Where you buy those typically British, American or Australian food items.
When you’re a Brit, a Yank or an Aussie and wish to complete your Christmas menu with items from home, you could be searching high and low for pork sausages (the Brits), a yule log (the Yanks) or tim tams (the Aussies). The great news is that you can find pretty much anything – I will list here the most important shops catering to you folk, so you can get cooking in that nice apartment you rented at Amsterdam Apartments.
The emulsified high fat offal tubes that Brits used to think of as pork sausages are most difficult to find, so I will direct you there first. These items still repulse most of the Dutch population despite the fact that better European legislation has actually improved most of the pork sausage varieties in recent years. In case you wonder why – it’s thanks to the legal obligation for British producers of sausages to specify the content of “mechanically recovered meat”. That, my friends, is according to the BBC ‘a substance sucked out of bones’ which ‘does not count as part of the product’s meat content’. Specifying such a yukkie substance on labels made the British manufacturers spontaneously lose their enthusiasm for producing sausages containing mechanically recovered meat altogether! But all that aside – for your pork sausages simply head to Arkwrights in the Rozengracht. This shop stores not only British pork sausages but will also have PG tips, HobNobs, pies and the great Walkers Crisps. They also do Irish products including your various ales.
Apart from Arkwrights there is also another small shop in the centre of town which caters to Brits as well as Americans and Aussies (and a few other international denominations). It’s called British General Stores (BGS), but don’t let the name fool you. You can find it on 1e Constantijn Huygensstraat – and despite the small premises considering its name, BGS shelves stock a rather impressive variety of products. Apparently baking Brits buy really rare ingredients in this shop. There is also plenty of North American produce on offer in this store, as well as Australian drinks, seasonal products and condiments.
Americans and Australians will also have access to a wonderful variety of products from home at Eichholtz in the Leidsestraat. This reputable, centrally located international delicatessen shop specialises in things like maple syrup, vegemite and tim tams.
Brits still not successful in finding the right products head out further afield to Amstelveen to the Eleanor Rooseveltlaan where at number 102 you will find Absolutely British, AbsoBrit for short. It sells Irn-Bru, Christmas crackers, mince pies and Christmas puddings.
For the really straighforward items such as clotted cream, cheddar cheese, steak and kidney pie and thick slices of bacon you of course can also always go to Marks & Spencer in the Kalverstraat (the main shopping street).
