some reason Oz and India just don't go together when it comes to food. Too hot for chillies?)

 

Things I miss from Oz and NZ now I am back in the UK:

- Weetabix, as in Sanitarium ones, i.e. ones that don't dissolve as soon as you pour milk on them, unlike the UK varieties we have tried

- Lemon and Paeroa (rare in OZ, but an everyday drink in NZ)

- Luxury Flakes

- Hokey Pokey ice cream

- Grenadier (a type of fish)

- Malaysian food

- Meat pizzas from the A1 bakery in Sydney Road, Brunswick (Melbourne)

- My Size and Taking Shape

- Sausages that don't contain any pork, like the lamb ones or chicken ones with various spices from the butcher at Chirnside Park (Melbourne)

- Buying meat directly from the farmer (More a NZ thing than in Oz, but we did it in both)

- The fish market (Sydney)

- Luna Park

- Griffins Gingernuts (NZ)

- Griffins pineapple chunks

- Travelling. In Australia and New Zealand we travelled heaps - went overseas practically every year, but amazingly, since we have been back, in nearly five years we haven't so much as crossed the border. Not what I had planned at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
Dionne and Rickie -

 

Ah yes: Robert Clack: I was a Bishop Ward boy myself (Now All Saints RC for the youngsters). We were the rival school across the road. We live in Box Hill, in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Rickie should ask the (very!) old timers at Hainult depot if anyone remembers Jim Bailey. He was a shop steward there in the 1970's and an old friend of mine. He was quite a character.

 

The wife and I have been in Melbourne for about 18 months. Before that we lived in Brisbane for about 15 months. We have our own little underground train system here in Melbourne called "The Loop". It has 5 stations in the CBD and serves as a way of turning suburban rail services around. I don't know if it requires the specialist skills that Rickie has, but it's something he might want to investigate if you fancied looking outside of Sydney. We also have one of the most extensive tram systems in the world. The Victorian government also plans to build an underground rail link from the Western suburbs through to St Kilda and then Caulfield in the East. Even in Brisbane there are plans to build an underground rail line. So in the longer term Rickie will have some choices about where to live and work.

Born and raised in Dagenham, near Oxlow Lane, my brother went to Bishop Ward and I went to Sacred Heart in Goresbrook Road, later moved to Hornchurch, now on the Gold Coast

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The recent postings by "ten pound poms" have prompted me to consider how different the migrant experience is nowadays.

 

They had to give up all the small familiar comforts of home. In contrast, contemporary settlers from the UK can easily connect with our favourite British things.

 

Here's my own personal, Melbourne-centric list -

 

- Yorkshire Puddings: bought some "Aunt Betty's" frozen ones yesterday from Aldi's.

 

- Paxo stuffing, Chip Shop Curry Sauce, Bisto Gravy, Pease Pudding, Walkers Crisps. It costs an arm and a leg, but I regularly buy them from "Treats from Home" in Collins Street.

 

- Proper "Weetabix" (not that nasty "Weetbix"), Coleman's Mustard, Robinson's Barley Water, mint sauce, Sarson's Vinegar. No problem: try the "English" section in Coles at North Balwyn. The prices there are far cheaper than at specialist English shops.

 

- No need to forgo Marks and Spencer undies (or other clothes): You can order from their UK web site and get them to deliver to Australia from less than £20. The January sale may still be on - my first delivery arrived on Friday!

 

- A proper "English Curry"? Well, I haven't tried the curry house in Lygon Street where the English Cricket team eats, but when I lived in Brisbane, there was one in Birkdale shopping centre run by a family from Wolverhampton. I'll be looking them up again on our next trip to the Sunshine State.

 

- Steve Wright's show on BBC Radio 2, the "News Quiz" from Radio 4,and Clive Thomas and Pat Edison's shows on Radio Caroline: no problem - I can catch them streaming live on the internet, or - in the case of the BBC - also listen to them as podcasts on my phone while I walk the dog.

 

- A UK phone number, so the relatives think that you still live around the corner? I've still got my Sheffield number. Funnily enough, its from a German company called Sipgate (see sipgate.co.uk - free phone service over your broadband link - voice over ip provider.). There's no monthly rental, and landline calls cost just over a penny a minute. Calls to UK mobiles are just under 10p a minute. To get a location specific no. (eg: 02, 0114, 01268 etc), you have to sign up in the UK (or get someone there to do this for you). From Australia only 0845 numbers are available. Sipgate's service over the past 3 years has been very reliable.

 

- Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and East Enders: my wife watches them back to back on UKTV when she comes home from work. Now that we've been here a few years she doesn't mind that they are some months behind the UK (or over a year behind in the case of Corrie).

 

- In depth news analysis of the world outside Australia: ABC's extensive relays of the BBC World Service on "ABC News Radio" are invaluable, as is my regular purchase of "The Guardian Weekly" (I know I can always rely on the "The Age" for decent coverage of Australian politics.) If I want a good laugh, I can always buy the "International Express" - it is as rabidly right wing as its UK counterpart - although I must admit that I have a secret passion for Ann Widdicombe's column! Each morning, I catch the lastest UK news from Sky News UK on Foxtel Channel 601. It's in one of those little Sky News Active boxes you get when you press the red button.

 

Being a vegetarian, the only things I really miss are products from "Quorn". Now, if somebody could crack that one and import them into Australia then I'd have to say there would be very little I'd miss from my old life in England.

 

I hope I don't sound like a little Englander. I still embrace all the best things that Australia has to offer. But I do think that nowadays we are blessed with the opportunity of having the best of both worlds.

 

So how does my list compare with that of other "Poms in Oz"?

 

 

In 1970 a phone call was $3.50 per minute, we would ring at xmas, and mum & dad,s birthday for 3 mins. that was a real treat, wife crying her eyes out. and also realise my wages was $65 gross per week so each call was a days wages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest treesea

There is a great vegetarian cafe in Melbourne - Soul Food cafe (Smith Street, Collingwood). They also have a food section next door which was very reasonably priced. Also, the Fitz Cafe on Brunswick Stret, Fitzroy does a brilliant vegetarian breakfast/brunch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...